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The output on the football field has not been impressive for the Michigan State Spartans in recent seasons.
Outside of a nine-win season in 2017 and a New Year’s Six bowl victory in 2021, the Spartans have not been a consistently winning program. Fans have grown restless and impatient waiting for a better product on the field.
MSU has also not produced a tremendous number of NFL players recently, as it has only had one player drafted in each of the last four seasons, breaking a nearly 80-year streak that began years ago.
Several college football programs send nearly a double-digit number of players to the league each year, while the Spartans have just snuck into the final rounds of the NFL Draft. That does not exactly sell recruits on the program.
One position at which MSU has struggled especially is at defensive tackle. As 247sports.com’s Stephen Brooks points out, the last Spartan defensive tackle to be drafted was Malik McDowell by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
MSU did not have an interior defensive lineman drafted in 2025, as D’Quan Douse earned a minicamp invite with the San Francisco 49ers, while Maverick Hansen received one with the Indianapolis Colts.
Douse was a solid player for the Spartans last season, but he was a transfer from Georgia Tech and not a home-grown player.
If you are Jonathan Smith and Legi Suiaunoa, how do you sell the program to a top high school defensive tackle? You cannot point to NFL success, which is the ultimate goal for many players, so putting together a pitch would be tough.
The Spartans landed four-star defensive tackle Derrick Simmons in the last recruiting cycle, and he may be the player to start a run of Spartan DTs in the NFL. It will take serious development from Suiaunoa to turn him into a professional.
Winning in the trenches is the best way to build a consistent winner. MSU must do both to finally snap its postseason drought and develop defensive tackles into NFL players to maintain that level of production.
The Spartans are not far off from being a consistent winner. Strengthening the defensive line should be a start.
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One former walk-on is continuing to prove in fall camp why he should have been on scholarship a long time ago for the Sooners
Penn State Coordinators Gauge the Nittany Lions' August Progress
Penn State is in Week 2 of training camp, having gone through the initial install phases and having taken a spin through Beaver Stadium. Three weeks from the season-opener against Nevada, the Nittany Lions have made progress but still have plenty to do. We've covered some Penn State football camp standouts and head coach James Franklin's view of an improving injury situation. In addition, Penn State coordinators Andy Kotelnicki (offense), Jim Knowles (defense) and Justin Lustig (special teams) recently assessed their sides of the football. Here's how they see the units coming together. Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki On deploying offensive line depth: I think, really, it’s just maybe more of a comfort, right? In the sense that you feel good about it. Honestly the challenge, and it’s a great challenge to have, is to make sure that you’re evaluating all of those guys and that there’s not too much musical chairs. That’s the most important group on the football team, in that those guys have to play together. The fact that we have maturity in that group, and you have some guys who are younger who we’re excited about and newer to the team, getting reps the way that they’ve showed and demonstrated what they can do throughout the spring, summer and fall camp, it just gives you a ton of comfort. Coach [Phil] Trautwein and coach [Bill] Queisert have done a great job with those guys in developing them and getting them to do what we want them to do. ... So when you have depth at that position, depth at the skill positions, really, your imagination becomes the limitation that you have, as long as you’re not overextending individuals and asking them to do things that they’re not trained to do On quarterback Drew Allar's next steps: We’ve challenged him since the moment I got here about the ability to move and really extend plays with his legs. I think I said this in the spring, but now, he’s moving awesome. I was joking with him for wearing sweatpants at practice. I said, ‘You should be wearing shorts, you’ve got great hamstrings now. Show those things off.’ And you know, he laughs of course, but I was being serious. So that, the way he can move and handle that. He’s so comfortable with all of the things that we’re doing, and it’s more about communicating with him and collaborating with him than it is necessarily just coaching him. Like what I was referencing before, [it's], what do you have to do to get the best guys better? And a player like him who’s just so smart, who’s so cerebral, who’s going to work so hard and prepare so hard; how we collaborate with him and challenge him to really reflect on certain things. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles On how complicated his defense is: I think in today’s game of football, it needs to be somewhat complicated because you need to have answers for everything, particularly at this level. Offenses don’t run the same things in college. You better have all different kinds of answers. For teaching an installing, I’ve gotten better at it, I’ve had to particularly when you come into a situation like this. Our charge is to be great now. If it’s too complicated, or if I can’t get it installed quickly, that’s my fault. I think I’ve developed a process that help move it along at a more rapid pac On Penn State's defensive backs: Impressive. If I had to use one word it would be impressive. [Cornerbacks coach] Terry Smith has built an awesome culture in that room. Those guys are playmakers, so I’m going to set things up for them to make plays. I saw it in the spring and I’ve seen it already here in the first two days. They are a real strength of our defense. Special teams coordinator Justin Lustig On the competition at punt-returner: I remember sitting up here last summer and not having a ton of answers for you. We’ve got a lot of answers right now. It’s a really good problem to have. We have a deep room there. Obviously, Zion [Tracy], iIt was really his first time doing it and I thought he progressed really well. We expect big things from him. But we’ve also got Trebor Peña, who’s a seasoned veteran doing it, and Devonte Ross, a veteran who has done it and had a touchdown against Iowa when he was with Troy. And then you’ve got a good crop of young guys. You’ve got Tyseer Denmark, who has shown a lot of capability back there. There’s Josiah Brown, and Koby Howard is another guy I’m excited about. It’s a deep position that’s going to show a lot of improvement this year. On how special teams will help Penn State win games: The first thing I think about is that we have the potential for major improvement on special teams. We’ve just got to execute in fall camp and get better. There’s a number of reasons why I say that. No. 1, it’s year two for me in this system and it’s year two for the players in this system. We’ve got experienced guys and personnel that are set up in a really good position right now. We have returning starters at every position; there’s no big questions on special teams whether it’s placekicker, kickoff, punt. And we’ve got depth at all of those positions, as well. Year two in the system, they know exactly what they’re doing. It’s their second time doing all the techniques and all of the schemes. It sets us up to potentially make major improvements.
