MSU's Jay Johnson: Maliq Carr becoming "a more complete player" for Spartans

Michigan State offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jay Johnson discussed a wide range of topics during media availability this week. Here were the five things Johnson said that stood out most:

1.) “The person who I think has really improved his game is Maliq Carr. I know his has the skillset to run and catch and all that, but what he’s been doing physically in the run game has really taken a step – which makes him more of a complete player.”

This should be music to the ear of every Spartan fan. We’ve heard for a couple years the difference-maker that Maliq Carr could be in Michigan State’s passing game due to his unique size and speed. Carr could be one of those matchup nightmares for opposing defenses.

The thing, reportedly, that has held him back from more and consistent snaps has been run blocking. If Carr has taken steps in that area, as Johnson suggests, it opens a whole new level to what the Spartans’ offense can be in 2023. Tight end blocking can get overlooked, but it’s vital to many programs’ efforts in the run game, including MSU’s.

We know the impact Carr can make in the pass game. If he can be on the field in both pass and run situations, it’s not a tell for the defense that one type of play or another is coming when Carr is on the field. That helps set up play-action and a whole host of other opportunities.

2.) “I really felt like even a year ago his approach kind of changed, changed for the better. He became more locked in and focused…He’s the oldest guy in the room. He’s been with us the longest and from an experience standpoint of knowing it, it bodes well for him.”

Johnson was highly complimentary of Kim’s maturity level. Asked why he believed the redshirt junior chose to stick it out at Michigan State and compete for the starting job even before Payton Thorne transferred, Johnson replied:

“I think he kind of accepted the challenge and he wanted to battle through the adversity of not being the starter a year ago. And, I think he felt like his game was continuing to improve and he could…really be competitive and help the team.”

In the modern era, it’s becoming more rare for players, particularly quarterbacks, to stick with their programs when they aren’t the starter. While an open competition at quarterback was announced soon after MSU finished its 2022 season, the majority assumption was that Thorne would retain his job or be supplanted by Houser. Prior to spring and Thorne’s transfer, very few put much stock in Kim’s likelihood of winning the starting job. Yet, just weeks from the start of the season, he has become the perceived favorite.

3.) “Katin has exceptional arm talent. I mean, freakish arm talent. He’s really gifted there, and I think since his arrival here there’s been a couple opportunities that he’s done a good job running the ball, moving the ball with his feet.”

The longer this quarterback battle goes on, the more it sounds like the heart of the competition is Noah Kim’s mental advantage vs. Houser’s supreme physical traits.

That’s not to say Kim doesn’t have arm talent – we’ve seen him make some great throws in each of the last two “spring games” as well as on the field last season. Nor is it to say Houser is lacking in the mental department. After the above quote, Johnson went on to say the strides Houser has taken in the mental side of quarterbacking and command of the offense have been “really, really good.”

That being said, it’s interesting to hear the two different ways that Johnson talks about each guy. It lends me to believe that the deciding factor in the QB battle will be this – Will Kim’s experience and mentally maturity be enough to hold off Houser’s arm talent? Or, can Houser gain enough ground mentally to overtake Kim due to better physical traits?

4.) “When you have more depth, it allows you to practice better. There’s been times in the past where lack of depth hasn’t allowed us to prepare how we want to prepare. So, there are times when you can prepare more and prepare at a higher level. That should bode itself to, hopefully, better performance on the field.”

Over the past couple weeks, one of the recurring themes that have come from Michigan State’s coaches and players have been the added depth the Spartans are enjoying this year. Given that, WLNS’s reporter Audrey Dahlgren asked Johnson a great question – How does added depth equate to wins on the field? The quote above is Johnson’s answer to that question.

We know depth was a major issue for MSU last season. The Spartans were hit hard by both injury and suspension through the year. I’ve said throughout the offseason I expect this season’s Michigan State squad to be much improved from a year ago but, given the difficulty of MSU’s schedule, I’m not sure how many more wins that will mean for Michigan State.

Of the Spartans’ seven losses in 2022, six of them were by double digits. If nothing else, Michigan State should be a much tougher opponent in 2023. It remains to be seen if the added depth will turn some of those losses into wins this fall.

5.) “In 2021, for the greater part of the year until we got a little dinged, we were playing 10 guys a lot. And, I think we can be in that world. I don’t know that it will be quite that extreme, but I think we’re approaching that.”

Here, Johnson is talking about the offensive line. Michigan State needs better O-line play than it got a season ago, particularly in run blocking. Depth was a major concern along the offensive front heading into the 2022 season, and that concern was validated as the season progressed.

There’s no doubt that the Spartans have many more available bodies at offensive line than a year ago. My question is, how much better are the five to seven best guys going to be than the five to seven best guys last year? That’s really going to make the difference.

Hypothetically speaking, if MSU just has more “average to above-average” guys than it did a year ago, there’s a limit to how much that added depth helps you. However, if MSU has a handful of guys who have taken their game up another notch to “well above average”, than you’ve got something to be excited about.

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