Favorite Freshman

[catatac]

I’m so curious to see where Dethman ends up. They’ve got a few options with him depending on size and weight gain.

I've heard he may be a future SS/Nickel option instead of LB. I view him more as a Sam anyway so that makes sense. With another year of physical development, Mason is well on his way to being a contributor on defense to potentially starting his junior/senior year.

He currently shows as a DB on the roster... and at 6' 4" - I've been excited to see what he can do, and where.

[VimSince03]

I’m so curious to see where Dethman ends up. They’ve got a few options with him depending on size and weight gain.

I've heard he may be a future SS/Nickel option instead of LB. I view him more as a Sam anyway so that makes sense. With another year of physical development, Mason is well on his way to being a contributor on defense to potentially starting his junior/senior year.

He currently shows as a DB on the roster... and at 6' 4" - I've been excited to see what he can do, and where.

Well he's not going to be a corner but he's an ideal Sam LB (or big nickel) in my book. Great athlete with plus range and smarts. Fans need to remember Mason was one of the best HS point guards in the state his senior season at any level. I like those types playing LB or Safety.

[BelligerentBobcat]

I’m so curious to see where Dethman ends up. They’ve got a few options with him depending on size and weight gain.

I've heard he may be a future SS/Nickel option instead of LB. I view him more as a Sam anyway so that makes sense. With another year of physical development, Mason is well on his way to being a contributor on defense to potentially starting his junior/senior year.

He currently shows as a DB on the roster... and at 6' 4" - I've been excited to see what he can do, and where.

Well he's not going to be a corner but he's an ideal Sam LB (or big nickel) in my book. Great athlete with plus range and smarts. Fans need to remember Mason was one of the best HS point guards in the state his senior season at any level. I like those types playing LB or Safety.

I wonder if they’re concerned he can’t put on the weight to play LB.

I thought he looked bigger than his listed weight of 205, but who knows. To play LB he’d need another 20 lbs for sure.

[RootinfortheCats]

Steel and Zimmer

[catzz]

Rocky! Not only did he have 6 Td’s as a freshman. He really did well in the blocking game as the season progressed. Love his fire and have fun attitude out there.

I love that we have so many frosh to choose from!

[Norsky19]

What about that Minnesota kid? Schneider? Any knowledge you can share?

[bobcatbob]

I think Boyd is poised to have a stellar year next year. I truly think he's a good as the 3 leaving, he just had injuries that kept him behind the others. A gantry off season and yall got another stud on the back end.

I'm excited to see what Boyd can do.

Also, just curious... do you know happen to know anything on incoming Freshman Kayden Steptoe, or if you've seen him play at all in HS? I think he's coming in from Texas. He looked like a big get for MSU. Had offers from Washington and Bowling Green if I remember right. I wonder if he could see playing time right away.

He is one of the two freshman I thought might see actual time in the secondary

Keep an eye on incoming freshman, DB Deshawn Krein from Brophy Prep in Phoenix. I have watched him play. He is going to be a good one.

[wbtfg]

I think Boyd is poised to have a stellar year next year. I truly think he's a good as the 3 leaving, he just had injuries that kept him behind the others. A gantry off season and yall got another stud on the back end.

I'm excited to see what Boyd can do.

Also, just curious... do you know happen to know anything on incoming Freshman Kayden Steptoe, or if you've seen him play at all in HS? I think he's coming in from Texas. He looked like a big get for MSU. Had offers from Washington and Bowling Green if I remember right. I wonder if he could see playing time right away.

He is one of the two freshman I thought might see actual time in the secondary

Keep an eye on incoming freshman, DB Deshawn Krein from Brophy Prep in Phoenix. I have watched him play. He is going to be a good one.

Speaking of incoming freshmen....I'm not sure we really need to redshirt kids anymore. Obviously, some positions will need that year to develop physically, but if DBs, WR's, RBs, etc can play right away, I think we play them without worrying about preserving their redshirt.

[Common Cat]

I think Boyd is poised to have a stellar year next year. I truly think he's a good as the 3 leaving, he just had injuries that kept him behind the others. A gantry off season and yall got another stud on the back end.

