EAST LANSING — A year ago, no one within Michigan State’s football program knew what to expect from spring ball. Even though they were preparing for Mel Tucker’s second season as head coach.
Things developed quickly, along with the breakneck pace of practices. A bevy of transfers blended seamlessly. Returning players discovered how much more intense things would be during a regular offseason. Everyone learned how to do the things Tucker demanded at high levels of intensity and energy behind closed doors.
By the time they broke camp in the fall, unbeknownst to almost everyone outside the Duffy Daugherty Building who saw it coming in the spring of 2021, the Spartans were poised to become the surprise story of the college football world.