We have a completely new team this year
QB- Last year it was Stevens and Shrader. Now it's Costello and Rogers.
RB- Hill is coming back- and he was a guy that we all thought might leave. And he's one of the few things on the offense that is the same! Marks is going to be a great player too. And he's a new face.
WR- Osirus may not start. We added Shavers, Heath (finally), Tulu, and now maybe we'll get to see Austin Williams and JaVonta Payton more. And now Shrader is a WR. Our TE's are now WR's like Spivey, Cumbest and Dontae Jones.
OL- Cole Smith will be the new center. Cross is the new LT and he redshirted last year. Dolla Bill could be our new RT. Eiland moves from tackle to guard where I think he is better suited. Parker is back. Reese is now at Florida where their offense fits him better I think. Basically we have a new and totally re-worked offensive line- but some of these guys are 4 star types instead of the typical under the radar developmental types we typically had under Dan.
DL- We are now a three man front but Spencer and Kobe are familiar faces. We lost Lovett. We also lost his Dad. I think Crumedy and Pickering will be good here.
LB- Erroll is back. And he looks like he is in better shape based on the hype videos I've seen. I bet the spare tire is gone. The other LB's- Gay and Leo have moved on as well as Tim Washington
Edge- Jordan Davis and Tyrus Wheat are new faces. Brule is a new face on the other side but I love his athleticism. Not sure that this position really existed in Shoop's defense.
CB- Emerson is a familiar face. We'll see what happens at the other CB spot- Forbes and Furdge are basically new guys. Maybe Cass will emerge later in the year.
S/DOG- Murphy is a old face that was a Tutor Gate casualty last year. He can play. Peters is sort of new. He emerged late in the year. Most of the MSU media thinks that Collin Duncan starts at the other safety spot and he is a new face. I could see Janari Dean playing a lot this year.
K/P- Is this this best kicking unit we have had in awhile? Christmann is proven and he is being pushed by Brandon Ruiz. Tucker Day is solid. We also have Scott Goodman who can punt and has handled kickoffs. And Ruiz will probably be the KO guy. Paul Blackwell is a candidate for some national awards at LS.
KO/PR- Not sure who we will go with here. Payton needs to hold onto the ball better if he is going to return kicks. I would like to see Tulu and Lee Witherspoon get a shot at returning kicks.
Not to mention a completely new coaching staff. Everyone is talking about Leach and rightfully so. However, Arnett was known for taking less than three star talent and getting the most out of them at San Diego State. Most years he would be the focus but with the overhaul he is getting overlooked. Matt Brock is a massive upgrade at ST coach as well. And then there is the new (old) culture, new S&C, and etc.
I'm looking at this year as year zero. It's just so weird that I don't think there is anything I can really take away too much from it. We could go 3-7 and actually be a better team than last year. Long term- I think Leach is going to be a very exciting hire for us. The way it went down kind of reminds me of how we ended up with Jackie a little bit in that it looked like we were going to go in one direction with Judge in this case but because of how things happened we ended up with a much better coach at the right time for us.
Oh- it's game week! Say hi Coronabros!
