EAST LANSING — When Michigan State football head coach Mel Tucker brought in Scottie Hazelton as defensive coordinator, one of their first schematic decisions was to install a 4-2-5 defense.
A change from the three-linebacker system Mark Dantonio and most of his predecessors ran some permutation of as head coach of the Spartans. A seismic shift for Tucker to bring in an extra defensive back for additional speed needed to match pass-happy spread offenses of the modern game.
Yet in doing so, Tucker and Hazelton also want to use their versatile linebackers’ abilities in various ways this season to help improve the overall defense, with the goal for increased pressure up front and better pass coverage in space.