MSU Football Blog

Sophomore long snapper Matt Giampapa, who earned a starting job last season, has left the MSU football program for personal reasons. Giampapa, a walk-on and native of Jackson, Tenn., has decided to return home to be closer to his family.

After appearing in 13 games last season for the Spartans, Giampapa did not travel with the team to Orlando for the Outback Bowl because of a violation of team rules. He told the Detroit Free Press he made this decision about a month ago but decided to continue practicing with the team through spring ball.

Giampapa is unsure where he will resume his college football career at this time.

Junior long snapper Steve Moore, Giampapa’s backup last season who handled snapping duties in the Outback Bowl, is the likely candidate to replace Giampapa in the fall.

The kickoff times for three MSU football games in the 2012 season were released today by the Big Ten Conference.

The Spartans will kickoff at noon for their trip to Indiana on Oct. 6 and the following week at Spartan Stadium for the Homecoming matchup with Iowa — which will be televised by either ESPN, ESPN2 or Big Ten Network. The last time the Hawkeyes visited East Lansing they handed MSU a heartbreaking defeat as wide receiver Marvin McNutt caught the game winning touchdown as time expired. MSU is 63-30-3 all-time in Homecoming games.

MSU visits depending Big Ten champion Wisconsin on Oct. 27 with kickoff slated for 3:30 p.m. and will be broadcasted on ABC. The last time the Spartans won at Wisconsin was the 2001 season.

Two prime time games were previously announced for the Spartans in 2012, the first at 8 p.m. at home Aug. 31 against Boise State on ESPN, and at 8 p.m. Sept. 15 against Notre Dame at home televised on ABC.

The past few days have been very good to MSU.

Six former Spartans were picked in the 2012 NFL Draft — the most since seven were taken in 2000 — including consensus All-American Jerel Worthy, who was taken by the Packers in round two.

There certainly were some surprises, but for the most part each Spartan drafted is in a position to compete for serious playing time with their respective teams. In any case, let’s get to it.

DT Jerel Worthy, Green Bay Packers (Second Round, 51st overall)
Worthy saw his stock drop a bit in the months since his last game as a Spartan as questions about his work ethic began to swirl. Still, he’s headed to a team that filled a very serious need by bulking up their defensive line, and should be a nice complement to everyone’s favorite truffle shuffler, BJ Raji. It’s very likely that Packers head coach Mike McCarthy may elect to move Worthy outside as a defensive end where he could continue to develop into a disruptive player.

QB Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins (Fourth Round, 102nd overall)
I mentioned surprises earlier — well, here you are. This is a pick that doesn’t seem to make much sense when you consider that the Redskins drafted Robert Griffin III — who is expected to become franchise quarterback — just two days earlier. Washington almost instantly dropped quarterback John Beck to make room for Cousins, but he’ll likely ride the bench behind Griffin for at least a while. Still, Cousins has made a name for himself by proving himself time and again when he has to, and he should have no problem fighting for playing time.

WR Keshawn Martin, Houston Texans (Fourth Round, 121st overall)
In Houston, Martin will have a unique opportunity to learn from one of the best wide receivers in the league in Andre Johnson. He adds depth to a position that the Texans aren’t really lacking in, but will probably have a chance to step in as a punt or kick returner. Martin is very dangerous in space and when you consider how Houston’s issues with punt returners effectively ended its season, you begin to see why Martin is a good fit.

S Trenton Robinson, San Francisco 49ers (Sixth Round, 180th overall)
As a member of the 49ers, Robinson becomes a piece of one of the strongest defensive units in the NFL. As far as San Francisco is concerned, getting Robinson in the sixth round is a steal. He may not contribute immediately, but with his speed, Robinson can be used to shut down some of the NFC West’s better slot receivers.

WR B.J. Cunningham, Miami Dolphins (Sixth Round, 183rd overall)
In his time at MSU, Cunningham consistently has shown his big play ability, a trait that is seriously lacking in Miami. He’ll be paired with a rookie quarterback in Texas A & M’s Ryan Tannehill — the eighth overall pick — which will allow for the pair to develop a relationship as they go through camp together.

RB Edwin Baker, San Diego Chargers (Seventh Round, 250th overall)
As the final few picks rolled in, it began to look like Baker may not get drafted. But with the 250th pick, the Chargers rolled the dice and scooped him up. Baker’s work ethic should be questioned as he opted to forgo his senior year at MSU after he lost the starting job to junior running back Le’Veon Bell. But Baker does have a lot of raw talent and the Chargers recognize that. He definitely has potential to develop into a viable third down option.

