2025 Breakout and Expected Improved Players

[kwcat]

Per VIM

Vigen has named the following players at some point during interviews during spring ball (not including known commodities):

Offense:

Jacob Trimble - WR
Javonte King - WR
Jabez Woods - WR
Everett Carr - OL
Samora Ezekiel - OL
Tommy Nilson - OL
Dylan Rollins - OL
Braden Zimmer - OL (Braden's added a bunch of weight as he came in really light for OL)

Defense:

Takhari Carr - CB
Taki Uluilakepa - S
Tayden Gray - S
Jhase McMillan - CB
Seth Johnson - CB
Carson Williams - CB
Cole Taylor - LB
Ryan Krahe - LB
Hunter Sharbono - DT
Talon Marsh - DT
Hudson Wiens - DT


On defense, I also like what I see out of Brock Steel
I think Colson Coon only gets better at running back as well.
Any word on progress of JJ Dolan? He was highly sought after coming out of high school. Hopefully he’s filled out and put some weight on.

I won't go into the details, but the guys off that list that I think will almost certainly stand out are Taki, Gray, McMillan, Sharbono, Marsh, Taylor, Rollins, Carr, King and Trimble. Most of them have already gotten some solid playing time, so just basing that on what I've seen.

I really think Trimble cam be a top-notch receiver. Taki and Gray will be two of the better DBs in the BSC next year.

The DT rotation is lethal. That might be the marquee unit on the team. Sharbono, Eckert, Marsh, Brott, Black. Wow. DE is going to be extremely good, too. Look out for Dominic Solano.

So, the rest of guys on that list are intriguing. It'll be interesting to see if they're still making noise or making more noise before camp lets out.

I agree 100% that our defensive line is gonna be good. Including the ends. Eiden is gonna cause a lot of problems for offenses.
Going to be tough on the defensive backfield with their first game. Baptism by fire. We seem to be filling in, but still have a lot of question marks at corner and safety and Nickelback.
Linebackers will be serviceable, but still need a couple to step up and replace the noticeable absence of Dan U

[TomCat88]

Per VIM

Vigen has named the following players at some point during interviews during spring ball (not including known commodities):

Offense:

Jacob Trimble - WR
Javonte King - WR
Jabez Woods - WR
Everett Carr - OL
Samora Ezekiel - OL
Tommy Nilson - OL
Dylan Rollins - OL
Braden Zimmer - OL (Braden's added a bunch of weight as he came in really light for OL)

Defense:

Takhari Carr - CB
Taki Uluilakepa - S
Tayden Gray - S
Jhase McMillan - CB
Seth Johnson - CB
Carson Williams - CB
Cole Taylor - LB
Ryan Krahe - LB
Hunter Sharbono - DT
Talon Marsh - DT
Hudson Wiens - DT


On defense, I also like what I see out of Brock Steel
I think Colson Coon only gets better at running back as well.
Any word on progress of JJ Dolan? He was highly sought after coming out of high school. Hopefully he’s filled out and put some weight on.

I won't go into the details, but the guys off that list that I think will almost certainly stand out are Taki, Gray, McMillan, Sharbono, Marsh, Taylor, Rollins, Carr, King and Trimble. Most of them have already gotten some solid playing time, so just basing that on what I've seen.

I really think Trimble cam be a top-notch receiver. Taki and Gray will be two of the better DBs in the BSC next year.

The DT rotation is lethal. That might be the marquee unit on the team. Sharbono, Eckert, Marsh, Brott, Black. Wow. DE is going to be extremely good, too. Look out for Dominic Solano.

So, the rest of guys on that list are intriguing. It'll be interesting to see if they're still making noise or making more noise before camp lets out.

I agree 100% that our defensive line is gonna be good. Including the ends. Eiden is gonna cause a lot of problems for offenses.
Going to be tough on the defensive backfield with their first game. Baptism by fire. We seem to be filling in, but still have a lot of question marks at corner and safety and Nickelback.
Linebackers will be serviceable, but still need a couple to step up and replace the noticeable absence of Dan U

I'm not trying to minimize other units/positions, but I'd rather have my best units be the OL and DL and go from there. Those two can make the other units look better more so than LBs, DBs making the DL better or the RBs, WRs making the OL better. QBs can be very effective that way, too, but they're a lot easier to negate than the OL.

