Position Battles - Offense
Quarterback -
We know the two-headed monster we have in Big Cat/Little Cat (Sean/Tommy). When both healthy, its a fail on our offense to not score a touchdown every possession. They are that hard to defend. However, what happens when they get hurt? Obviously we found out last year things change quickly in terms of offensive production. The good news is we got to see some Sean Austin last year and I came away more impressed than I thought I'd be. He's a good passer and has some calmness to his game. He's obviously not the same athlete as Sean or Tommy and even younger guys in Jordan Reed or Chance Wilson. But Sean made strides last yaer...no doubt. Jordan Reed flashed in the spring and some on here were saying "Jordan Reed for President" but his season ended in fall camp due to injury. Make no mistake, Jordan has exciting tools as a dual-threat QB. He throws a great deep ball with good velocity but I'm unsure on his overall decision making because I just haven't seen him play a lot. Chance Wilson comes in as an early grad looking to compete right away. Some may assume that means competing with Jordan Reed and Sean Austin but if you remember the signing day presser last December, the local press from Owasso, Oklahoma believes Chance should get a chance to win the starting QB job. Love the enthusiasm but expectations usually get tempered once real college defensive bullets start flying. Then there is Luke Abshire who is likely playing for a spot on the team this spring.
Running Back -
Isaiah Ifanse gave the program five years of his life and walked away as the all-time leading rusher in program history. However, 2022 was the year Elijah Elliot stepped up and became a key cog in our offense. After falling behind Sumner and true freshman Jared White, Elliot was on the outside looking in but once injuries started piling up it became clear Elliot and Garrett Coon were going to have elevated roles last fall. The five backs we have on the roster right now are Sumner, Elliot, Coon, White, Kaegun Williams, and "WR" Marquis Johnson (who almost broke the single game rushing record against Cal Poly). Right now, I trust any of these guys with carrying the rock for MSU behind this offensive line and under Housewright's scheme. It's a productive group that is a year older, year faster, year stronger, and year BETTER. I don't think it will really matter who starts.
Wide Receiver -
Like safety, I did a large breakdown the receivers a while ago. Find it here:
https://bobcatnation.com/bobcatbb/viewt ... 94#p817694
However, wanted to note Vigen singled out Aidan Garrigan and Christian Anaya as two kids who waited in the wings last year who are ready to make a push for significant playing time. Clevan and Taco will start and have large roles. Our FBS transfers will be intriguing to watch this spring as Garrigan and Anaya will compete directly with them. I'll also be watching some other younger receivers in Noah Smith, Dylan Snyder, and Zach Dodson-Green with the latter two getting scout team props last fall. Ravi Alston was a tremendous blocker last year on the outside so these younger guys need to show they can get after it on the outside.
Tight End/Fullback -
Pickering will be sitting out the spring recovering from shoulder surgery. However, we know what he offers along with fellow senior Derryk Snell. This spring will be yet another opportunity for Ryan Lonergan to somehow earn more playing time in front of Snell or Pickering. The tough thing with Lonergan is that he has clear talent as a receiver as he caught a ball last year and juked out a safety with ease. I'd go as far to say he is the most talented receiving tight end we have but that isn't our offense and Pickering/Snell do so much dirty work really well that its hard to supplant them. But Ryan has definitely improved as a blocker, plays special teams, and ready to go if Pick or Snell go down (the fact neither of those two have really missed any time the past two years is insane for how much blocking they do). The next tier is made up of Elijah Reynolds and Rylan Schlepp who both are coming along nicely. Once Pickering and Snell graduate, we won't miss a step in 2024. Vigen has a mold with his tight ends as each of them are about 6'4", 240-245 lbs. Add in future freshman in Hunter Providence and Luke Smith and this group is set up for years.
Only fullback on the roster is redshirt freshman Max Murphy out of Billings West (who I liked a lot coming out of high school). However, I need to note we had a 1st team all-Big Sky FB last year named RJ Fitzg....sorry I meant Derryk Snell! But in all seriousness, if we have to use an H-back, Snell and Pickering have both lined up in the backfield and we actually may see a lot of Pickering/Lonergan at the LOS with Snell in the backfield this year. This whole post was a long way of me saying I think Lonergan is going to have an elevated role in this offense now that RJ is gone and we don't have a traditional fullback.
Offensive Line -
I've never seen this much tackle depth but here is the current group: Rush Reimer (presumed starter), Marcus Wehr (presumed starter), Jacob Kettels (starter ability), Titan Fleischmann (starter ability), and Conner Moore (quality depth). If any two of these players start this fall, we can still be competitive without really missing a beat. At guard, JT Reed, Cole Sain, and Omar Aigbedion return as a productive trio on the interior. And Justus Perkins returns at center with Holden Sampson backing him up. This is as strong of a 10-deep I've ever seen at MSU. Other young guys to provide competition are Aaron Richards, Tommy Nilson, Bear Old, Burke Mastel, and Jaden Perkins. I think the only thing the starting group needed to do was add more strength. We should have high expectations for this group in 2023.