In what could be understatedly described as a surprising move, the Washington Redskins drafted former MSU quarterback Kirk Cousins in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft Saturday afternoon — just two days after they officially acquired Heismen trophy winning quarterback Robert Griffin, III with the second overall pick.

It was a tumultuous couple of days for Cousins, who was projected to go as high as the second round by several analysts. He was passed over by several teams in need of a quarterback and to add insult to injury, saw Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson drafted in the third round by the Seattle Seahawks, despite almost unanimously being considered a better prospect at the position.

Still, whatever the Redskins and head coach Mike Shanahan have in store for MSU’s winningest quarterback, Cousins has achieved his dream of making it to the NFL. And as he’s shown before, there’s no reason to think he won’t work his way up the depth chart and into a more important role.

Check the statenews.com later for a more in-depth analysis on where the rest of the former Spartans landed in the draft.

Two quarters into MSU’s spring game, and the White team leads the Green team 7-2 thanks to redshirt freshman quarterback Connor Cook’s four-yard touchdown pass to redshirt freshman wide receiver Andre Sims Jr. with seconds left in the half.

But the white team got on the board first with when junior defensive end William Gholston tackled sophomore running back Nick Hill in the end zone with a little more than two minutes left in the half.

The low score can be attributed partially to how strong the defenses look and partially to execution struggles from redshirt freshman Connor Cook — who’s playing for both teams because junior Andrew Maxwell is out with a sprained knee.

Cook is struggling with overthrowing passes 15 to 30 yards out, but that’s when his passes aren’t being batted down or nearly intercepted by Gholston, senior defensive tackle Tyler Hoover and redshirt freshman Joel Heath.

Overall for both teams, Cook is 7-for-20 for 84 total yards. He must be getting tired playing for both teams, but it’s hard to believe offensive coordinator Dan Roushar when he says there’s a heated position battle between Cook and Maxwell when Cook is struggling a little bit.

However, he is showing positives in stepping up in the pocket and having a little mobility. He might have been a little nervous in the beginning, but he improved as the half went on, particularly on the White team’s final drive of the half when he completed a 45-yard pass to senior cornerback Johnny Adams (not to be confused with sophomore wide receiver DeAnthony Arnett, who also is wearing No. 5).

Both teams finished the half with negative rushing yards, with the Green team sitting at negative-four and the White team at negative-20.

As both teams spent much of the half punting back and forth to each other, sophomore punter Mike Sadler (Green) and junior kicker Kevin Muma (White) are looking good. I can’t say the same for senior kicker Dan Conroy, who missed a 27-yard field goal at 7:17 in the second quarter.

Sadler has five punts for 198 yards — three that landed inside the 20-yard line — with his longest being 52 yards. Muma kicked four punts for 156 yards with his longest at 42 yards.

Jerel Worthy had to wait a bit longer than he expected, but the former MSU defensive tackle finally heard his name called during the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft Tuesday night when he was selected by the Green Bay Packers with the 51st overall pick.

In three years with the Spartans, Worthy recorded 107 tackles, 27.5 of which went for a loss of yards while also notching 12 sacks. He was a first-team All American selection last year after he helped anchor one of the nation’s top defensive units.

Originally projected to be a possible first round pick, several teams passed on the 6-foot-2, 308 pound defensive tackle early on, including the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers — two teams expected to take a very serious look at Worthy due to glaring needs along the defensive line.

Several Spartan players still wait to see where they’ll end up as rounds four through seven are drafted later today. Among them is quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is the winningest quarterback in MSU history. In 2010, Cousins led the Spartans to their first Big Ten title since 1990, and in his senior year brought home MSU’s first bowl victory since 1999.

The draft will resume today at noon and will be broadcast on ESPN.

The MSU football team held its player draft in preparation for the upcoming Spring game on Tuesday, and at first glance, it appears the teams are evenly matched.

The Spartans hold the draft each year, in which the seniors are split between the two teams and select their teammates. The process is a little different than your typical draft, in which one team picks first, and then players from that position group are then selected until no one is left. Then the next team to pick will choose another position to pick from and the process repeats.

