5 Most Interesting Things Mel Tucker Said At Big Ten Media Days Podium

Big Ten Media Days is kind of the unofficial start of the football season for conference programs.

Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker took the stage early on Wednesday to give his initial thoughts on the upcoming 2023 season. Here were the five most interesting things Tucker had to say.

1.) "Noah [Kim] is a tremendously talented young man. He's a winner. He's got a lot of arm talent. He's very poised. He's very athletic. He's one of the fastest players on our team. He's got some experience. When he went in games last season, as you remember, he made it look easy. He's got the demeanor we're looking for. He's a guy that knows our offense, and he's going to do what we ask him to do. He's going to execute."

Tucker was only asked about one of his quarterbacks at the podium, and he gave a glowing review. Calling Kim one of the fastest players on MSU's roster is intriguing. In 2021, when fully healthy, former QB Payton Thorne was able to buy extra time with his legs and scramble for first downs. Michigan State missed that last year, as Thorne struggled through injury.

If Kim is the Spartans' starter this fall — which I feel even more confidently about following Media Days — offensive coordinator Jay Johnson needs to utilize the redshirt junior in the run game. Improving that rushing attack should be Priority No. 1 for MSU, and Kim's athleticism can add another dynamic to that attack.

2.) "We have competition at every single position, and probably no doubt the most talent that we've had top to bottom on our roster. We needed more quality depth on our roster, and we addressed that this out of season. I believe competition forces you to be at your best each and every day, and that's how we'll reach our full potential."

While some may scoff at Tucker saying this 2023 team is his most talented — after all, Kenneth Walker III is not in that locker room — I do believe this is the deepest the Spartans have been since Tucker took over.

Former head coach Mark Dantonio left the cupboard a little bare when he retired suddenly in Feb. 2020, and it's taken multiple recruiting classes for Tucker and his staff to restock the shelves. That being said, it's one thing to say you have a deeper, more talented team and another thing to go prove it. When the Spartans line up on Saturdays, we'll find out if this statement from Tucker is factual or lip-service.

3.) "Football is a game of attrition, and injury is a part of the game. We had to modify the way we practice. We wanted to make sure we can get our players to the games. So we changed the way we did some things in spring ball, which was very effective -- how we hit, when we hit, how often we hit. We did a much better job of staying up and staying off the ground."

Injuries derailed Michigan State's 2022 season from the opening week. While Tucker said he believes this is the deepest and most talented roster he's had since arriving in East Lansing, the Spartans must have better injury luck to hold up against a grueling schedule this fall.

Based on what Tucker said at the podium, and during breakout interviews later in the day, the staff has put a major emphasis on limiting activity that could lead to injury leading up to the 2023 season.

4.) "[Defensively], we're a lot healthier now, and we're at full strength. We really addressed some issues with our front seven. We needed to get bigger. We've added three 6'5", 300-plus defensive tackles that have all played major college football...I think our front seven is more stout, which is going to help us stop the run and make things more one dimensional, and it's going to help us on the back end.

Tucker was asked about what gave him confidence that his defense would improve in 2023 after three sub-par seasons on that side of the football. Depth and health was once again a theme in his answer.

Tucker noted that Michigan State has added a quartet of defensive ends this offseason. Three of those were four-star high school prospects, and the other, Tunmise Adeleye, was a borderline five-star prospect who transferred in from Texas A&M. MSU's head coach also pointed to edge rusher Aaron Brule and linebackers Jacoby Windmon, Cal Haladay and Ma'a Gaoteote as guys he expects to lift the Spartans' defense to a new level this fall.

Michigan State's defense has been an eye-sore throughout Tucker's tenure, but the Spartans were strong against the run in 2021. If the Spartans can use this improved and deeper front seven to get back to the run-stuffing ways of '21, that'll be a huge step in the right direction. That said, MSU's secondary still has a lot to prove.

5.) "This season is going to be a tremendous opportunity for our players, great exposure for our program, a national audience in a pro football arena, which I think is going to be great for our team. It's going to be a great game. We'll be in the Detroit area where we recruit. We have a lot of fans there. I think that it's a great opportunity."

Tucker was asked about Michigan State sacrificing a home game for the chance to play at Ford Field in Detroit against Penn State in the regular season finale.

I'm sure the players like it. Most of them have a desire to play in the NFL and getting a chance to play in an NFL stadium is a dream come true for those guys. Tucker is also right in bringing up the recruiting benefits. The Spartans have put a greater emphasis on recruiting Detroit-area talent in recent years, and playing within easy driving distance of those athletes can only help.

That said, I'm a traditionalist when it comes to college football, so I prefer games to be played on college campuses. It's a minor gripe, and covering a game in Ford Field for the first time in my young career will be a cool experience, but I would vote against this becoming a yearly occurrence for Michigan State.

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