MSU Media Day coverage to quench your thirst
MSU’s annual Media Day usually marks the beginning of the football season as far as news coverage goes. Sure, you get the occasional story during the offseason but for the most part, news outlets start to REALLY cover MSU once Media Day hits. This year is no exception as we are flooded by MSU football stories after a long and dry summer.
The big surprise to most appears to be SirDarean Adams being “penciled in” as the starting bandit. Shannon Shelton of the Detroit Free Press (Jemele Hill’s replacement as Freep beat writer for MSU?) talks about how Adams hopes to steal MSU fans’ hearts and how his work in the classroom over the summer impressed the coaches including Coach John L. Smith and defensive coordinator/safeties coach Chris Smeland. Joe Rexrode of the Lansing State Journal chose Adams as the biggest surprise among many from media day. The promotion to first string surprised even Adams himself.
The pads don’t start popping until today, but Michigan State’s fall football camp already is teeming with surprises.
The biggest may have come for potential-packed sophomore SirDarean Adams, who was told Monday morning by defensive coordinator Chris Smeland that he would start practice as the first-string bandit. Adams was supposed to enter camp as Eric Smith’s backup at the position, but Smith instead will return to his natural position, strong safety.
“I was shocked,” said Adams, a 6-foot, 222-pound speedster whose elevation was due in part to improved academic performance. “Last year I thought I was ready - I was physically, but not mentally. … Now I’ve worked on everything so much, I feel like I’m complete.”
Also in the news has been the legal issues with Jason Teague who is listed as the first string RB on the latest depth chart. The Lansing State Journal’s Todd Shultz found it stunning that Teague commented at all on his off-the field issues. Usually players are much less forthcoming when a legal issue is pending.
The odds of Teague addressing the media Monday seemed longer than coach John L. Smith stepping to the podium and guaranteeing a Big Ten title.
Yet, there was Teague, the sun shining brightly on the shoulders of his green No. 20 jersey as he smiled and chatted with every reporter who happened by at Spartan Stadium.
Teague, one of several Spartans to find off-the-field trouble in recent months, is accused of punching a woman in the face three times at a party last October.
He was happy to discuss the topic. In fact, Teague apologized for not being able to say more.
“I wish I could tell you all everything that’s going on but I can’t,” Teague said. “I know from the outside looking in it looks like I’m a bad person. But that’s just not what I am. You ask people on this team and they’ll tell you what type of guy I am. You’ve got to know me.”
In today’s LSJ MSU Notebook, Mark Feather covers the battle for the starting TE position, the new MSU Captains, and a sales update on the stunning new club seats and suites at Spartan Stadium.
Who will emerge as Michigan State’s primary tight end this season?
That’s the first question Spartans’ offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin wants to address over the next three weeks as the team begins the first of 29 fall practices today…
Center Chris Morris, quarterback Drew Stanton, safety Eric Smith and defensive end Cliff Ryan were named captains for the season…
MSU has sold 20 of 24 luxury suites for the season, and 300 of the 838 club seats, associate athletic director John Lewandowski said…
Meanwhile, Dave Dye of the Detroit News thinks MSU’s JUCO recruits could be key to MSU’s success or failure this season. MLive.com’s Steve Grinczel believes getting the JUCOs prepared quickly to get on the field as soon as possible will be one of MSU’s top priorities heading into the season opener. Coach John L. Smith cautioned though that these kids have to be given the opportunity to adjust to D-I football and admits that MSU had to take more JUCO recruits than the coaching staff would have liked.
“Junior-college kids are, to a degree, just like freshmen,” Smith said. “They need a year in your program before they’re really ready to go. The bad thing is you’re not able to give them that.
“To be honest with you, we would prefer not to go out and recruit as many junior-college kids as we have. But it was a necessity.”
“We have some great JC recruits,” he said. “Everybody here has a D-I (Division I) player in them. He either messed up (academically) in high school or something.”