Picking for the Green team — which will be coached by running backs coach Brad Salem — were defensive tackle Anthony Rashad White, nose tackle Doug Curtis, cornerback Mitchell White, fullback Jeff Bobek, guards Ethan Ruhland, Joel McDonald and John Deyo and kicker Dan Conroy.

Coached by wide receivers coach Terrence Samuel, the white team was selected by seniors defensive tackle Tyler Hoover, linebacker Steve Gardiner, cornerback Johnny Adams, quarterback Peter Badovinac, running back Larry Caper, guard Arthur Ray, tackle Fou Fonoti, tight end Drew Stevens and linebacker Chris Norman.

With the first overall pick, the green team selected junior defensive end William Gholston, despite Gholston himself saying he would select junior running back Le’Veon Bell first after yesterday’s practice. From there the teams went back and forth, finishing up the defensive end prospects before moving on to middle linebackers.

So without further ado, here are your spring football game Green and White rosters in order of draft position:

Green team

Defensive end
William Gholston
Jeremy Gainer
Shalique Calhoun

Middle linebacker
TyQuan Hammock

Center and guard
Travis Jackson
Blake Treadwell
Donavan Clark
Kyle Lints

Offensive tackle
Skyler Burkland
Michael Dennis

Tight end
Dion Sims
Denzel Drone

Outside linebacker
Kyler Elsworth
Taiwan Jones
Danny Folino

Cornerback
Trae Waynes
Arjen Colquhoun

Safety
Kurtis Drummond
Jairus Jones

Defensive tackle
James Kittredge
Matt Ramondo
Matt Scarpinato

Fullback
Trevon Pendleton

Running back
Le’Veon Bell

Wide receiver
Jeremy Langford
Keith Mumphrey
John Jakubik
Juwan Caesar
Jordan Benton

Punter
Mike Sadler

Long snapper
Matt Giampapa

White team

Defensive end
Marcus Rush
Joel Heath

Middle linebacker
Max Bullough

Center and guard
Jack Allen
Connor Kruse
Nate Klatt

Offensive tackle
Henry Conway

Tight end
Andrew Gleichert
Derek Hoebing

Outside linebacker
Darien Harris
Ed Davis
Ty Hamilton

Cornerback
Mylan Hicks

Safety
Isaiah Lewis
RJ Williamson
Kyle Artinian

Defensive tackle
Brandon Clemmons
Micajah Reynolds

Fullback
Niko Palazeti

Running back
Nick Hill

Wide receiver
Andre Sims Jr.
DeAnthony Arnett
Dana Dixon
AJ Troup
Kyle Kerrick
Spencer Elliot

Punter
Kevin Muma

Long snapper
Steve Moore

A couple other things of note; Gholston coming off the board first wasn’t much of a surprise, but Andre Sims Jr. as the first wide receiver to be picked raised a few eyebrows, as did the following selection, Jeremy Langford.

Langford was converted over from running back, a move Dantonio said came because he was too talented to sit fourth on the depth chart at a loaded position.

After the drafting process was over, the players were given the chance to trade players to fill their needs. After White offered to trade Arnett for Gholston, Green responded with an offer of Bell for Hill, straight up. Needless to say, both were shot down pretty quickly.

Redshirt freshman Connor Cook will start at quarterback for both teams in place of the injured Andrew Maxwell, but we’ll probably still see some reps from Badovinac and redshirt freshman Tommy Vento.

All in all, both teams look pretty solid. The Green team will be very good offensively, but also will face a tough defense on the white side of the ball. Although it doesn’t count in the standings, fans are sure to be treated to some quality Spartan-on-Spartan football come Saturday.

ESPN’s Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden took the time Wednesday to host a media teleconference to discuss the ten quarterback prospects he spoke to as a part of his “QB Camp” series on ESPN.

Among others, Gruden met with former MSU quarterback Kirk Cousins for an episode that will air April 16 at 5:00 p.m. on ESPNU and touched on his thoughts of the former Spartan’s chances on playing at the next level.

“What you’re getting is a three-time captain at Michigan State, so that tells you what type of leader his is,” Gruden said. “So you’re getting a winner. When you look at B.J. Cunningham, Keshawn Martin — they’re outstanding receivers at Michigan State (and) you can see why. They got the trigger in Cousins. “

The Monday Night Football analyst also had some praise for the system Cousins played in, noting that MSU has quietly become a premier college football program.

Gruden also was impressed by Cousins’ development throughout his time at MSU and said he expects the quarterback to be a second round draft pick.