Mets' slide continues with arguably their worst loss of the season
The New York Mets are trending in the wrong direction, and their slide continued on Sunday with what might have been their worst loss of the season. The Mets not only were on the losing end of a 7-6 walk-off loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, they blew a 5-0 lead in the process and extended their losing streak to seven consecutive games. Even worse, they have lost 11 out of their past 12 games during a time where the Philadelphia Phillies are starting to pull away in the National League East race. The biggest issue for the Mets for most of this slump has been an offense that has gone ice cold. But that wasn't necessarily the problem on Sunday as they pushed six runs across the plate. The problem on Sunday was a rough start for Sean Manaea (four earned runs in four innings) and a bullpen that was unable to hold on to a late lead. Trade-deadline addition Ryan Helsley allowed the tying run in the bottom of the eighth inning when he allowed an RBI single to Joey Ortiz. That set the stage for star closer Edwin Diaz to serve up a walk-off home run to Isaac Collins. The Mets are still holding a playoff spot in the National League, but it is getting more uncomfortable by the day. After Sunday's games they are in the third and final wild-card spot in the National League, and only have 1.5 games of cushion between them and the Cincinnati Reds. The Mets had sky-high expectations this season after making the playoffs a year ago and then adding Juan Soto in free agency. While Soto's bat has ended up being everything the Mets hoped it would be, the rest of the offense has struggled in the heat of the summer and now the pressure is only going to keep mounting if they do not get out of this slump soon. With nine of their next 12 games coming against the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals — two of the worst teams in the National League — there is at least an opportunity for them to maybe get back on track. They need to, because after that stretch they have a three-game home series against the Phillies that could go a long way toward determining the path of their season.
Rasmus Andersson Turns Down Huge Long-Term Offer from an NHL Team
Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson is entering the final year of his six-year, $4.55 million AAV contract, and uncertainty surrounds his future. Speaking with Sweden’s Expressen, Andersson shot down false rumors about where he’s willing to go, and revealed he turned down a lucrative long-term offer from another NHL team. All of this took place roughly six weeks ago, says the blueliner. He cited family reasons as to why he’s being particular about his next move. Still, as picky as he might be, rumors he’s only willing to go to Vegas are not true. “But I have not given Calgary a team, that I only want to play with one team,” he said. “That is not true…” He did get an offer from another team, likely not the Golden Knights. “I wasn’t keen on moving my family there and signing a long-term contract,” Andersson explained, adding that he provided the Flames with a list of teams he’d consider signing with if traded. However, the team that offered him a deal wasn’t on that list. He explained, “I communicated that decision to Calgary. I said if you want to trade me, this is the number of teams I can think of signing for. But this wasn’t one of them.” The Flames and Andersson Aren’t Talking Any Longer Talks with Calgary have since gone silent. Speculation is that he’s not heard about a trade option or extension in over a month. Whether the Flames have stopped looking for now, or teams haven’t lined up with trade offers, it sounds like nothing is imminent. All that said, Andersson is expected to draw significant trade interest before the 2026 deadline if an extension isn’t reached. His situation will be one of Calgary’s most closely watched storylines this season.
Is Browns QB Shedeur Sanders climbing depth chart after solid preseason debut?
Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders impressed in his preseason debut. Was that enough to help him climb the depth chart? Sanders started Friday's road game against the Carolina Panthers instead of presumptive starter Joe Flacco, who was resting. Cleveland QBs Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel didn't play because of hamstring injuries. The former Colorado Buffaloes star completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-10 win. Despite the solid performance, that apparently wasn't enough to convince Browns coaches they should promote Sanders. "Gabriel is ahead of Sanders in the eyes of the coaching staff, but rarely has that position matched what we've seen on the field," wrote The Athletic's Zac Jackson in a story published Sunday. "If Pickett and Gabriel are back to full participation, it's impossible to predict how the reps will be divided this season. [Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski], as is his trademark, won't answer questions about his plans or any player's availability." Following the win over Carolina, Stefanski said he was "pleased" with Sanders' play. However, he refused to say how many snaps he'll receive in Cleveland's second preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 16 at 1 p.m. ET on NFL Network. If Gabriel plays more than Sanders against Philadelphia, that would be a head-scratching decision. He seems to have less upside than his fellow rookie. Gabriel (5-foot-11, 205 pounds) lacks prototypical size for an NFL QB. It may be contributing to his struggles in training camp. A recent report suggested he has failed to make an impression. Sanders (6-foot-2, 212 pounds), meanwhile, has good size for an NFL QB, and he looks accurate. Early in the second quarter against Carolina, the 23-year-old threaded the needle on a touchdown pass to wide receiver Kaden Davis. The Browns don't have to rush Sanders' development and name him as QB1 immediately. Flacco, a Super Bowl XLVII champion, has a 105-86 starting record in the regular season. But if Sanders builds on his preseason debut against Philadelphia, the Browns coaching staff should consider moving him above Gabriel. He could develop into a viable starter and provide the juice Cleveland needs after a 3-14 season in 2024.
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