Mellott, for as great as he is, may not have made that much of difference in the W/L column last year. I think the EWU and USD games were his biggest in that regard. He did a ton to get MSU back in the game vs NDSU but that was a loss. MSU simply overpowered teams in the trenches all year and that paved the way.

If the DL is as good as I think it is in 2025, then the LBs and DBs should be productive in 2025. If not, then they'd have to be very lacking in talent.

[kwcat]

Per VIM

Vigen has named the following players at some point during interviews during spring ball (not including known commodities):

Offense:

Jacob Trimble - WR
Javonte King - WR
Jabez Woods - WR
Everett Carr - OL
Samora Ezekiel - OL
Tommy Nilson - OL
Dylan Rollins - OL
Braden Zimmer - OL (Braden's added a bunch of weight as he came in really light for OL)

Defense:

Takhari Carr - CB
Taki Uluilakepa - S
Tayden Gray - S
Jhase McMillan - CB
Seth Johnson - CB
Carson Williams - CB
Cole Taylor - LB
Ryan Krahe - LB
Hunter Sharbono - DT
Talon Marsh - DT
Hudson Wiens - DT


On defense, I also like what I see out of Brock Steel
I think Colson Coon only gets better at running back as well.
Any word on progress of JJ Dolan? He was highly sought after coming out of high school. Hopefully he’s filled out and put some weight on.

I won't go into the details, but the guys off that list that I think will almost certainly stand out are Taki, Gray, McMillan, Sharbono, Marsh, Taylor, Rollins, Carr, King and Trimble. Most of them have already gotten some solid playing time, so just basing that on what I've seen.

I really think Trimble cam be a top-notch receiver. Taki and Gray will be two of the better DBs in the BSC next year.

The DT rotation is lethal. That might be the marquee unit on the team. Sharbono, Eckert, Marsh, Brott, Black. Wow. DE is going to be extremely good, too. Look out for Dominic Solano.

So, the rest of guys on that list are intriguing. It'll be interesting to see if they're still making noise or making more noise before camp lets out.

I agree 100% that our defensive line is gonna be good. Including the ends. Eiden is gonna cause a lot of problems for offenses.
Going to be tough on the defensive backfield with their first game. Baptism by fire. We seem to be filling in, but still have a lot of question marks at corner and safety and Nickelback.
Linebackers will be serviceable, but still need a couple to step up and replace the noticeable absence of Dan U

I'm not trying to minimize other units/positions, but I'd rather have my best units be the OL and DL and go from there. Those two can make the other units look better more so than LBs, DBs making the DL better or the RBs, WRs making the OL better. QBs can be very effective that way, too, but they're a lot easier to negate than the OL.

Mellott, for as great as he is, may not have made that much of difference in the W/L column last year. I think the EWU and USD games were his biggest in that regard. He did a ton to get MSU back in the game vs NDSU but that was a loss. MSU simply overpowered teams in the trenches all year and that paved the way.

If the DL is as good as I think it is in 2025, then the LBs and DBs should be productive in 2025. If not, then they'd have to be very lacking in talent.

Individual units being strong can certainly help the team be a greater sum than all of its parts, but to be great we need to fill in those?. I think Tommy made a bigger difference than many of us realize but did it so quietly and consistently at times that we missed it often. But he was one part of a great team.

[kwcat]

On the offensive side, I hear little bits and pieces on the quarterback battle, but nothing definitive. At running back we’ve got good returning talent, but need to be a couple of quality individuals deeper.

[iaafan]

Per VIM

Vigen has named the following players at some point during interviews during spring ball (not including known commodities):

Offense:

Jacob Trimble - WR
Javonte King - WR
Jabez Woods - WR
Everett Carr - OL
Samora Ezekiel - OL
Tommy Nilson - OL
Dylan Rollins - OL
Braden Zimmer - OL (Braden's added a bunch of weight as he came in really light for OL)

Defense:

Takhari Carr - CB
Taki Uluilakepa - S
Tayden Gray - S
Jhase McMillan - CB
Seth Johnson - CB
Carson Williams - CB
Cole Taylor - LB
Ryan Krahe - LB
Hunter Sharbono - DT
Talon Marsh - DT
Hudson Wiens - DT


On defense, I also like what I see out of Brock Steel
I think Colson Coon only gets better at running back as well.
Any word on progress of JJ Dolan? He was highly sought after coming out of high school. Hopefully he’s filled out and put some weight on.

