Why Michigan State 'felt like home' for freshman OL Cole Dellinger (SP)

Cole Dellinger is a freshman offensive lineman for Michigan State who enrolled at MSU in January. Dellinger, a four-star guard prospect coming out of Clarkston High School (Michigan), recently met with the media for the first time as a Spartan.

Michigan State assistant head coach/offensive line coach/run game coordinator Chris Kapilovic currently wants Dellinger focusing on learning the center spot. With that said, Dellinger eventually plans to learn the guard spots, too, and could offer some versatility up and down the interior of the offensive line.

Now, roughly three weeks into Michigan State’s winter strength and conditioning program and classes, Dellinger is still adjusting to college life, but the transition has been smooth for him.

“I mean, obviously it's a big jump,” Dellinger said about the transition from high school to college. “Going from the same schedule every day to now, it's all different – I have football in the mornings now. So I mean, obviously it's a big jump, but really, it's been a good adjustment. The coaches have been helping us out. Older players, they help us out all the time. So I mean it's been a pretty easy adjustment for me.”

When asked what the biggest adjustment for him has been so far, Dellinger had a similar answer to what freshman linebacker, and fellow early enrollee, Jordan Hall said: how quickly things move in a college program. Dellinger mentioned that the pace of MSU’s winter strength and conditioning program, led by Jason Novak, is pretty intense.

“I would say the pace of workouts (has been the biggest adjustment so far),” Dellinger noted. “I was with a strength coach (previously), who was big (into) long rest periods, and now jumping into these workouts, it's fast. Like, you gotta keep up with everyone else, or you’re gonna get lost behind.”

The veterans around Michigan State’s offensive line room and team have taken Dellinger and the other freshmen under their wings. He mentioned that the older Spartans have helped integrate new guys to the program.

“Oh, I mean, it’s been awesome,” Dellinger said about how the veterans on the team have helped him adjust to the life of a college athlete. “They brought me in like a family member. They all know me, I know them now. I've only been here for three weeks and I just fit right in. They help a lot. I (also) have a mentor, so if I ever need something important, I can just hit him up and he'll help me.”

The team has found ways to bond, such as with a recent bowling trip.

Speaking of mentors, Dellinger has an older brother, Garrett Dellinger, who is an interior offensive lineman at LSU. The two brothers are close, and with Garrett getting ready to enter his third year at the college level, he has plenty of advice to provide for his younger sibling.

“Going into it (before arriving at MSU), I asked (Garrett), ‘What should I expect the first couple of weeks?’ and he pretty much told me straight up what I should expect,” the younger Dellinger said about his older brother. “It was pretty much everything he said, and I did a pretty good job adjusting to it. If I ever really do need help with something, I know I can go to him because he’s always helped me.”

The main reason that Dellinegr wanted to enroll early at Michigan State is because he wants to learn the playbook as quickly as possible and have a head start before fall camp starts in August. He also wants to get bigger, faster and stronger and get used to his new surroundings and teammates.

“I’m hoping to get the playbook down, that’s the main thing, people struggle with that coming in,” Dellinger said when asked why he decided to enroll early. “By having this semester early, I get to learn the playbook, (learn) how to practice with the team, so I get more experience than the other kids who will be coming in the summer.”

Dellinger, who signed with the Spartans on Dec. 21, 2022, reiterated the importance of knowing the full playbook as a center, and also mentioned that he wants to get a little bit bigger to prepare to play on the offensive line at the Big Ten level.

He doesn’t have unreal expectations as a true freshman in terms of getting on the field early, but he is planning to make an impact in any way he can, and hopes to gain experience in some way in 2023.

“That’s what you expect, no one really starts – especially as the lineman – as a freshman because you’re not really built for it yet,” Dellinger said about working his way up the depth chart. “I’m definitely helping out, I’m doing all my work I can.

“I’m hoping to make some sort of impact on the line, whether it’s at center or guard or anywhere. The first year, I hope to get some sort of playing time, make the travel squad, and that’s really a big thing just so that I can get some experience on the road before my second year (in 2024).”

So far for Dellinger, life on campus has been fun and challenging. He is taking it in stride and putting in the work each day – both in football and in the classroom – to be successful.

“I’ve learned a lot about the college experience (so far),” Dellinger said. “You can’t just wake up and expect an easy day. Every day is going to be a challenge for you, so you just have to push through it and finish it through.”

Dellinger also spoke about Michigan State’s 2023 signing class as a whole and the talent the players bring. He feels this group can be the foundation for the future of head coach Mel Tucker’s program, and he is excited to be part of that.

Michigan State’s 2023 high school signing class ranks 36th nationally, while its transfer class ranks 16th.

“It was really cool just knowing that I was going to be part of the future of Michigan State,” Dellinger said about the 2023 class. “We were kind of the start of Coach Tucker’s real recruitment, and we were a pretty highly-ranked class, so it really felt good being a part of that.”

So, why did Dellinger choose Michigan State? As a Michigan native, MSU felt familiar to him and like the place he wanted to be at. He built strong bonds with Tucker and Kapilovic (also known as “Coach Kap”) that drew him to East Lansing.

“It really came down to just Michigan State itself,” Dellinger said. “I really like Coach Tucker and Coach Kap, they were a big draw. I came here multiple times (for visits), it just felt like home. Compared to some of the other schools, I just didn’t have that connection with the coaches that I had with Coach Kap.

“(Coach Kap) is very personable. He would ask me about things, he would ask about my family all the time. That was just really important to me, having a big family.”

Dellinger, who is roommates with fellow freshman offensive lineman Stanton Ramil, said the “biggest surprise” for him so far has just been the organization within the Michigan State football program, and how everything in his schedule is planned out.

In the classroom, Dellinger is a criminal justice major, and is taking an intro to criminal justice class this semester, in addition to others.

So far, Dellinger’s experience at Michigan State has been everything he imagined, with a lot of time left to make memories in the future.

“It’s everything they told me about,” Dellinger said with a smile.