Whenever Michigan State gets back on the football field, there will be plenty of new faces contributing for the Spartans’ defense.
Eight starters were lost from a year ago, creating plenty of holes from the interior of the line to the back end of the secondary. And right in the middle, at linebacker, Michigan State will be forced to replace some highly productive players with Joe Bachie off to the NFL and Tyriq Thompson graduated.
Even with Bachie missing the final five games, the tandem combined for 146 tackles last season and over the course of the previous four years, piled up 408 stops with Bachie starting 34 of 40 career games and Thompson starting 25 of 48.