Spartans look to impress as spring practice comes to a close
MSU nickelback Dillon Tatum (21) and cornerback Jaden Mangham (1) practice together during a 2022 spring practice session/ Photo Credit: MSU Athletic Communications
March 30, 2023
EAST LANSING – Just as Michigan State’s basketball season comes to a close, the buzz for the football season is just beginning. Michigan State football held a press conference on March 30 to talk about offseason work, what to expect heading into the season, and how the team looks to improve from a disappointing 2022 campaign.
With Tuesday’s press conference focusing mainly on offense, the talking point shifted to the defensive side of the ball on Thursday.
New Michigan State cornerbacks coach Jim Salgado spoke to the media again and was asked about the transition from the NFL to college football, and how the coaching style may be different.
“I’m still going to be the same person that I am. I’m going to coach [players] to the best of my ability to help them succeed,” Salgado said. “Whether I was coaching on Sundays or Saturdays…[players] want to be coached. At the end of the day, [players] want to know one. You care about them. Two. You’re there to help them succeed.”
Young players in the secondary said that there was a focus this offseason on building chemistry with each other both on and off the field. Sophomore cornerback Dillon Tatum spoke highly of his roommate Jaden Mangham and the other sophomores in his class.
“Last year, there was a couple older guys that were playing, so now that they’re gone, it’s the young 2022 class,” Tatum said. “You got myself, Jaden, and Malik Spencer here…I think as a group, we’re going to be tight.”
The 2022 class is full of raw talent, and there is no exception with Jaden Mangham. Mangham showed promise last season as a freshman, before a scary head and neck injury in MSU’s loss to Ohio State derailed his season; however, he is not letting an injury get in the way of him making an impact for Michigan State this season.
“It definitely made me better,” said Mangham. “Injuries will always happen, so once that happened to me, I just basically found that as I got that out of the way. So now I can actually take it to the next level, and I know what I have to do…I know what I should do to avoid what happened.”
The young class of 2022 has many bright spots and the players are ready for the bright lights. As the spring game approaches, many Michigan State fans will be intrigued to see who is producing on the defensive side of the ball and what the lineup is going to look like. If you ask Tatum what the secondary is going to do, his answer is quite clear.
“I feel like we’re going to replicate the No Fly Zone,” said Tatum.