I won't go into the details, but the guys off that list that I think will almost certainly stand out are Taki, Gray, McMillan, Sharbono, Marsh, Taylor, Rollins, Carr, King and Trimble. Most of them have already gotten some solid playing time, so just basing that on what I've seen.

I really think Trimble cam be a top-notch receiver. Taki and Gray will be two of the better DBs in the BSC next year.

The DT rotation is lethal. That might be the marquee unit on the team. Sharbono, Eckert, Marsh, Brott, Black. Wow. DE is going to be extremely good, too. Look out for Dominic Solano.

So, the rest of guys on that list are intriguing. It'll be interesting to see if they're still making noise or making more noise before camp lets out.

I agree 100% that our defensive line is gonna be good. Including the ends. Eiden is gonna cause a lot of problems for offenses.
Going to be tough on the defensive backfield with their first game. Baptism by fire. We seem to be filling in, but still have a lot of question marks at corner and safety and Nickelback.
Linebackers will be serviceable, but still need a couple to step up and replace the noticeable absence of Dan U

I'm not trying to minimize other units/positions, but I'd rather have my best units be the OL and DL and go from there. Those two can make the other units look better more so than LBs, DBs making the DL better or the RBs, WRs making the OL better. QBs can be very effective that way, too, but they're a lot easier to negate than the OL.

Mellott, for as great as he is, may not have made that much of difference in the W/L column last year. I think the EWU and USD games were his biggest in that regard. He did a ton to get MSU back in the game vs NDSU but that was a loss. MSU simply overpowered teams in the trenches all year and that paved the way.

If the DL is as good as I think it is in 2025, then the LBs and DBs should be productive in 2025. If not, then they'd have to be very lacking in talent.

Individual units being strong can certainly help the team be a greater sum than all of its parts, but to be great we need to fill in those?. I think Tommy made a bigger difference than many of us realize but did it so quietly and consistently at times that we missed it often. But he was one part of a great team.

I rarely recall Tommy needing to talk to the offense much. That’s a tribute to the coaches and players. He made a difference in that we won games by larger margins than we normally would have. That allowed lots of backup players to get snaps. We were capable of winning every game without him. Not sure we would have but we were definitely capable. That’s not a knock on him, it’s just how good the football program has become. Above average to great across the board unit by unit.

[kwcat]

I’ll give my answer after Spring Ball. That’s where I saw the most improvement in the players from 2023. When I saw Adam Jones in Spring ball last season, I knew he would be special in 2024.

I was thinking I would make the same comments. Got tied up with work and likely not gonna make the scrimmage today. I have to find the link of where to watch it being I am in no man’s land.

[AFCAT]

I’ll give my answer after Spring Ball. That’s where I saw the most improvement in the players from 2023. When I saw Adam Jones in Spring ball last season, I knew he would be special in 2024.

I was thinking I would make the same comments. Got tied up with work and likely not gonna make the scrimmage today. I have to find the link of where to watch it being I am in no man’s land.

The game isn’t being broadcast on TV. I believe there will be a radio broadcast though.

[Bozcat003]

Came away very impressed with Jabez Woods, imagine we’ll see more of him.

Jared White, Colson Coon, Seth Brock and Braden Zimmer also stood out to me.

[kwcat]

Came away very impressed with Jabez Woods, imagine we’ll see more of him.

Jared White, Colson Coon, Seth Brock and Braden Zimmer also stood out to me.

Vigen mentioned Seth Brock as well.

[GoldstoneCat]

We're going to be loaded on offense again. Vigen/Sterbick offense will continue to be creative in getting guys open and generating run lanes behind an o-line that should be exceptional again. RB room is legit 4 deep. Dline will be great. The questions are in the second and 3rd levels of the defense, imo. We have a lot of young guys there, and if they can develop and mesh with a new coordinator this team will have a chance to make another deep run.

[HelenaCat]

Seth Brock looked like our next great D-end to me. Very athletic and tenacious.

[AFCAT]

Yeah, I heard Brocks name quite a bit yesterday. I thought Coon looked great, Jacob "The Wolverine" Trimble had some good catches, the O and D lines looked great, DBs were opportunistic. I do think the Cats need another WR (which they are looking for), another DB or two (which they are looking for), and now another RB. Running back room looks fantastic, just that injuries could take a toll during the season, just like last year. The Sac State defensive linemen that the Cats offered, signed with South Dakota State, so I'm guessing the Cats may look for another player there too.

