April 1, 2008

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Second-year Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio sent his team through a 2 1/2-hour workout in full pads in the Duffy Daugherty Football Building on Tuesday, April 1, as the Spartans completed the seventh of 15 allotted spring practices.

"Once again, here we are indoors," Dantonio said. "We've practiced indoors for all but two periods so far this spring. After all the rain (nearly 2.5 inches) last night, the practice fields were simply too wet. I've spent a lot of time this spring looking at weather maps and forecasts, but we've still been able to get a lot of work done indoors.

"Special teams have been impacted some because you can't get a true look indoors, but other than that our approach to practice hasn't changed. Every day, we want to teach and evaluate.

"The long-range weather forecast looks promising, so I'm hopeful that we'll be able to get outside for our last eight practices. It's a different game when played outdoors. The players have to deal with the wind and other elements."

Through seven practices, Dantonio has seen marked improvement on both sides of the football. A steady playmaker on defense this spring has been veteran safety Otis Wiley (6-2, 210, Sr.).

"Otis Wiley has been extremely productive in practice thus far," Dantonio said. "You see him making a ton of plays, but most importantly, he's really taken command of the entire defense. Otis is playing with sound technique, and he's paying great attention to detail.

"Two other safeties have been playing pretty well. Roderick Jenrette (6-1, 200, Jr.) has displayed some playmaking ability, and Dan Fortener (6-1, 197, Jr.) has had a solid spring."

Since putting on the pads five practices ago, several other defenders have played with consistency.

Up front, Dantonio has been pleased with the strides made by interior linemen Antonio Jeremiah (6-5, 315, So.) and Oren Wilson (6-3, 292, So.) along with end Tyler Hoover (6-7, 275, Fr.).

"Both Antonio Jeremiah and Oren Wilson saw playing time as true freshmen last year, and they're both vastly improved," Dantonio said. "Antonio has his weight down to about 315, and he's moving extremely well. You watch him run around out here and you know he's got great ability.

"Tyler Hoover is a guy that should still be in high school. The first thing you notice about Tyler is that he's in great shape. He's grown to about 275, but he's just learning how to play against people his own size. Tyler is learning our defensive system, but he's blessed with great athletic ability. You can see him making daily improvement. There's no question that he's going to be a good football player."

This spring, an emphasis has been placed upon developing depth behind returning starter Brian Hoyer (6-2, 212, Sr.-5) at quarterback.

"Both Kirk Cousins (6-3, 197, R-Fr.) and Nick Foles (6-5, 243, R-Fr.) are working very, very hard," Dantonio said. "Both of those guys have improved a great deal since last fall. We've gone live in every practice and we'll continue to do that throughout the spring. They're getting tested every day. They've seen a lot of different pressures and a lot of different coverage concepts. We create as many game-like situations as we can in every practice. We'll take the coaches off the field, so we can evaluate their ability to run the entire operation. We're looking for consistency from our back-up quarterbacks, and we're looking for them to execute without mistakes.

"Cousins has added almost 20 pounds to his frame while Foles is up to 243 pounds. They're both so much more comfortable in the offense because they've been able to go through the reinstallation process. The upcoming scrimmages and spring game will be important in terms of their overall development. We're looking forward to seeing them compete in front of a crowd at the spring game.

"Ultimately, the back-up role won't be decided until August camp because I do believe that it's possible for a quarterback to take a great leap over the summer."

With 1,000-yard rusher Javon Ringer (5-9, 200, Sr.) being held out of contact drills this spring, a trio of running backs - A.J. Jimmerson (5-10, 202, Jr.), Andre Anderson (5-9, 188, R-Fr.) and Ashton Leggett (5-11, 232, R-Fr.) - have shared the carries.

"A.J. Jimmerson has done a lot of good things this spring," Dantonio said. "Andre Anderson and Ashton Leggett have shown flashes, but we're looking for more consistency."

One of the biggest challenges on offense is filling the shoes of record-setting receiver Devin Thomas, who opted to forgo his senior season and enter the 2008 National Football League Draft. Despite Thomas' early departure for the NFL, Dantonio has been encouraged by what he's seen from the receiving corps.

"B.J. Cunningham (6-2, 205, R-Fr.) is still learning the system, but he's a good football player," Dantonio said. "He combines outstanding ball judgment with great leaping ability. B.J. has good hands, plus he shows the ability to run after the catch.

"David Williams (5-9, 176, So.) has displayed some playmaking ability. In fact, David made several big plays the other day. Chris D. Rucker (5-10, 172, R-Fr.) is a burst guy, who has made steady progress over the first seven practices."

With the loss of two-year starter Kellen Davis at tight end, Charlie Gantt (6-4, 256, So.) has emerged as a top contender for the position.

"Charlie Gantt is maturing as a football player," Dantonio said. "Charlie has been in the program for two years, so he's beginning to take some steps forward. He's blocking well at the point of attack, and he's shown the ability to catch the ball down the field."

Michael Jordan (6-5, 276, Jr.), who saw limited action at defensive tackle last season, continues to take reps at both offensive tackle and tight end.

"The experiment continues for Michael Jordan, but we've got to find a position for him because he's such a good athlete," Dantonio said. "He's got potential, but he's got to invest the team to learn the positions."

Following an off day, the Spartans resume spring drills on Thursday, April 3. The ninth practice of the spring is scheduled for Sunday, April 6.

"We may need to adjust the calendar based upon the weather, but we need to get the first scrimmage under our belt this week," Dantonio said. "We're looking forward to seeing the guys compete in a scrimmage setting.

"We're going to stress solid fundamentals on both sides of the football, and we're going to expect our guys to play with great effort. If we can get those things done, it will be a successful scrimmage. Ideally, we'd like to conduct three 100-play scrimmages, including the spring game."

Michigan State concludes its 15 spring practices with the Green-White intrasquad game on Saturday, April 19 at 1:30 p.m. in Spartan Stadium.