Michigan State's success and improvement on defense this year will be dictated by the production of the Spartans' interior defensive line. MSU's 2024 defensive tackles room had a lot of roster turnover compared to the 2023 team, with four incoming transfers and a few players who transferred out during the offseason as well.
Outgoing defensive tackles who entered the transfer portal during the offseason include Dre Butler, Simeon Barrow and Derrick Harmon. MSU saw several other defensive linemen hit the portal as well.
Despite the offseason losses, the Spartans bring back three returners and welcome six newcomers to an interior defensive line group that can help MSU’s defense thrive during the 2024 season.
In addition to new players, Michigan State also has a new defensive line coach in Legi Suiaunoa, a new defensive coordinator/linebackers coach in Joe Rossi and of course a new head coach in Jonathan Smith, among other new staff members.
Who's back?
Maverick Hansen (6-foot-4, 310 pounds) returns to MSU as a sixth-year graduate senior. Hansen is one of the most experienced player in the defensive line group, with 41 games played and eight starts. He is also the longest-tenured Spartan on the roster and the only player on the team who has played under former MSU head coach Mark Dantonio.
In his career, Hansen has recorded 90 tackles, including eight tackles for loss and five sacks. In 2023, Hansen played in 11 games with four starts. He recorded 21 tackles, earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for the fourth-straight season, and was named a semifinalist for the 2023 William V. Campbell Trophy.
Next, Ben Nelson (6-foot-7, 301 pounds), a redshirt sophomore out of Holland, returns to MSU after seeing minimal playing time during his redshirt freshman year in 2023. During that season, Nelson played five games, recording 21 defensive snaps at defensive tackle, and amassed three tackles. He made a position switch from offensive line to defensive tackle prior to the 2023 regular season during fall camp. The Holland native was also an Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
Meanwhile, after missing all last season with an injury, Alex VanSumeren (6-foot-3, 300 pounds) returns to the Spartans as a redshirt sophomore. In the 2022 season, VanSumeren played in the first four games of the season and tallied three tackles on 21 defensive snaps.
VanSumeren is back healthy and has stood out in fall camp. Recently, Smith said that it's "been nice" to have him healthy and on the field at practice.
Transfer additions
A graduate transfer defensive tackle from Georgia Tech, D’Quan Douse (6-foot-2, 301 pounds) joined the Spartans in January with one year of eligibility remaining. Despite it being his first year in East Lansing, Douse comes to the Spartans as one of the most experienced college football players in MSU’s defensive tackle group, with 44 career games played and 24 starts with the Yellow Jackets.
During his time at Georgia Tech, Douse recorded 69 tackles with 8.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks in five seasons.
Jalen Satchell (6-foot-1, 283 pounds) joins the Spartans as a transfer from Old Dominion with two years of eligibility remaining. Satchell has 27 games of college experience under his belt, 16 with Temple and 11 with Old Dominion.
During his collegiate career with the Owls and the Monarchs, Satchell has recorded 36 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks. Satchell has started in 16 career games, with 10 at Temple and six at Old Dominion. Last season with the Monarchs, Satchell collected a career-high 16 tackles on 326 snaps played.
Throughout his career, Satchell has played both defensive tackle and defensive end. However, he is projected to play primarily defensive tackle for the Spartans.
Next, a transfer defensive tackle from Nebraska, Ru’Quan Buckley (6-foot-5, 312 pounds) comes to MSU after three seasons with the Cornhuskers. Buckley appeared in nine games for the Cornhuskers and was an Academic All-Big Ten selection in 2022 and 2023, as well as a two-time recipient of the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award.
Last season with Nebraska, Buckley appeared in eight games, playing 60 total snaps on the defensive line, and recording one solo tackle against Michigan.
Another exciting addition, Ben Roberts (6-foot-2, 321 pounds) joins the Spartans after two seasons with the Oregon Ducks. In his second season with the Ducks in 2023, Roberts appeared in five games, including the Fiesta Bowl where Oregon defeated Liberty by a final score of 45-6. Roberts played 34 total snaps on defense and two on special teams. In his career in Eugene, Roberts recorded five total tackles.
The freshmen
Ranked as the 29th overall prospect in Illinois by Rivals, Mikeshun Beeler (6-foot-2, 283 pounds) comes to MSU looking to strengthen the Spartans' depth at defensive line and make an impact in the future. A native of Chicago, Beeler played his high school career at Simeon Career Academy. In his senior year, Beeler was named to the the IHSFCA 6A All-State first-team after recording 45 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and nine sacks.
The Spartans have also added a preferred walk-on defensive tackle in Mason Nickel (6-foot-1, 270 pounds). A freshman out of Midland, Michigan, Nickel comes to East Lansing as a three-time All-Saginaw Valley League selection out of Dow High School.
During his career at Dow, Nickel played on both the offensive and defensive line for the Chargers. As a senior defensive lineman, Nickel recorded 12 sacks to earn first-team All-Saginaw Valley League Blue accolades and helped lead the Chargers to an appearance in the second round of the MHSAA Division 2 playoffs.
More 2024 football season preview content:
Full roster breakdown by the numbers
Breakout candidates on offense
Breaking down Michigan State's schedule
Bold predictions
Positional Preview: Quarterbacks
Positional Preview: Running backs
Positional Preview: Wide receivers
Positional Preview: Tight ends
Positional Preview: Offensive line
Positional Preview: Defensive ends and rush ends
Positional Preview: Linebackers
Positional Preview: Defensive backs
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