Big Ten Media Days: Michigan State's Mel Tucker talks depth and personnel

Following Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker's Big Ten Media Days press conference, which was televised on the Big Ten Network, he broke away for a 45-minute podium session in Indianapolis.

Tucker covered many topics, including the improved depth and competition within the roster, the quarterback situation, getting bigger in the trenches, an injury update on redshirt junior linebacker Darius Snow, transfer portal departures and additional personnel notes about his team, among other things.

"No doubt, the (2023 team has the) most talent that we've had top to bottom on our roster," Tucker said on Wednesday. “We needed more quality depth on our roster, and we addressed that this out of season."

Following an 11-win season in 2021, Michigan State stumbled to a 5-7 record and missed a bowl game. While Tucker does feel that the overall depth of the team is better, it's finding consistency that is most important.

Due to injuries and suspensions, MSU was forced to used 27 different starters on defense, in 2022. Tucker estimated that 43 total different starters were used by the Spartans last year, which he said was around the fifth-most in the country.

The depth is now there if the injuries ramp up again, according to Tucker, but it will take more than that to win games.

"Consistency in performance is how you become successful (in everything you do), especially when you're building a program," Tucker said. "Quality depth is important. We didn't have that in enough positions a year ago, so when we got guys banged up, we just weren't able to answer the bell. We've got to stay healthy.

"We've addressed the depth through recruiting and player development, that's key. And we upgraded the coaching staff as well. So, I feel good about the team, but it remains to be seen, we've gotta go out and play the games, right?"

Tucker noted that the team had better injury luck in 2021, with the Spartans staying "relatively healthy" until the Ohio State game in November of that year. The team also dealt with a flu outbreak amongst the locker room in the season finale of that year against Penn State, but Tucker mentioned that guys were able to "rise to the occasion" despite perhaps not having as strong of depth from top to bottom on the roster then as MSU has now.

Tucker detailed why it it takes such a long time to get a roster's depth to the point it is at now.

"It does take some time to build depth through recruiting," Tucker said. "After the 2020 season, that COVID season, we didn't have a player drafted (to the NFL) and that was the first time in I think 80 years that Michigan State didn't have a player drafted, and that's at any position. So, that just kind of goes to show you the state of the depth and talent in the program, and it takes some recruiting classes to get that done."

Tucker feels that Michigan State has brought in strong back-to-back recruiting classes in the 2022 and 2023 cycles, and that the experience the true freshmen got last year when they were forced into playing time due to injuries will be beneficial moving forward.

"We recruited well, especially the past two classes," Tucker said. "Some of those young guys that we recruited in that 2022 class, they actually were playing last year. So, it was painful on the job training, but they're bigger, stronger, faster now, and they have experience and they look different."

Tucker also feels, in some ways, that the lumps the team took in 2022 will pay dividends in 2023 and beyond, and taught the team valuable lessons.

"Oftentimes you have to get kicked in the face before you can be great," Tucker said. "We have a chip on our shoulder. No one was happy with the way the season unfolded, especially the last couple games, it was very disappointing. So we're just hungry."

While national expectations are low for Michigan State in 2023, Tucker pushed back on the idea that this is a rebuilding year, or that the Spartans won't be competitive in 2023.

"We just want to reach our full potential," Tucker said. "Our goal is to win every game on our schedule and then at the end we'll just add it up. We're not out here just practicing coaching. We're not out here just to play and roll our helmets out there. Obviously the goal is to win every game. I don't know why we should apologize for that being the goal. It's everybody else's goal, why can't it be ours?"

This was a theme that Tucker continued throughout the podium session. Michigan State isn't worried about expectations from fans or media. The Spartans plan to accomplish many things in 2023.

"I don't see it as a swing year," Tucker later added. "I see it as this is the next year, this is a fresh year and we're gonna attack it. I don't see it as anything other than that."

Tucker went on during his media time to detail many of the players and outlooks at various positions.

Of course, one of the biggest storylines this past spring for Michigan State was when two-year starting quarterback and team captain Payton Thorne entered the transfer portal in late April, eventually landing at Auburn.

While he didn't necessarily know it would be Thorne, Tucker and the staff were prepared for turnover in the quarterbacks room.

"In the past, we would have three quarterbacks on scholarship typically, and the rest were walk-on players," Tucker said about the quarterback position. "We decided that we needed, in recent years, to have four scholarship guys. Because what you see in college football is you see guys go through spring and they make decisions after spring if they want to stay or not. So, you anticipate possibly one guy leaving, not maybe knowing who, and still having three good players remaining. That was our situation, so we were prepared."