I'm excited to see what Boyd can do.

Also, just curious... do you know happen to know anything on incoming Freshman Kayden Steptoe, or if you've seen him play at all in HS? I think he's coming in from Texas. He looked like a big get for MSU. Had offers from Washington and Bowling Green if I remember right. I wonder if he could see playing time right away.

He is one of the two freshman I thought might see actual time in the secondary

Keep an eye on incoming freshman, DB Deshawn Krein from Brophy Prep in Phoenix. I have watched him play. He is going to be a good one.

Speaking of incoming freshmen....I'm not sure we really need to redshirt kids anymore. Obviously, some positions will need that year to develop physically, but if DBs, WR's, RBs, etc can play right away, I think we play them without worrying about preserving their redshirt.

I disagree in part. MSU is a developmental program. If you have a stud freshman coming in, it still benefits him more to have a year of development to the college level assuming we have guys that we’ve developed ahead of him. I also like earning time through special teams.

[wbtfg]

I think Boyd is poised to have a stellar year next year. I truly think he's a good as the 3 leaving, he just had injuries that kept him behind the others. A gantry off season and yall got another stud on the back end.

I'm excited to see what Boyd can do.

Also, just curious... do you know happen to know anything on incoming Freshman Kayden Steptoe, or if you've seen him play at all in HS? I think he's coming in from Texas. He looked like a big get for MSU. Had offers from Washington and Bowling Green if I remember right. I wonder if he could see playing time right away.

He is one of the two freshman I thought might see actual time in the secondary

Keep an eye on incoming freshman, DB Deshawn Krein from Brophy Prep in Phoenix. I have watched him play. He is going to be a good one.

Speaking of incoming freshmen....I'm not sure we really need to redshirt kids anymore. Obviously, some positions will need that year to develop physically, but if DBs, WR's, RBs, etc can play right away, I think we play them without worrying about preserving their redshirt.

I disagree in part. MSU is a developmental program. If you have a stud freshman coming in, it still benefits him more to have a year of development to the college level assuming we have guys that we’ve developed ahead of him. I also like earning time through special teams.

I don't disagree with that at all. Let's take a guy like Jhase McMillan. He was clearly good enough to be on the field on special teams and be in a regular rotation at CB. Vigen was careful not to play him more than the 4 games during the regular season. A guy like that could have played all year on ST and taken more turns at CB. From MSU's standpoint, redshirting him was pointless.

[Common Cat]

I think Boyd is poised to have a stellar year next year. I truly think he's a good as the 3 leaving, he just had injuries that kept him behind the others. A gantry off season and yall got another stud on the back end.

I'm excited to see what Boyd can do.

Also, just curious... do you know happen to know anything on incoming Freshman Kayden Steptoe, or if you've seen him play at all in HS? I think he's coming in from Texas. He looked like a big get for MSU. Had offers from Washington and Bowling Green if I remember right. I wonder if he could see playing time right away.

He is one of the two freshman I thought might see actual time in the secondary

Keep an eye on incoming freshman, DB Deshawn Krein from Brophy Prep in Phoenix. I have watched him play. He is going to be a good one.

Speaking of incoming freshmen....I'm not sure we really need to redshirt kids anymore. Obviously, some positions will need that year to develop physically, but if DBs, WR's, RBs, etc can play right away, I think we play them without worrying about preserving their redshirt.

I disagree in part. MSU is a developmental program. If you have a stud freshman coming in, it still benefits him more to have a year of development to the college level assuming we have guys that we’ve developed ahead of him. I also like earning time through special teams.

I don't disagree with that at all. Let's take a guy like Jhase McMillan. He was clearly good enough to be on the field on special teams and be in a regular rotation at CB. Vigen was careful not to play him more than the 4 games during the regular season. A guy like that could have played all year on ST and taken more turns at CB. From MSU's standpoint, redshirting him was pointless.

I guess I still disagree. There is absolutely zero downside for developing these young men and then putting them into a bigger role. The cupboards aren’t bare here.

