MSU Red Cedar Message Board

Tony Lippett will finish his MSU career as a WR. He will not be moved back to CB. He will take over the Keshawn Martin role (both were former HS QB's) with special plays on end-arounds, reverses and passing off of those type of plays.
Note : MSU has good depth @ CB for this season with Johnny Adams, Darqueze Dennard, Trae Waynes, Mylan Hicks, Arjen Colquhoun, Mitchell White and Chris Laneaux (can play CB or S) and in the future with CB's Jermaine Edmundson and Ezra Robinson coming in.

Here are some notes about the Spring Depth Chart :

OFFENSE :
X WR :
Tony Lippett - Will be a full-time WR from now on.
Juwan Caeser
Dana Dixon - Moved to WR for the Spring but may also get reps @ S.
Kyle Kerrick - True Fr.
LT :
Dan France
Skyler Burkland - Moved to LT as I predicted. He is MSU's best OL and will eventually win the starting job when the season opens.
Michael Dennis
LG :
Blake Treawell - Moved to OG as I predicted.
Ethan Ruhland
Donavon Clark
C :
Travis Jackson - Stays @ C as I predicted
Jack Allen
Kyle Lints - Moved from OG to C
RG :
Chris McDonald
John Deyo - Moved from OT to OG
Nate Klatt - No longer an OC candidate. Will be an OG from now on.
Arthur Ray
RT :
Fou Fonoti - Stays @ RT as I predicted.
Henry Conway - Stays @ RT as I predicted
TE : (Position has limited depth. Incoming Fr. Price and Jones will hopefully step up this Fall)
Dion Sims
Andrew Geichart - Walk-On
Denzel Drone - Moved from DL to TE.
Derek Hoebing - Staff is disappointed in his progress
Drew Stevens - Injured, limited practice.
Z WR :
Keith Mumphery
Andre Sims
DeAnthony Arnett - Will be eligible to participate in Spring practice.
Note : Bennie Fowler will not participate in Spring practice due to injury
FB :
Niko Palazeti
Trevon Pendleton
Note : No real changes @ QB, or TB
DEFENSE :
DE :
Marcus Rush
Shilique Calhoun
Jeremy Gainer - Moved to DE from LB late last season.
DT :
Tyler Hoover - Will also get some reps @ DE during Spring practice
James Kittredge
Damon Knox - Appears to have recovered enough from his back surgery to participate in Spring practice
Mark Scarpinato - Has recovered from shoulder surgeries and will participate in Spring practice.
NT :
Anthony Rashad White
Micajah Reynolds - He is a real team player, Has gone thru so many position switches. He prefers to play on the OL but is needed more on the DL.
Brandon Clemons
Matthew Ramondo
DE :
William Gholston
Joel Heath
Corey Freeman
STAR LB :
Taiwan Jones
Darien Harris
Note : Chris Norman will not participate in Spring practice due to injury.
MIKE LB :
Max Bullough
Steve Gardiner
Tyquan Hammock
Note : Lawrence Thomas will not participate in Spring practice due to injury.
SAM LB :
Denicos Allen
Kyler Elsworth
Ed Davis
FC :
Darqueze Dennard
Trae Waynes
Arjen Colquhoun
FS :
Kurtis Drummond "OR" R. J. Williamson
Chris Laneaux - Moved from Scout Team CB to S but will get reps at both positions.
SS :
Isaiah Lewis
Jairus Jones
Kyle Artinian
BC :
Johnny Adams
Mitchell White
Mylan Hicks - Moved from S to his more natural position of CB. Will move ahead of M. White by Fall.

Walk-on WR Takadzwa Kubvoruno and Walk-on NT Jordan Sanders (son of former Lions' great, Charlie Sanders) are no longer on the team.

Wow, I thought the WR had been a solid contributor in practice, that sucks. Any word about him?

Sorry Rocky,
The only way Lippett moves back to CB this season is if 3 of the top CB's are injured (Adams, Dennard and Hicks) and hopefully nothing like that will happen. Also, R. J. Williamson would move from S to CB in a real emergency situation. Tony Lippett was @ CB last season because the staff didn't want to burn any red-shirts (Waynes, Colquhoun, Laneaux and Williamson) and that Dana Dixon was no longer a good option @ CB and Mitchell White was a liability in coverage if he had to play for any extended period of time. This comes from a very good source. Book it.
Tony Lippett is now and forever a WR. The staff has a plan to get him the ball in a variety of ways. He's a bigger version of Keshawn Martin; not as fast as Keshawn but very nifty and elusive in the open field and a better passer than Keshawn was.

Hey, if that's the way it works, then great. I'm looking at a depth chart that has 2 RS FR and a converted S as the back-up CB options.

Unless Lippett really is that good of a WR. I watched him get a step on a DB last year in the spring game . . . and then drop the pass. He has 4 catches for 44 yards in his MSU career and actually has more passes broken up (5) than receptions (4). He looked like a very good CB in the making, so if he'll make an even better WR, so be it.

That said, he definitely showed potential at CB; I don't know what he'll look like at WR.

Yet

Rocky, clearly we have some plans for end around to Lippett, who passes to Shilique Calhoun the H-back, who then laterals to Denzel Drone the TE. Funny all the red herrings that come from spring practice by coaches who don't want to tip their hand.....or are they? :)

I don't know if this has been discussed, but what does everybody think about moving Gardiner to MLB from SAM? I always liked Gardiner, and I think being 2nd string MLB is a great spot for him, but I kind of liked the tag team of Denicos and Gardiner, and there seems to be more depth at MLB.

But last spring, he was still a true freshman. I think that's what he was getting at.

Steve Gardiner can play either SAM or MIKE LB. He's repped both positions for quite awhile now.
By Steve getting reps @ MIKE this Spring it will allow Ed Davis to get additional reps @ SAM.

I think a lot of people forget that Lippett is not our only option at CB in the future that is "big". Lippett is listed as 6'3 192 on the spring depth chart.

Here's a few of our bigger CBs in waiting right now and in the foreseeable future:

Trae Waynes 6'1 175
Arjen Colquhoun 6'1 189
Jermaine Edmondson 6'1 170
Ezra Robinson 6'0 174

Waynes and Colquhoun are blazers, they've been clocked in the mid 4.3 to 4.4 range I believe. Edmonson and Robinson are also both listed as 4.4 kind of guys.

Our future at CB is bright indeed.

I was referring more to the 2013 season. This year we have Jones and Drummond in the nickel package and non-RSFR Mylan Hicks available if JA5/DD31 go down.

In 2013 Waynes and Colquhoun will have 2 years in the system, most likely Robinson and Edmondson will be coming off their redshirt year, and Dennard should still be here.

You just proved everyone's point. While 6'0 and 6'1 corners aren't small, 6'3 corners with good hips are downright rare. That is why people get excited about Lippet's potential at DB. That being said, if the coaches want him on offense, it's all good by me.