Guess who’s back. Haladay’s back!
For the third row in a year, at least, the linebackers’ room should be the strength of the Michigan State defense, and perhaps even the entire team. Sure, there is some turnover from last year, as is going to be the case in the new NIL/transfer portal era of college athletics, especially with a new coach coming to town. That said, unlike the defensive line, the Spartans have some of the biggest names from last year’s squad returning to the second line of defense.
Returning Players: Cal Haladay, Jordan Hall, Darius Snow, Aaron Alexander, Sam Edwards, David Millikin, Jay Coyne
Departed Players: Jacoby Windmon, Aaron Brule, Ma’a Gaoteote, Quavian Carter, James Burbar
Transfers In: Wayne Matthews, Jordan Turner, Tyler Gillison, Marcellius Pulliam, Semaj Bridgeman
Recruits In: Brady Pretzlaff
To summarize, the Spartans are returning 7 players to the LB room, are bringing in 5 transfers and 1 recruit, and saying goodbye to 5 guys either to the portal, the NFL, or just to no more eligibility.
Yes, Jacoby Windmon is gone (Pittsburgh Steelers UDFA) and he was certainly a force for MSU in his year playing for the Green & White and would have been again last year if he did not get lost for the season in the third game. The good news is that Cal Haladay returns. The fifth-year senior has led the Spartans in tackles in each of the past three seasons. In addition to having a nose for the ball carrier, Haladay also has the distinction of being MSU’s all-time leader in defensive touchdowns (tie) with three coming on two pick-sixes in 2021 and a scoop’n’score last season. He is back for his final college season and should be the man in the middle in defensive coordinator Joe Rossi’s defense.
Jordan Hall is the next biggest name coming back and he will have a chance to earn a starting position at one of the outside linebacker spots. In his true freshman season last year, he played in all 12 games and started six of them. He finished the season with 67 total tackles and 4.5 sacks, good for second on the team. The former Under Armour All-American will look to cement his name as the next great MSU LB in his second season.
Perhaps the biggest wildcard for this unit in 2024 will be Darius Snow. Snow had a strong sophomore season in 2021 when he was a defensive back. In 2022, he was converted to a linebacker but then went down to an injury in the season opener. Last year, he got in in week 3, but then fell to another injury in his fourth game back to end that season. If he is finally healthy, Snow should provide some quality depth for the LB unit.
Just like the defensive line, MSU has some incoming transfers who will compete for starting spots at linebacker. Chief among them is Wayne Matthews III from Old Dominion. With two years of eligibility remaining, Matthews is coming off a 2023 campaign where he was 11th in the nation with 135 tackles. His stat line also included 9.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and 3 PBUs. This guy can do it all.
Transferring from B1G foe Wisconsin, Jordan Turner will be competing for the starting MLB spot with Haladay. Last year for the Badgers, Turner had 61 total tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 3 sacks, 2 PBUs, and 1 forced fumble. With one year left of college eligibility, Turner will be looking to put up big numbers and get himself to the NFL draft.
Brady Pretzlaff, the only linebacker in this season’s freshman class, is a three-star recruit who lined up in the middle in his high school years. He was ranked as the #51 ILB in the country, but he will have a tough path to playing time in 2024. Do not be surprised if he redshirts this season.
Predicting the two-deep for MSU’s linebacker corps in Coach Smith’s first season, I am saying we see Cal Haladay in the middle with Jordan Hall to one side and Wayne Matthews III on the other to complete the starting unit. Then I would have Jordan Turner in the middle of the second string along with Marcellius Pullium (transfer from Miami) on one side. The last spot will be a competition between Aaron Alexander, Tyler Gillison (transfer from Cincinatti) and Darius Snow, if he is fully healthy.
Overall, this is a much more impressive unit than the defensive line, at least on paper. Joe Rossi, who also doubles as the linebackers coach, should be able to create some havoc with this group.