[ZebraCat]

I think Boyd is poised to have a stellar year next year. I truly think he's a good as the 3 leaving, he just had injuries that kept him behind the others. A gantry off season and yall got another stud on the back end.

I'm excited to see what Boyd can do.

Also, just curious... do you know happen to know anything on incoming Freshman Kayden Steptoe, or if you've seen him play at all in HS? I think he's coming in from Texas. He looked like a big get for MSU. Had offers from Washington and Bowling Green if I remember right. I wonder if he could see playing time right away.

He is one of the two freshman I thought might see actual time in the secondary

Keep an eye on incoming freshman, DB Deshawn Krein from Brophy Prep in Phoenix. I have watched him play. He is going to be a good one.

Speaking of incoming freshmen....I'm not sure we really need to redshirt kids anymore. Obviously, some positions will need that year to develop physically, but if DBs, WR's, RBs, etc can play right away, I think we play them without worrying about preserving their redshirt.

I disagree in part. MSU is a developmental program. If you have a stud freshman coming in, it still benefits him more to have a year of development to the college level assuming we have guys that we’ve developed ahead of him. I also like earning time through special teams.

I don't disagree with that at all. Let's take a guy like Jhase McMillan. He was clearly good enough to be on the field on special teams and be in a regular rotation at CB. Vigen was careful not to play him more than the 4 games during the regular season. A guy like that could have played all year on ST and taken more turns at CB. From MSU's standpoint, redshirting him was pointless.

I guess I still disagree. There is absolutely zero downside for developing these young men and then putting them into a bigger role. The cupboards aren’t bare here.

I'm with you here. Unless a true freshman is good enough to be taking 50% or more of the snaps, why wouldn't you still redshirt him? Who would McMillan have taken snaps from in 2024? Woodard, Johnson, Powdrell, Jackson? Carr was the 5th CB that season and saw maybe 20% of the snaps but played in every game. Why would you not use a redshirt on a guy instead of having him play 20% of the time and lose a full season for it?

[wbtfg]

I think Boyd is poised to have a stellar year next year. I truly think he's a good as the 3 leaving, he just had injuries that kept him behind the others. A gantry off season and yall got another stud on the back end.

I'm excited to see what Boyd can do.

Also, just curious... do you know happen to know anything on incoming Freshman Kayden Steptoe, or if you've seen him play at all in HS? I think he's coming in from Texas. He looked like a big get for MSU. Had offers from Washington and Bowling Green if I remember right. I wonder if he could see playing time right away.

He is one of the two freshman I thought might see actual time in the secondary

Keep an eye on incoming freshman, DB Deshawn Krein from Brophy Prep in Phoenix. I have watched him play. He is going to be a good one.

Speaking of incoming freshmen....I'm not sure we really need to redshirt kids anymore. Obviously, some positions will need that year to develop physically, but if DBs, WR's, RBs, etc can play right away, I think we play them without worrying about preserving their redshirt.

I disagree in part. MSU is a developmental program. If you have a stud freshman coming in, it still benefits him more to have a year of development to the college level assuming we have guys that we’ve developed ahead of him. I also like earning time through special teams.

I don't disagree with that at all. Let's take a guy like Jhase McMillan. He was clearly good enough to be on the field on special teams and be in a regular rotation at CB. Vigen was careful not to play him more than the 4 games during the regular season. A guy like that could have played all year on ST and taken more turns at CB. From MSU's standpoint, redshirting him was pointless.

I guess I still disagree. There is absolutely zero downside for developing these young men and then putting them into a bigger role. The cupboards aren’t bare here.

I'm with you here. Unless a true freshman is good enough to be taking 50% or more of the snaps, why wouldn't you still redshirt him? Who would McMillan have taken snaps from in 2024? Woodard, Johnson, Powdrell, Jackson? Carr was the 5th CB that season and saw maybe 20% of the snaps but played in every game. Why would you not use a redshirt on a guy instead of having him play 20% of the time and lose a full season for it?

I don't want this to get too focused specifically on Jhase, as I just used him as an example...so, to be clear, this isn't focused on him. I really like the kid and wish him the best.

