Michigan State Football: Previewing the linebackers for 2018

The Michigan State football program has been built on great play from the linebackers under Mark Dantonio. The 2018 edition is talented, deep and ready to lead.

The Michigan State football program has been built on strong defenses in the Mark Dantonio era, the heartbeat of those defenses has been it’s linebackers. This years group returns two out of three starters, and a lot of experienced options to fill the spot that is vacated by Chris Frey who graduated and is playing for the Carolina Panthers.

Junior middle linebacker Joe Bachie is the leader of the group. He is coming off a junior season where he tallied 100 tackles, including 8.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, three interceptions and 3.5 sacks. Moreover, he was voted team MVP, the first sophomore since Drew Stanton in 2004 to win the award.

Bachie enters his junior season as one of the best linebackers in the country; he is the perfect middle linebacker. He has the size and strength you look for, is able to go sideline-to-sideline defending the run, and is able to drop back and defend the pass. On top of all the physical abilities Bachie has, he also is a very intelligent player who can see what the offense is doing, and is able to get the defense in the right play call to defend it. Many believe he is the best linebacker at Michigan State since Greg Jones.

Senior linebacker Byron Bullough will be backing up Bachie in the middle. The latter was recovering from a wrist injury in the spring, it allowed Bullough to get the majority of the reps in the middle. Coaches have said he may be the most improved player on the defense. Bullough is as good of a backup as you could hope for, he’s a physical player who exhibits great knowledge and leadership for the Michigan State football program.

At the Star linebacker position Andrew Dowell returns for his third year as the starter. He brings a ton of experience to the Michigan State football team. He has played in 38 games, including 21 starts and he has started in the last 16 games for the Spartans. Dowell is an intelligent player who does a great job reading the play and getting into the right position to make the play.

As a junior last year, Dowell had his best season. He tallied a career-high 74 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, and a sack. He also forced and recovered a fumble. Dowell does a good job defending both the run and pass, he had four pass break-ups last year.

Michigan State has depth behind Dowell at the Star linebacker position. Antjuan Simmons, comes back after a strong true freshman season last year. He brings big-time speed to the linebacker position and is strong against both the run and the pass. He played in all 13 games and tallied 34 tackles. He projects to get a lot of snaps behind Dowell, but could slide over to the “Money” linebacker spot, especially against pass happy spread teams.

Michigan State coaches decided with all the depth at safety to slide senior Grayson Miller down to Star linebacker. He brings a ton of experience with him to the new position, he has appeared in 33 games, including six starts. He is a very intelligent football player who has made a huge impact on special teams,  as well as off the field as a leader.

The ‘Money’ linebacker spot is where the Michigan State football coaches are looking for a new starter to take over for Chris Frey. He was a good football player and leader for the Spartans in his four years. There are three guys who are competing for the starting nod this season.

Tyriq Thompson enters his junior season looking to take over the starting role. The 6-foot-1, 245-pounder is a thumper. Coaches have talked about Thompson as a guy who has come a long way since last year and is ready for an expanded role. Thompson has played in 23 games, mostly at special teams and backing up Frey. Thompson is an intelligent player who should be able to shut down the run game.

Another option for the coaches is Brandon Randle. The 6-foot-2, 234-pound sophomore is one of the best athletes on the team. Last year as freshman he played in all 13 games, mostly as a rush defensive end, but also got snaps at linebacker. Randle is a guy who when everything clicks for him as far as what he’s seeing from an offense, and how to best attack it, the sky is the limit. He made a lot of quarterbacks uncomfortable when they saw him on the field last year  and rushed their decision-making.

Another name for the ‘Money’ spot is a familiar one: Jon Reschke. He’s back with the program after being dismissed for an insensitive comment. His teammates and coaches have welcomed him back, he’s practicing and he’s doing well. So it’s time to move on to him as a football player and member of the program.

Reschke was the best player for the Michigan State’s defense in 2016 before his injury. He has experience playing all three linebacker positions for the Spartans and should be able to make an impact at both the ‘Money’ and middle linebacker position this season. There will be some rust for Reschke early on, it has been two years since he last played in a game. What he has in his favor though is the is a physical specimen who has kept himself in great shape, to go along with being an intelligent football player who understands what he’s doing on the field.

Noah Harvey is coming into his redshirt freshman season, he will get a look at the Money linebacker spot as well, and will see time on special teams. He is an intelligent and physical football player who should make some big plays for the Spartans.