Zimmer (72) is looking noticeably bigger than even six months ago. He has huge potential with that frame and athleticism. Just have to keep the FBS vultures away for a while.

[kwcat]

As of right now, I am thinking the most improved players at their position to name a few…

QB Duchein
RB Coon
LB Cole Taylor
D Line Sharbono

Trimble has sure flashed at different times, but fell short in big moments and also has had some injury issues. I am hoping this is a good year for him.

[TomCat88]

A bunch of OL seem to have improved or else MSU was a lot deeper than I thought it was last year.

[lutecat]

Are there any early HS grads that are participating?

The only signee from the most recent signing class (Dec '24/Feb '25) that I know of that's on campus and participating is River Warren. I'm not even sure if the transfers (Bryant Meredith and Ife Ohalete) are on campus this semester.

Ohalete is definitely on campus, he was in that basketball championship photo on the random thread. I'm pretty sure Meredith is here as well.

Front right in the photo.
https://bobcatnation.com/bobcatbb/viewt ... &start=260

How did they do in the scrimmage? I didn't hear anyone talking about transfers.

[VimSince03]

Are there any early HS grads that are participating?

The only signee from the most recent signing class (Dec '24/Feb '25) that I know of that's on campus and participating is River Warren. I'm not even sure if the transfers (Bryant Meredith and Ife Ohalete) are on campus this semester.

Ohalete is definitely on campus, he was in that basketball championship photo on the random thread. I'm pretty sure Meredith is here as well.

Front right in the photo.
https://bobcatnation.com/bobcatbb/viewt ... &start=260

How did they do in the scrimmage? I didn't hear anyone talking about transfers.

Didn't Bryant Meredith have one of the picks?

[AFCAT]

Are there any early HS grads that are participating?

The only signee from the most recent signing class (Dec '24/Feb '25) that I know of that's on campus and participating is River Warren. I'm not even sure if the transfers (Bryant Meredith and Ife Ohalete) are on campus this semester.

Ohalete is definitely on campus, he was in that basketball championship photo on the random thread. I'm pretty sure Meredith is here as well.

Front right in the photo.
https://bobcatnation.com/bobcatbb/viewt ... &start=260

How did they do in the scrimmage? I didn't hear anyone talking about transfers.

Didn't Bryant Meredith have one of the picks?

I was watching other players, but I thought Meredith played pretty well the scrimmage before the Spring game.

[TomCat88]

Are there any early HS grads that are participating?

The only signee from the most recent signing class (Dec '24/Feb '25) that I know of that's on campus and participating is River Warren. I'm not even sure if the transfers (Bryant Meredith and Ife Ohalete) are on campus this semester.

Ohalete is definitely on campus, he was in that basketball championship photo on the random thread. I'm pretty sure Meredith is here as well.

Front right in the photo.
https://bobcatnation.com/bobcatbb/viewt ... &start=260

How did they do in the scrimmage? I didn't hear anyone talking about transfers.

Didn't Bryant Meredith have one of the picks?

I was watching other players, but I thought Meredith played pretty well the scrimmage before the Spring game.

Meredith has looked good and, yes, he had the interception of the Warren pass that was deflected.

[TomCat88]

Came away very impressed with Jabez Woods, imagine we’ll see more of him.

Jared White, Colson Coon, Seth Brock and Braden Zimmer also stood out to me.

I wish I would've tracked Woods closer Saturday. Not that he was hard to notice. He had 7 catches and most, if not all, of those were short, crossing routes, which MSU appears to be featuring this year. I'm wondering how many targets he had. He was a prolific receiver in high school. The number of catches he had (averaged around 9 receptions per game) tells me he's got great hands.

[4KornerKat]

Came away very impressed with Jabez Woods, imagine we’ll see more of him.

Jared White, Colson Coon, Seth Brock and Braden Zimmer also stood out to me.

I wish I would've tracked Woods closer Saturday. Not that he was hard to notice. He had 7 catches and most, if not all, of those were short, crossing routes, which MSU appears to be featuring this year. I'm wondering how many targets he had. He was a prolific receiver in high school. The number of catches he had (averaged around 9 receptions per game) tells me he's got great hands.

I think the toughness after the catch was the most noticeable part. Really wanted those extra yards.