All that said, in a season (2024) where most of our home games were over by halftime, what was the benefit to MSU of redshirting him?

I'll defer to Vigen and staff on this....they've proven over and over that we can trust his process.

[BelligerentBobcat]

I think Boyd is poised to have a stellar year next year. I truly think he's a good as the 3 leaving, he just had injuries that kept him behind the others. A gantry off season and yall got another stud on the back end.

I'm excited to see what Boyd can do.

Also, just curious... do you know happen to know anything on incoming Freshman Kayden Steptoe, or if you've seen him play at all in HS? I think he's coming in from Texas. He looked like a big get for MSU. Had offers from Washington and Bowling Green if I remember right. I wonder if he could see playing time right away.

He is one of the two freshman I thought might see actual time in the secondary

Keep an eye on incoming freshman, DB Deshawn Krein from Brophy Prep in Phoenix. I have watched him play. He is going to be a good one.

Speaking of incoming freshmen....I'm not sure we really need to redshirt kids anymore. Obviously, some positions will need that year to develop physically, but if DBs, WR's, RBs, etc can play right away, I think we play them without worrying about preserving their redshirt.

I disagree in part. MSU is a developmental program. If you have a stud freshman coming in, it still benefits him more to have a year of development to the college level assuming we have guys that we’ve developed ahead of him. I also like earning time through special teams.

I don't disagree with that at all. Let's take a guy like Jhase McMillan. He was clearly good enough to be on the field on special teams and be in a regular rotation at CB. Vigen was careful not to play him more than the 4 games during the regular season. A guy like that could have played all year on ST and taken more turns at CB. From MSU's standpoint, redshirting him was pointless.

I guess I still disagree. There is absolutely zero downside for developing these young men and then putting them into a bigger role. The cupboards aren’t bare here.

I'm with you here. Unless a true freshman is good enough to be taking 50% or more of the snaps, why wouldn't you still redshirt him? Who would McMillan have taken snaps from in 2024? Woodard, Johnson, Powdrell, Jackson? Carr was the 5th CB that season and saw maybe 20% of the snaps but played in every game. Why would you not use a redshirt on a guy instead of having him play 20% of the time and lose a full season for it?

I don't want this to get too focused specifically on Jhase, as I just used him as an example...so, to be clear, this isn't focused on him. I really like the kid and wish him the best.

All that said, in a season (2024) where most of our home games were over by halftime, what was the benefit to MSU of redshirting him?

I'll defer to Vigen and staff on this....they've proven over and over that we can trust his process.

I am not claiming this is the case for McMillan, in fact I’d be a bit surprised, but some players might request to redshirt to keep more eligibility intact for when they transfer.

Anyways, they played Ahrens all year even before the injury stuff, so perhaps they’re changing their thinking in this as well.

[MSU01]

Ideally I think the players involved should also have some input as to whether they want to preserve their redshirt years. Ultimately it's obviously the coaches' decision as to who should play and who can redshirt but if it's a close call or a guy would just be playing in garbage time in blowouts then let them be a part of the decision-making process too.

[kwcat]

I'm excited to see what Boyd can do.

Also, just curious... do you know happen to know anything on incoming Freshman Kayden Steptoe, or if you've seen him play at all in HS? I think he's coming in from Texas. He looked like a big get for MSU. Had offers from Washington and Bowling Green if I remember right. I wonder if he could see playing time right away.

He is one of the two freshman I thought might see actual time in the secondary

Keep an eye on incoming freshman, DB Deshawn Krein from Brophy Prep in Phoenix. I have watched him play. He is going to be a good one.

Speaking of incoming freshmen....I'm not sure we really need to redshirt kids anymore. Obviously, some positions will need that year to develop physically, but if DBs, WR's, RBs, etc can play right away, I think we play them without worrying about preserving their redshirt.

I disagree in part. MSU is a developmental program. If you have a stud freshman coming in, it still benefits him more to have a year of development to the college level assuming we have guys that we’ve developed ahead of him. I also like earning time through special teams.

