Can the Spartans find any success in the ground game?
Our Position Group Preview Series is approaching the end. We’ve seen some units (i.e. defensive line) that do not inspire much confidence and we’ve seen some units that could be bright spots (i.e. linebackers and wide receivers). The running back room feels like it could be right in the middle.
In 2023, Michigan State’s run game was mostly obsolete. The team averaged only 89.5 rushing yards per game, good for dead last in the conference. In fact, MSU was the only Big Ten team to average less than 100 rushing YPG last year, and there were only six teams in the whole FBS who had a lower output. Can we rely on the old “Nowhere to go but up” idiom for 2024?
Returning Players: Nate Carter, Joseph Martinez, Chris Williams
Departed Players: Jaren Mangham, Jaelin Barber, Jalen Berger, Jordon Simmons, Davion Primm, Harold Joiner III
Transfers In: Kay’ron Lynch-Adams, Shawn Foster
Recruits In: Makhi Frazier, Brandon Tullis, Jaxon McCaig
Like so many other position groups on the 2024 Spartans team, the running back room is full of questions. From the lists above, we see that there were a lot of names that left the program, while the returning players, for the most part, do not have a massive amount of experience and the new players brought in are, well, new.
If there is some reason for optimism, however, it is in the hopes that last year’s workhorse running back builds off his last season. In 2023, Nate Carter carried the ball 185 times for 798 yards (4.3 average) and scored 4 touchdowns. He also contributed with 22 receptions for 103 yards (4.7 average). He then followed up his respectable season by getting married in May. Carter may not be the biggest player as he is only 5’10” and 202 pounds, but he plays bigger than he is and has shown he can bust a big run up the middle and to the outside. RB coach Keith Bhonapha, who also comes from Oregon State, has had high praise for Carter, citing his discipline in studying film and taking care of his body as reasons he expects to see the redshirt junior be even more productive in 2024. The Spartans will certainly need it.
Behind Carter, the Spartans will have transfer player Kay’ron Lynch-Adams. Kay’ron played his first two seasons at Rutgers, one of which was the 2020 Covid season. He then played three seasons at UMass, but in one of those seasons he only played four games, so that was a redshirt year. Long story short, Lynch-Adams still has a year of eligibility, and he is bringing his talents to East Lansing. Throughout his college career, he has run the ball 442 times for 1,888 yards, a 4.3 average. He is a little thicker than presumed-starter Carter, so maybe the coaches choose to use him as more of a grinder who comes in for short-yardage situations.
The other non-freshman players are about as unknown as can be. Joseph Martinez got into two games last year, his third in the program, and ran the ball five times for six yards. Chris Williams was a walk-on last year and did not appear in any games. And Shawn Foster transferred in from Hope College after one year where he was listed as a wide receiver and returner, yet he had more rushes than receptions.
There are three freshmen joining the team this year, and two of them have a chance to become the third-string RB. Makhi Frazier and Brandon Tullis are both from Texas and both were around the top 100 among rushers in this year’s class. ESPN had Tullis at #96 and 247 had Frazier at #103. Tullis was a track star in high school, running the 100m and 200m events. Frazier also played linebacker for his high school team. The third freshman, Jaxon McCaig from Plymouth, MI, is a bigger back at 6’1” and 236 pounds. And he put up impressive numbers in high school with over 2,000 career yards and 26 touchdowns, all in just 14 games.
The Spartans also have one fullback on the roster. Jay Coyne is moving from DE to FB, though he only played 4 snaps on defense and 12 on special teams last year. We shall see how much the new Spartan offense uses him this year.
There are some players who can help Nate Carter by taking some snaps, but it needs to be seen if any of them can contribute significantly in the Big Ten. If not, it will be a repeat of last year for the Spartan ground game where there is only one guy who can be relied on.
14 days until kickoff!
GO GREEN! GO WHITE!