Thoughts on Depth Chart

Of course, the depth chart came out last week.  Many things have already been written about it, so I'll keep my thoughts short.  Here are some things that stood out to me:

- Tyler Hoover got bigger!  He is now listed as weighing 310, which I think is at least 20 pounds heavier than he was for the Spring game.  I'm excited to see if Hoover and Kittredge will be an improvement over last year's defensive tackles: Pickelman and Strayhorn.

- Keith Mumphery is listed as a starter at receiver.  At the end of last year I thought Bennie Fowler and Tony Lippett would have the first crack at starting.  

- Andre Sims is "tied" with DeAnthony Arnett.  Sims could turn out to be one of those diamonds in the rough.  He was the only receiver at the Spring game that was consistently getting open, and he caught just about everything thrown his way.

- Skyler Burkland is a backup.  Burkland could still be recovering from his leg injury or France and Fonoti could just be very good.  We'll see if he can crack the starting lineup in camp.  In any case, the OT position looks good for the Spartans.

- Taiwan Jones received a lot of hype last year, but he is now listed as third for STAR linebacker, behind Chris Norman and Darrien Harris.  I'm hoping that's because Harris is so good, rather than because Jones regressed.  Could Harris be another one of Dantonio's great finds?

- Will the arrival of the true freshmen change the depth chart?  On defense, I suspect the answer is no.  The Spartans are way too deep on D.  Maybe the highly rated safety, Demetrious Cox, will have a shot as the season progresses.  On offense, as Dantonio has mentioned, the freshmen receivers and tight ends will have a good shot at earning some playing time.  I would put my money on Aaron Burbridge and Jamare Mills.  I also wouldn't be surprised if some of the speedsters (guys like MacGarrett Kings and Nick Tompkins) got to run some plays to the outside of the tackles.  I think offensive coordinator Dan Roushar has a preference for running to the outside.  That preference actually cost them the Nebraska game, in my opinion, because MSU didn't quite have the speed to run outside the tackles against Nebraska (particularly against their outside linebacker Levonte David).  Kings and Tompkins may actually have the speed to successfully run to the outside against speedier defenses and thus I wouldn't be surprised if the coaches decided not to redshirt them.