I don't disagree with that at all. Let's take a guy like Jhase McMillan. He was clearly good enough to be on the field on special teams and be in a regular rotation at CB. Vigen was careful not to play him more than the 4 games during the regular season. A guy like that could have played all year on ST and taken more turns at CB. From MSU's standpoint, redshirting him was pointless.

I guess I still disagree. There is absolutely zero downside for developing these young men and then putting them into a bigger role. The cupboards aren’t bare here.

I'm with you here. Unless a true freshman is good enough to be taking 50% or more of the snaps, why wouldn't you still redshirt him? Who would McMillan have taken snaps from in 2024? Woodard, Johnson, Powdrell, Jackson? Carr was the 5th CB that season and saw maybe 20% of the snaps but played in every game. Why would you not use a redshirt on a guy instead of having him play 20% of the time and lose a full season for it?

I don't want this to get too focused specifically on Jhase, as I just used him as an example...so, to be clear, this isn't focused on him. I really like the kid and wish him the best.

All that said, in a season (2024) where most of our home games were over by halftime, what was the benefit to MSU of redshirting him?

I'll defer to Vigen and staff on this....they've proven over and over that we can trust his process.

I am not claiming this is the case for McMillan, in fact I’d be a bit surprised, but some players might request to redshirt to keep more eligibility intact for when they transfer.

Anyways, they played Ahrens all year even before the injury stuff, so perhaps they’re changing their thinking in this as well.

The defensive backs that did not play last year 2024 or simply just buried in depth at that point

[tetoncat]

I think Boyd is poised to have a stellar year next year. I truly think he's a good as the 3 leaving, he just had injuries that kept him behind the others. A gantry off season and yall got another stud on the back end.

I'm excited to see what Boyd can do.

Also, just curious... do you know happen to know anything on incoming Freshman Kayden Steptoe, or if you've seen him play at all in HS? I think he's coming in from Texas. He looked like a big get for MSU. Had offers from Washington and Bowling Green if I remember right. I wonder if he could see playing time right away.

He is one of the two freshman I thought might see actual time in the secondary

Keep an eye on incoming freshman, DB Deshawn Krein from Brophy Prep in Phoenix. I have watched him play. He is going to be a good one.

Speaking of incoming freshmen....I'm not sure we really need to redshirt kids anymore. Obviously, some positions will need that year to develop physically, but if DBs, WR's, RBs, etc can play right away, I think we play them without worrying about preserving their redshirt.

I disagree in part. MSU is a developmental program. If you have a stud freshman coming in, it still benefits him more to have a year of development to the college level assuming we have guys that we’ve developed ahead of him. I also like earning time through special teams.

I don't disagree with that at all. Let's take a guy like Jhase McMillan. He was clearly good enough to be on the field on special teams and be in a regular rotation at CB. Vigen was careful not to play him more than the 4 games during the regular season. A guy like that could have played all year on ST and taken more turns at CB. From MSU's standpoint, redshirting him was pointless.

I guess I still disagree. There is absolutely zero downside for developing these young men and then putting them into a bigger role. The cupboards aren’t bare here.

I'm with you here. Unless a true freshman is good enough to be taking 50% or more of the snaps, why wouldn't you still redshirt him? Who would McMillan have taken snaps from in 2024? Woodard, Johnson, Powdrell, Jackson? Carr was the 5th CB that season and saw maybe 20% of the snaps but played in every game. Why would you not use a redshirt on a guy instead of having him play 20% of the time and lose a full season for it?

I don't want this to get too focused specifically on Jhase, as I just used him as an example...so, to be clear, this isn't focused on him. I really like the kid and wish him the best.

All that said, in a season (2024) where most of our home games were over by halftime, what was the benefit to MSU of redshirting him?

I'll defer to Vigen and staff on this....they've proven over and over that we can trust his process.

105 on the roster so can't play all enough to help. What is benefit to giving 1 series a game. I like they use them on ST and snaps in early games, then available in playoffs or have experience if injury requires them to step up.
Benefit to players is they get some reps they might not at FBS school but also preserve year so have an additional if transfer. DBs that did this have 3 years left.