Last week, we did our DB room position breakdown, and how I was optimistic about where we were heading going into the year. This morning, news broke that ASU transfer Ed Wood committed to MSU, adding to the Corner group. And on April 30th afternoon, a wrench was thrown in all of it, with Jaden Mangham suddenly hitting the portal. So where do things stand?
I won't bullshit you, Mangham is a big loss. Across his Freshman and Sophomore year, he played in 20 games, starting 12, and logging 840 snaps. In these games, he combined for 73 total tackles with four interceptions and three pass breakups. Mangham was Honorable mention All-Big Ten in 2023. He was slotted to be our starting Free Safety. I think he had the upside to reach 3rd team All-BigTen this year, and 2nd team next year as a Senior. This stings, and will not be easy to replace.
When we look at the Safety room, it's dangerously thin.
Tatum made the move to Safety this offseason. He has played in 21 career games, with 9 starts. He has over 660 career defensive snaps (along with 200+ on ST), 59 career tackles, and 8 PBUs. Mangham leaving all but seals Tatum in the Safety spot.
Spencer has been the Strong Safety the last two years, but the staff had him focusing at the Nickle role this year. TBD on how Mangham's departure impacts that, he might need to drop back to saftey. Spencer has 8 starts across 17 games in the past two seasons. He's tallied 77 career tackles and 6 PBUs. In 2023 played 634 snaps on defense and 142 appearances on ST.
Back Ups: We are now looking at Angelo Grose who has plenty of game experience. Grose has played 2,500 snaps, registered 231 career tackles and has 21 starts at Safety and 14 at Nickle. That experience will come in handy. Amarion Smith was the S3-4 in 2023 in a limited role.
At Corner, there was a sliver of positivity as Ed Wood committed. Here's a rundown of the CB room:
Woods (Sr) is likely CB1 or CB2, either way he's likely starting. He started the last two years at ASU, and was graded a 76.8 by PFF last season. He's started 13 games, combined for 61 tackles, 1 Sack, 3 forced fumbles, 1 INT, and 10 pass deflections. So pretty good production.
Rucker (So) returns after a promising Freshman year, with 575 snaps across 8 starts in 12 game appearances, logging 23 tackles, a few PBUs and an INT. Likely the other started across from Woods.
Coley (r-So) has played 9 games across 2022 and 2023. In 2023 played 19 snaps on defense and 28 on ST. Promising young player who hopefully can be a capable CB3-4.
Brantley (r-Jr) has 15 starts at CB in 22 career appearances over the past three seasons with 76 career tackles. We sorta know what we have here. He is undersized but plays bigger than his body, resulting in season-ending injuries his Freshman year and last year (which he redshirted). He's a good depth piece and raises the floor being a decent CB3-4.
Back Ups: Ade Willie (Jr) has 6 games in limited action. Melvin is a holdover Mel transfer who played more at Wisco (23 games at Wisco prior to transfer) than here. Crump is interesting. When healthy he's been alright. But he's only been on the field for 10 games in 3 seasons.
Giving a grade to summarize this is difficult.
Safety: Spencer and Tatum are a B+ pairing, but the depth is C-. So getting a solid, vet Safety from the portal ASAP can raise that depth grade quite a bit.
Corner: The Wood addition helps. With the other players listed, I give it a B-. Getting more competition in the CB3-5 range could raise it up to a B. On that note...
What's Next:
We are linked to Jayvion Cole, a San Jose State CB transfer. He would be a Junior this year, following two years as a starter. In two years, Cole's combined for 53 tackles, 1 sack, 7 INTs, and 14 pass deflections. He would be a top 3 CB for MSU. Raising the ceiling and floor of the room.
With the portal window closing, the talent available is limited, and it's likely a bidding war for everyone. MSU is now in a bit of desperation to find quality Safety depth AND get more talent in the Corner room.
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