Lindgren: MSU's Gulbin Gives Team Quality It Lacked Last Year
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Of the five Michigan State Spartans who were elected as this year's team captains, four have played at least a season with the program. One has not.
And perhaps that speaks more about his leadership skills more than anything else -- the fact that he has been able to make a significant mark on his team in so little time.
That newcomer is transfer redshirt senior center Matt Gulbin, who came over from Wake Forest this offseason. Not only has Gulbin filled the hole left by Tanner Miller in the middle of the Spartans' offensive line, but his presence as a leader has been incredibly valuable as well.
"He's (Gulbin) a really good football player," said offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren. "And he's tough, he's competitive, and I just think he kind of brings an attitude about him and a sense of urgency about the way that he kind of prepares just for having done it for a long (time) at this level.
"And guys have a great deal of respect, and not just the guys up front, (but) the skill guys. When he says something, it brings the offense up, guys listen. And that's been really cool to have a veteran guy like that that when practice is slow or we're struggling, he can call the group up and re-focus them and get them going in the right direction.
"But yeah, he's been a great addition, man. I mean, I've been fired up, And it was something that we were kind of missing a little bit last year in that leadership role. It's been awesome to have him that way."
Matt Gulbin on becoming a leader
Leadership comes in a variety of ways. For some, it's more natural, a trait they were born with. For others, it's a quality that develops.
Gulbin falls under the latter.
"I mean, it's something you kind of have to practice," he said. "And I don't think everybody can be a leader. But yeah, it's something that I've kind of practiced over the years and I've gotten better at as the years have gone by."
Gulbin was an All-ACC honorable mention last season before he elected to spend his final collegiate season in East Lansing.
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