The Michigan State linebackers room got a huge boost this offseason when now sixth-year senior Aaron Brule announced his return to the program for the 2023 season.
Brule, who announced his decision to return to MSU in late December of 2022, feels like one more season in East Lansing would be beneficial to both him and his team.
“I thought one more year with the guys would definitely be a good thing for me and also for the team in hopes (of) competing for championships,” Brule said to the media after MSU’s spring practice on Tuesday.
Brule transferred from one MSU school to another prior to the 2022 season. The former Mississippi State Bulldog saw his production increase in the final handful of games in the 2022 season.
Part of that was because of the limited number of linebackers available due to injuries and suspensions. However, it was also due to Brule's strong play, and the increased playing time helped him get more comfortable with the defensive schemes and coaching. This could lead to an even larger role in 2023.
“I got more comfortable as the season went on, just with the plays and different schemes and things like that,” Brule said about the 2022 campaign. “The coaches began to have more confidence in me and knowing what I was doing. And I think my role picked up.”
Brule is a versatile linebacker. He’s been playing both the SAM and WILL linebacker positions for MSU this spring. Having more playing time at the end of 2022 allowed him to get more comfortable playing under head coach Mel Tucker and defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Scottie Hazelton.
“It just allowed me to be more free,” Brule said when asked if his comfort level allowed him to be more versatile on defense. “(I did) less thinking in the position they were putting me in. I think I was able to capitalize on some opportunities.”
Brule is entering his second year learning under Hazelton. He noted that some of Hazelton’s points of emphasis include “focus on the details," “less missed assignments” and “being clean.” Brule also said that Hazelton likes to “harps detail.”
As far as what Brule wants to improve upon this offseason, he is focused on improving his mental game.
“Know what I’m doing, being more confident in myself,” Brule mentioned when asked about what he wants to work on. “Believing in my coaches, not necessarily second-guessing anything that they have for me, just doing what they tell me.”
Physically speaking, Brule wants to “trim down a few pounds” to help “conditioning wise.” He said that it will help him “last longer” and be more versatile so he can “be useful in any situation.”
MSU is in its final week of spring practice, with the "Spartan Football Kickoff" event wrapping up a grueling five weeks of practice on Saturday. Brule mentioned that this year’s spring practices have been more productive than last season. He also alluded to the team having more 11-on-11 time this spring than last spring.
Brule is a veteran in college football. As mentioned, this fall will be his sixth year in the college ranks, albeit only his second as a Spartan. He’s been in a lot of different linebacking rooms in the past, which adds credibility to his praise of the current MSU linebackers.
“We’ve had great chemistry,” Brule said about MSU's linebackers. “We actually hang together on and off the field. We also got young guys that are really stepping up immediately.”
One of the newcomers this spring is true freshman Jordan Hall. Hall was a highly rated recruit coming out of high school as he attempts to establish himself in a deep room of linebackers on MSU’s roster.
“You can tell he’s come from a good background … because he almost knows the defense already,” Brule said about Hall. “He’s very vocal. So I think he will be really good for us.”
Brule also said that Hall could “absolutely” help out right away on the field this season.
“If he needed to step up and take any role right now, he could,” Brule said about Hall.
The running backs room has also been a big talking point this spring with newcomers like UConn transfer Nathan Carter and South Florida transfer Jaren Mangham impressing coaches and other players. As a linebacker, Brule has come face-to-face with Carter and Mangham on the field.
“They look pretty explosive,” Brule said about MSU’s running backs. “Nathan (Carter) and Jaren (Mangham) and all those guys that came in, they’re hard runners. They’ve definitely given us some really good looks.”
Brule, along with fellow linebacker Jacoby Windmon, decided to return to Michigan State for one more season. Now they'll look to reach their goals as both a team and as individuals.
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