Note: This is the second installment in a series reviewing Michigan State’s position groups and looking ahead to the 2021 season. Today’s position: running back
Less than two weeks after being hired as Michigan State’s new coach, Mel Tucker outlined goals for the offense.
One of the top priorities was to “run the ball on our terms,” which he called “critically important.”
Establishing a competent rushing attack will remain a focus for Tucker’s second season leading the program after the Spartans remained one of the nation’s worst at running the ball.
Michigan State finished 114th in the country in rushing in 2018 (124.8 yards per game), 113th in 2019 (127.2) and then actually regressed this season. The Spartans were 122nd at 91.4 yards per game – the lowest total in program records dating back to 1947. They had only two rushing touchdowns – one by quarterback Payton Thorne and the other by tight end Tyler Hunt.
The outlook for Michigan State’s backfield in 2021 is a crowded room with the team on pace to have eight scholarship running backs on the roster. That includes a pair of transfer additions and a true freshman to join five scholarship backs set to return.
2020 recap:
Amid all the uncertainty about what Michigan State’s offense would look like under Tucker and new coordinator Jay Johnson, the one apparent certainty was Elijah Collins remaining the starter. The redshirt sophomore was coming off a breakout season in which he had 222 carries for 988 yards and five touchdowns.
Then the season started and what appeared to be a given wasn’t as Collins didn’t look like the same player. He finished with 41 carries for only 90 yards while serving as the team’s third running back. Collins’ decline in production while shifting to a reserve role was never fully explained and Tucker said playing time and carries were based on practice performance.
True freshman Jordon Simmons was Michigan State’s top rusher and finished with 56 carries for 219 yards in five games while missing two games due to injury. Redshirt junior Connor Heyward, who entered the transfer portal in September 2019 before pulling his name out in February, had a team-high 65 carries for 200 yards while starting six of seven games. He also had 18 catches for 71 yards and two touchdowns.
After using as many as five running backs in a game, Michigan State’s backfield rotation shrunk late in the season. Anthony Williams Jr. had only four carries for five yards before entering the portal in November and transferring to Akron. Brandon Wright appeared in six games but five of his six carries for the season were in a blowout loss against Iowa.
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The Spartans topped 100 yards rushing in only two games and those were their two wins – at Michigan and against Northwestern – and the offensive line struggles continued. Their best performance on the ground of the season was, by far, rushing for 195 yards on 47 carries against the Wildcats as Heyward had 24 rushes for 96 yards. After missing a pair of games due to injury, Simmons closed the year with 14 carries for 72 yards in a loss at Penn State.
In addition to struggling in short-yardage situations, Michigan State also lacked big-play ability in the backfield. The Spartans had only five runs of at least 20 yards – three by Thorne, one by quarterback Rocky Lombardi and one by Simmons.
Walk-on Andre Welch is the only running back to enter the portal since the season ended. It’s unclear if fifth-year senior walk-on Alante Thomas, who didn’t appear in a game this season, will be back for another year.
Personnel breakdown:
Returning: Jordon Simmons (freshman), Connor Heyward (redshirt junior), Elijah Collins (redshirt sophomore), Brandon Wright (sophomore), Donovan Eaglin (freshman) and Alante Thomas (fifth-year senior)
Transfer additions: Kenneth Walker III (enrolled) and Harold Joiner
2021 signee: Davion Primm
Gone: Anthony Williams Jr. and Andre Welch
2021 outlook:
Tucker didn’t waste time attempting to address the running game deficiencies through the portal. The Spartans picked up a commitment from Auburn running back Harold Joiner on Dec. 17 and Wake Forest running back Kenneth Walker III on Jan. 6. Neither is a graduate transfer but the NCAA is expected to approve a one-time transfer exemption before the fall.
Walker, 5-foot-10 and 2016 pounds, was a midyear addition last month with three seasons of eligibility remaining and is taking part in the eight-week strength and conditioning program. He had 217 carries for 1,158 yards and 17 touchdowns in 20 games over two seasons at Wake Forest and is in contention to take over as the starter in the fall. Walker had a pair of runs of at least 75 yards with the Demon Deacons and could also give the Spartans a big-play threat in the rushing game.
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Joiner, a former four-star prospect, wasn’t a midyear addition and Tucker can’t comment on him until he enrolls, if he follows through on his commitment. He had only 15 carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games over three seasons at Auburn. At 6-4 and 215 pounds, he is also an option in the passing game and had six receptions for 128 yards and a score in 2019.
Simmons showed good burst as a true freshman and should challenge Walker for the starting spot. Heyward’s career rushing average is only 3.9 yards per carry on 210 attempts but he’s a solid receiver out of the backfield. Wright has only 61 yards on 24 career carries while Donovan Eaglin didn’t play as a true freshman. Davion Primm, a three-star prospect from Oak Park High School, was the lone running back to sign with Michigan State’s 2021 class and will arrive in the summer.
Running backs coach William Peagler in October said he would like to play three or four at the position each game. Even on the high end, that would leave half of the eight scholarship running backs in line to be on the roster without a spot on the field. Spring practice, which is scheduled to start March 23, should help the team figure out the backfield depth chart and that could lead to portal departures.
Related Michigan State football stories:
Former Michigan LB Ben VanSumeren transferring to Michigan State
Michigan State athletics reports first clean week of COVID-19 testing in six months
NCAA extends recruiting dead period for eighth time
An early projection of Michigan State’s depth chart on defense and special teams
An early projection of Michigan State’s depth chart on offense
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Michigan State’s continued search to improve running game now features crowded backfield - MLive.com
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