Now, the remaining scholarship quarterbacks on Michigan State's depth chart are redshirt junior Noah Kim, redshirt freshman Katin Houser and true freshman Sam Leavitt. The competition is wide open, similar to what it was in 2021 when Thorne one the job.

"A couple years ago, I don't think anyone knew who the starting quarterback was gonna be going into that Northwestern game (with Payton Thorne in 2021)," Tucker said. "So, it may be that, we'll have to see. Our quarterback has to be our number one competitor, and we have three core values: tough, discipline, selfless. Our quarterback has be all three for us.

"It's an open competition. I like the way the guys have approached it. We have very talented guys in that room. It's a healthy competition, but we're gonna play the best player. We don't know who that is at this point."

Tucker was complimentary about what Kim brings to the team, and noted that he has the most experience, albeit still limited with 19 career passes thrown.

"Obviously, Noah has more experience, he's been in the system longer," Tucker said about Kim. "You saw when he went in games last year, he did make it look relatively easy versus the guys that he was playing against, but it's open."

Overall, Tucker isn't going to ask his starting quarterback to do it all, but there are certain things the starter has to do, such as commanding the offense.

"We'll see how it goes," Tucker said about the quarterback competition. "We just need someone to go in there and do what we ask him to do: lead, run the offense, take what the defense gives him. If it's not there, hit the check-down, run it or ... throw it away and go to the next play. I mean, play complementary football and don't try to do too much.

With the first practice of fall camp set for Thursday, Aug. 3, Tucker and the rest of the staff will get their first look at the quarterbacks since the spring. He is embracing the competition at quarterback and throughout the roster.

"The practices should be harder than the games," Tucker said. "We try to create that, and when you have more competition on your roster, the practices are more competitive, and you just get better a lot faster."

Tucker compared Michigan State's quarterback situation in 2023 to some of his other previous coaching stops. At Alabama in 2015, the coaching staff did not know who the starting quarterback was going to be heading into the season until Jake Coker eventually took over and led the Crimson Tide to a national championship. He also mentioned the same thing about Ohio State's Craig Krenzel, who led the Buckeyes to a national title during the 2002 season.

Tucker isn't necessarily saying that MSU will be at the same level of play as those two teams, but noted that "players emerge."

While either Kim or Houser is expected to be the guy to take the reins at quarterback in 2023, Tucker noted that Leavitt should not be counted out.

"It's a three-guy race," Tucker said about the quarterback competition.

Leavitt did not enroll early and just joined the program this summer. That puts him well behind the other two who have already been around the program for quite a while, however, Tucker likes what Leavitt brings to the quarterbacks room.

"He didn't have the spring, so he's gotta come in, he's gotta learn what to do," Tucker said about Leavitt. "He's gotta learn the offense. He's gotta gain the trust of his teammates. He's gotta be able to execute on a consistent basis better than the other two guys.

"But, Sam is a very confident guy. He's got some high goals. And, he was clear in recruiting that he wanted to come in and play as a freshman. And that's his goal. We told him that the competition was gonna be open for all of those guys, and so we'll see how it goes. We have 25 practices before the first game."

Fifth-year wide receiver Tre Mosley praised Leavitt's confidence during Big Ten Media Days as well.

Tucker briefly spoke about the loaded running backs room, which he thinks will be competitive.

The room features several capable guys who are looking to earn a role in the rotation: redshirt senior Jaren Mangham, senior Jordon Simmons, redshirt junior Jalen Berger, redshirt sophomore Davion Primm, redshirt sophomore Nathan Carter and true freshman Jaelon Barbarin.

"I would say so," Tucker said when asked if this is the most competitive the running backs room has ever been. "Jordan Simmons is still there. He's been playing since he was a freshman. Davion Primm is still there. He's shown flashes in the spring. (Jalen) Berger, in his second year with us is still there. And then you add (Jaren) Mangham, (Jaelon) Barbarin and Nathan Carter. Those are all good players."

Mangham (South Florida) and Carter (Connecticut) transferred in this winter, while Barbarin was part of the 2023 recruiting class. Tucker sees each new player's skill set as a benefit to the team.

"Mangham is 6-foot-3, 235 (pounds) walking in the door," Tucker noted. "Barbarin ran a 10.3 (second) 100 meters as a junior in high school. Nathan Carter has played Power Five football and been very productive. He established himself as a dude immediately in the weight room, similar to what Ken Walker did (in 2021). It's super competitive and guys have to compete to get on the field. They're gonna have to compete for spots on special teams."

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