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Michigan State Football: Jermaine Edmondson is addition by subtraction

By Connor Muldowney

Dec 31, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Michigan State Spartans cornerback Jermaine Edmondson (39) before the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2015 CFP semifinal at the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Michigan State Spartans cornerback Jermaine Edmondson (39) before the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2015 CFP semifinal at the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michigan State football suffered a decent-sized loss with the transfer of Jermaine Edmondson, but what’s the impact?

It had to be a nightmare for Michigan State Spartans fans to find out one of their valued contributors from the 2015 College Football Playoff team was the recipient of a Draymond Green open-handed slap last weekend, ending up in his arrest.

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The incident took place after 2 a.m. on Sunday morning outside of an East Lansing fast food joint— a popular hangout following a night at the bars. Green and the then-unidentified MSU player got into a scuffle and Green lost his cool, slapping the football player in the face.

News broke the next day that Green was arrested for assault and the player’s name came to life in the form of senior cornerback Jermaine Edmondson. There was a consensus reaction around Spartan Nation following the news as fans and former players weighed in, making it clear Edmondson wasn’t true to the program if he pressed charges.

Two Spartans were just arguing and led to a light slap, but Edmondson’s side of the story was much different, claiming Draymond punched him in the jaw and it was still hurting him days after.

Shortly after Edmondson’s name was released to the public via police records, it was made clear the veteran defensive back was going to transfer from the program. Mark Dantonio released a statement claiming Edmondson had reached out to him following the spring game, pining for a larger role, but he felt like it would be more likely that happens at a different program.

So no, the transfer was not directly tied to the Green incident, but that did lead to more publicity for the departure.

Despite having a rough season in 2015, the Michigan State secondary is on the up-and-up. Returning both starting safeties and two corners with starting experience (one who is returning from a season-ending injury), Michigan State will be more cohesive and ready to go in 2016.

Edmondson, unfortunately, didn’t have a real place in the rotation. A couple of young cornerbacks such as Josh Butler and Tyson Smith were making a push on the depth chart and Edmondson was a huge liability during the 2015 campaign. He was a big reason why MSU lost its only regular season game to Nebraska.

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Overall, the loss of Edmondson is not as crucial as people may think. Michigan State’s secondary is experienced and the young guys will get some snaps in this season, leading to an even brighter future.

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