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Published Jul 29, 2019
Five redshirt freshmen to watch in 2019
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Corey Robinson  •  Spartans Illustrated
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EAST LANSING - Young players can go from being hot topics of conversation during their recruiting days to forgotten prospects by some fans in a matter of months. Players who redshirted as freshmen often get caught in this cycle, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Now it’s time for the cycle to reach the next stage for some second-year Spartans.

SpartanMag’s list of redshirt freshmen who have been developing well behind the scenes and could make an impact this season:

1. Kalon Gervin: The 5-foot-11, 186-pound cornerback from Detroit came in with a ton of fanfare and a high recruiting ranking. He had offers from just about every major conference program, was an UnderArmour All-American and Rivals.com rated him the No. 1 ranked prospect in Michigan for 2018.

Gervin enrolled early last year and had a strong freshman season, but with Josiah Scott and Justin Layne returning as starters and Josh Butler and Shakur Brown offering more experience, playing time was hard to achieve.

Gervin saw action in three games but preserved redshirt status. He had four snaps at cornerback on the season and 14 on special teams.

With Layne opting to sit out the Redbox Bowl, Gervin ended the year with a season-high eight snaps on special teams against Oregon.

Going into this season Scott returns as a starter and Justin Layne is off to the NFL. Josh Butler is the likely starter opposite Scott. Brown and Gervin expect to see significant snaps behind them as second-stringer. In today’s uptempo game, second-string cornerbacks get more playing time than was the case a decade ago. Gervin is in position for that type of role, at least.

Gervin had a bit of a coming out party in the Green-White Game. He showed lock down coverage and played with good physicality separating the receiver from the ball a couple times.

2. Jeslord Boetang: The 6-foot-1, 228-pound linebacker from Dublin, Ohio came in raw, but with a frame and athleticism that allows him the chance to be special in the future.

With the graduation of Andrew Dowell and a strong winter and spring, the future continues to look good for Boetang. Boateng was frequently on the short list of young players who impressed coaches during bowl practice and spring practice.

Boetang had a strong showing in the spring game before leaving with a knee injury that looked problematic at the time but proved to be non-serious. With his size and athleticism he has the potential to be effective stopping the run and coming off the edge as a pass rusher.

He started the Green-White Game as the first-string star linebacker, with Antjuan Simmons being held out for precautionary reasons. Boateng will likely begin fall camp as the second-stringer at that position.

3. Jacob Slade: The 6-foot-3, 298-pound defensive tackle from Lewis Center, Ohio played in one game last year, the opener against Utah State. In his 11 snaps he made one tackle and played firm on the remainder of his plays.

As was the case with Boateng, Slade was the subject of many compliments from coaches and players during his redshirt year.

Last year Michigan State came in with four established defensive tackles in Raequan Williams, Mike Panasiuk, Naquan Jones and Gerald Owens. Owens is the only player who is not returning after graduating. Slade is the favorite to replace Owens in the top four.

4. Chase Kline: The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Kline missed most of his true freshman season recovering from a shoulder injury. As soon as he was cleared for action he made his presence felt in the weight room and on the field.

Kline had a loud Green-White Game, leading the team in tackles - and he did so with hard hits, pretty good pursuit speed, a veteran feel for backfield flow and some hand-to-hand victories against proven blockers. Whether that carries over into August remains to be seen.

Kline began the day as a third-string money linebacker, but made noise when he began repping with the twos. The Spartans are looking for a second-string Mike linebacker. Kline might have put himself into the derby with the way he finished the spring, although money ‘backer was his primary position in April.

5. Trenton Gillison: The 6-foot-4 tight end from Pickerington, Ohio saw limited action in two games as a true freshman and did not record a catch. He came in as one of the top players in the 2018 recruiting class for Michigan State and the Spartans need him to step up in that fashion this year.

Gillison had a strong winter and spring in the weight room cutting down his weight from a listed 267 as a true freshman to a current weight of 249.

The weight loss should make Gillison a more explosive player in the passing game. He needs to earn trust as a blocker.

With the graduation of Matt Sokol, Gillison looks to have an expanded role for the Spartans. He joins juniors Matt Dotson and Noah Davis in the top three of the depth chart at tight end. Davis is the best blocker of the three but Dotson is likely to be the starter. Gillison had some shaky moments as a blocker in the spring game.

Productivity and reliability from the tight end position has been lacking in recent years. Gillison has the potential to help in both areas at some point - the sooner the better as far as Michigan State is concerned.

ALSO KEEP AN EYE ON ...

There are other redshirt freshmen who could make an impact for Michigan State this season. Keep an eye out for linebacker Edward Warriner, defensive tackle Dashaun Mallory, running back Elijah Collins and defensive end Zach Slade.


Theo Day’s role in challenging Rocky Lombardi for back-up status at quarterback is also a battle to keep an eye on, throughout the fall and into the winter, provided that senior Brian Lewerke remains healthy. If Lewerke runs into health problems again, Day’s importance will escalate.


Boateng, Warriner, Gervin and Kline could become important on special teams. Michigan State graduated its top four special teams contributors in terms of number of snaps played in 2018, in Grayson Miller (243), Byron Bullough (241), Matt Morrissey (239) and Matt Sokol (238). That’s a lot of work slack that needs to be absorbed.


Collins might be the player on this list with the best chance to become a starter in 2019, because the running back job is wide open. Collins is one of four or five candidates who could earn a role at running back, with the potential to rise and become a starter or remain mired on the fourth string. That’s a wide variance, but that’s often the reality when talking about redshirt freshmen.


Jim Comparoni contributed to this report.

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