Five players that I want to see more of when Michigan State plays Richmond

East Lansing, Mich. – Starting tailback Nathan Carter made the biggest splash among players making their Michigan State debut in Week 1. The UConn transfer hit the century mark in rushing yards, scored a rushing touchdown, and accounted for the two longest running plays from scrimmage.

We knew going in that Carter was likely going to be the feature back for Michigan State, so it should come as no surprise that the UConn transfer played as big a role as he did. The same is true on the defensive side of the ball with defensive end Tunmise Adeleye and defensive tackle Jalen Sami who got a good amount of work in the opener.

Of the 20 Michigan State players that made their Spartan debut, however, there were some that proved to be pleasant surprises. These are guys that might be able to contribute more than anticipated this season. At a minimum, these are guys that I want to see more from this weekend against FCS opponent Richmond.

1. Amorion Smith (6-1, 205, Soph., Safety)

As a secondary, Michigan State did a really nice job of playing with physicality in Week 1. Cincinnati transfer Armorion Smith was one of the tone-setters for physical play by Spartan defensive backs with his tackle in open space against CMU tailback Sam Hicks in second quarter. Although Smith had just one tackle against CMU and played just 12 total snaps on defense in his first game as a Spartan, that tackle was one of the best on the day by the Michigan State defense. Smith closed quickly, hit Hicks hard, and prevented a first down. That is the type of play that earns trust with a coaching staff and leads to more playing time. That is also a play that makes me want to see more from Smith, who has three years of eligibility remaining.

“I thought he did well, and I’m glad that he is here with us,” secondary coach Harlon Barnett said earlier this week. “He did a good job coming in for us on our third down package. I thought the guys flew around. We constantly talk to the guys about running through contact, which is one of my favorite things about football, guys going full speed through contact, and we had several guys doing that and that is encouraging.”

Smith is a big safety at 205 pounds, and we have never seen him tested in downfield pass coverage. Physicality, however, is not in doubt with Smith and that is a good place to start from.

2. Antonio Gates Jr. (6-2, 195, Soph., WR)

We’ve spent a lot of time this week talking about the play of Michigan State’s sophomore wide receivers. For good reason. Tyrell Henry had one had one of the best touchdown catches you will see this season. Jaron Glover sparked the Michigan State offense when it was needed most with big plays before halftime to give the Spartans a lead upon which they continued to build in the second half. Gates, the third member of that sophomore receiving triumvirate, did not catch a ball in his Michigan State debut. He did, however, draw a pass interference call on deep ball on Michigan State’s first scoring drive of the second half. Two plays after drawing that PI, Gates delivered a key block on Jalen Berger’s 12-yard touchdown run, which gave Michigan State a 17-7 lead with 2:45 remaining in the third quarter.

Gates is a guy that routinely showed up on scrimmage highlights last spring and more recently in training camp with his ability to catch the football. In the opener, he didn’t catch a ball but still made an impact as a blocker. And don’t underestimate the value of run blocking at the wide receiver position. That is likely one of the reasons why Gates played a handful more snaps than Henry did last weekend. The emergence of Gates as a physical run blocker is an intriguing development. As such, Gates is a player I want to see more of moving forward.

3. Dre Butler (6-5, 300, R-Sr., Defensive Tackle)

The biggest, pleasant surprise for me in Week 1 was play of Dre Butler, a senior defensive tackle that began his college career at Auburn by way of Independence Community College in Kansas before transferring to Liberty where he played 330 snaps in 13 games in 2022. At 6-foot-5, 300, Butler has the size that Michigan State is looking for on the interior defensive line, but there is nothing in his body of work leading up to this season that would indicate that was a good bet to provide the Spartans with anything more than a big body to fill a hole in the event of injury. Against CMU, Butler looked like a player. He was motivated, physical, and firm.

Is Butler better than either DaShaun Mallory (Arizona State) or Jalen Hunt (Cincinnati), the two guys that he and Florida State transfer Jarrett Jackson were bought into replace? The jury is still out on that for me. Butler did, however, show me enough in the opener to make me want to see more of him this weekend against Richmond. His debut performance also made me feel better about Butler as an effective replacement should anyone of the four players ahead of him on the depth chart be sidelined by injury.

4. Jordan Hall (6-3, 235, Fr., Linebacker)

This is the deepest the linebacker room has been at Michigan State in Mel Tucker’s four seasons at head coach and the Spartans have experienced playmakers in Cal Haladay, Jacoby Windmon, and Aaron Brule leading the way for the group. With Windmon and Brule both seniors, Jordan Hall represents the future of the position. It takes a certain type of linebacker to play well in Michigan State’s defense. Size is important, and Hall has the size that Michigan State likes at 6-3, 235. Intelligence, however, is perhaps of greater importance in this defense and Hall is an instinctive player with a high football IQ. Hall got just 14 snaps at linebacker at against CMU, and each one of them is important given his future as a potential leader of the Michigan State defense beyond this season. Hall far ahead of the learn curve for a first-year player, and he is one of those guys that may not be starting, but prepares each week as if he were.

5. Chance Rucker (6-1, 180, Fr, Corner)

Running back, wide receiver, and cornerback are the three positions that I believe true freshmen have the greatest opportunity to make an impact early on in their careers under the right circumstances. Rucker has size and athleticism and the demeanor to make an impact early in his career, and word out of training camp was that he was pushing for a serious role.

Starting corners Dillon Tatum and Charles Brantley played well in the opener. The same is true of Marqui Lowery, who graded out well in 21 snaps at corner in Week 1. Rucker did not make as big impact an impact in his debut against CMU, and he only played nine snaps total in Week 1. That said, the fact that he was one of just three true freshmen on the field for Michigan State in the opener along with linebacker Jordan Hall and defensive end Jalen Thompson is strong indication of how bright a future Spartan coaches believe he has in the defensive backfield.

Michigan State secondary coach Harlon Barnett has a track record of playing true freshmen at corner going back to the Mark Dantonio era when Darqueze Dennard broke into the staring lineup as a freshman in 2010 on a team that won a Big Ten championship. The fact that Rucker began the season in the playing group at corner and not on the defensive scout team is a signal that we can expect to see a more from him moving forward.

“Chance is a talented player,” Tatum said. “He is tall and lengthy. He can run. He is going to play a lot this year. He is doing really well.”

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