Coming off the best two-year run in five decades, Michigan State football has a lot going for it this spring. The Spartans return seven starters on offense and seven starters on defense, but there are questions on both sides of the ball as well as on special teams.
The offense has to start over at receiver and running back while the secondary is in need of repair after faltering in big games last season.
"Spring ball for me is a time for growth," head coach Mark Dantonio said. "It's an opportunity to get three percent better on every practice. We've got 15 practices, so do the math on that. But we've always tried to do that. We've got a foundation I feel or we feel, really, right now, we have a very strong foundation, we need to be able to build on that foundation, as we move forward. And the reality is that the expectations here are very, very high. And they should be. And that's where we start with."
Here is a look at five of the most pressing issues Dantonio and staff will need to address this spring.
1. Who will replace the Big Ten's best receiver?
Age won't be an issue, but production might with the loss of Big Ten Receiver of the Year Tony Lippett and his sidekick Keith Mumphery, who combined for 91 catches for 1,693 yards last season.
Nine letterwinners return among the receiver group and all are at least juniors, although the leader in yards last season Macgarrett Kings Jr. is in legal limbo following an arrest earlier this month. He faces disorderly-conduct charges and is accused of assaulting a police officer.
Also a somewhat proven commodity is Aaron Burbridge, who caught 29 passes for 358 yards last season as a junior.
He should be ready for a larger role, but can the same be said of once-highly touted transfer DeAnthony Arnett and former four-star recruit Monty Madaris? They will be candidates for more playing time, as will junior R.J. Shelton, who caught 16 passes for 173 yards and a pair of touchdowns last season.
2. How much progress is made at finding a new running back (or two)?
Here, too, the Spartans have lost significant production and the top returner as far as statistics is in legal trouble. That would be Delton Williams, a junior who ran for 316 yards last season but is suspended from all team activities following what has been characterized as a road-rage incident.
Redshirt freshman Madre London and sophomore Gerald Holmes figure to get the longest looks this spring, and many seem to feel the onus is on them to impress because of the pending arrival of four-star recruit L.J. Scott of Hubbard, Ohio, who will join the battle in fall camp.
"Tailback is an issue," Dantonio said. "We've got good players, there, I think we're going to find out a little bit more of our guys as we move toward."
3. Who steps up at cornerback?
For the second year in a row, Michigan State has to replace a likely first-round draft pick at cornerback, although both spots would seem to be up for grabs given how last season ended.
Trae Waynes proved more than capable of replacing Thorpe Award winner Darqueze Dennard as the team's No. 1 corner a year ago, but they never seemed to get settled on the other side as first-year starter Darian Hicks lost time to Lippett (who played both ways) late in the season.
Waynes opted to skip his senior season to enter the draft, but Hicks is back for his junior season and faces challenges from classmate Demetrius Cox, a converted safety, and redshirt freshman Vayonte Coleman. Also potentially in the mix will be senior Arjen Colquhoun and junior Jermaine Edmondson.
4. How will the defensive line shake out?
Of course two-time All-Big Ten end Shilique Calhoun is a great building block, but he needs a new running mate on the other side. Marcus Rush did a great job making defenses think twice about double-teaming or slanting their protection toward Calhoun, but he is out of eligibility. Lawrence Thomas, a starter at tackle last season, is listed as the starter opposite Calhoun in the first depth chart of the spring, but there are several competitors on the roster.
The Spartans could use more production out of the interior of the line this season, too, as starters Joel Heath and Thomas combined for 9.5 tackles for loss last season and were susceptible versus the power run game. The move of Thomas could be to make room for sophomore Malik McDowell, who offered some glimpses of why he was a highly coveted recruit last year and could be in line for a larger role after playing a lot as a true freshman, something that is not common in Dantonio's program.
Dantonio mentioned Craig Evans, David Beedle, Enoch Smith, Demetrius Cooper, Evan Jones and Montez Sweat as candidates for more playing time up front.
5. What about special teams?
Special teams are a cornerstone of the Dantonio program, a facet he learned from mentor Jim Tressel at Ohio State, but there are questions at kicker and punter.
A replacement is necessary for punter Mike Sadler, an All-Big Ten performer in 2013 who slipped to the middle of the pack as a senior last year, and kicker Michael Geiger is out this spring following hip surgery.
Geiger followed up a strong freshman season in 2013 (15-of-16 on field goals) with a poor 2014 in which he made only 14-of-22 field goals. His 63.6 field goal percentage was second-worst in the Big Ten and 95th nationally.