“He’s a meticulous preparation freak and I think he’s got very good athletic ability,” he said.

Later, Gruden fielded a question from the Lansing State Journal’s Joe Rexrode, who asked if Cousins reminded Gruden of any specific NFL quarterback.

“He just reminds me of guys that play on Sunday for a living,” Gruden responded. “He’s going to be successful. He wasn’t a highly touted recruit coming out of high school, he’s flourished at Michigan State. He’s gotten stronger, he’s gotten faster, he’s gotten much more masterful at the quarterback position and I think if he gets with the right group of guys, he can really take off and enjoy success.”

With six of MSU’s allotted 15 spring football practices in the books, head coach Mark Dantonio and junior quarterback Andrew Maxwell took time today to speak with members of the media as part of a teleconference hosted by the Big Ten.

During the call, Dantonio touched on a spattering of different topics, kicking off the Q&A portion by fielding a question on MSU’s preparation for the first game of the season against Boise State.

He said the Broncos aren’t in the back of the Spartans’ minds, but certainly not at the forefront.

“Right now our focus is getting better as a football team and getting better fundamentally playing the game,” he said.

Maxwell also took a question on the game that will be his first start at quarterback, and it sounds like he might be thinking about it a little more than his coach has.

“I don’t think you could script a better opening game,” Maxwell said.

“It just centers our focus as a team through the off season and through spring ball and through camp knowing that we have to be sharp and ready to go.”

He added Boise State’s recent success fuels that matchup while also making a statement about where MSU is at as a program to schedule such a strong opponent for its first game of the season.

Of the position battles coming into camp, one of the more highly watched competitions has been at the running back position, where Dantonio said the Spartans have four “very capable guys” in junior Le’Veon Bell, senior Larry Caper and sophomores Nick Hill and Jeremy Langford.

At the moment, Dantonio said Bell is the frontrunner to earn the starting nod, but that he wouldn’t be surprised by anything that happens at running back.

Another position that has been under a microscope over the spring has been wide receiver, where the Spartans have lost a lot of experience but have a number of talented players who are competing for a starting spot.

Maxwell talked a little bit about sophomore Keith Mumphery — who is currently listed as a starter on the spring depth chart — and what he brings to the table.

“(Mumphery’s) biggest asset is speed, just like (departed Spartan wide receiver Keshawn Martin’s) biggest asset was his speed,” he said. “So (Mumphery’s) a guy who’s going to be able to stretch the field vertically, you can really put the ball out there and he’s going to go run it down for you and once he gets the ball in space he’ll be able to make a play.”

Finally, Dantonio talked about where sophomore tackle Skyler Burkland will fit into the offense after missing most of last season with a broken ankle suffered during the Sept. 17, 2011 game against Notre Dame.

Then-sophomore tackle Dan France stepped up in Burkland’s absence, earning the starting spot and Burkland once again fighting for playing time. However, Dantonio spoke highly of Burkland, indicating the sophomore will see his fair share of time on the field in the future.

“He’s an excellent person, outstanding football player, and I consider him a starter right now,” he said. “And he will be for the next three years.”

For the 2011 season, senior Tyler Hoover was expected to rotate on the field with then-sophomore defensive end William Gholston, but Hoover only had the chance to play in the Spartans’ first game of the season.

Because of a fractured rib that took him out of the lineup, Gholston started on the line. But now, according to MSU’s spring depth chart, Hoover and Gholston both likely will start on the line at the same time.

Moving over to defensive tackle this season, Hoover will replace Jerel Worthy in the starting lineup.

Based on what he saw in MSU’s first day of practice in pads on Friday, head coach Mark Dantonio said Hoover is doing well, and he’s heard good things from the coaching staff.

“He’s athletic, he’s got some snap, and I think he did a nice job (Friday),” Dantonio said.

As a redshirt freshman, Hoover was listed at 6-foot-7 and 260 pounds, and Dantonio said he was even as small as 245 when he came in. Hoover now weighs in at 295, and despite being so large, Dantonio said he doesn’t anticipate Hoover having a problem being so big and playing upfront and inside on the line.

“It’s a challenge, but you’ve got to be able to play low on all those positions up there, and he’s got good athletic ability,” Dantonio said. “He’s not a fat guy; he’s just big, and I think he does a nice job. He’s got good flexibility; he’s a good athlete in there.”