Why MSU Didn't Add Another RB in the Spring
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Michigan State has a competitive position battle on its hands in the running back room.
From the outside looking in, frankly, there's no candidate that jumps out as a clear No. 1 option. One may think that would be Elijah Tau-Tolliver, the veteran transfer from Sacramento State, and while he very well could be the starting running back come Week 1, he comes from the FCS level, and how his talent translates to the Big Ten level remains to be seen.
As far as the rest of the room, there's a significant drop-off in experience, with the other two backs in the running for the starting job, sophomores Makhi Frazier and Brandon Tullis, each having just one season under their belt and just seven carries apiece.
Why didn't MSU pursue a RB in the spring?
So, that all begs the question. Why didn't Michigan State pursue another running back in the spring cycle of the transfer portal?
"Just watching those guys go through spring ball, even with what we're seeing needing somebody to kind of take the next step, watching those guys go through spring ball, I do really feel like we have talent in this room," said Michigan State running backs coach Keith Bhonapha.
"And what you don't want to continue to do, and especially in this portal era, is continue to push down your talent and basically skip in line. Because you're not really developing, and then, you end up into this cycle where you constantly have to go to the portal because now, I mean, in today's day and age, let's be honest, if a guy feels like, 'Well, if I'm always just going to get skipped in front of, why would I stay here at Michigan State?'
"But there's two sides to it, and I think seeing what we saw out of spring ball, I felt comfortable that if we just continue to push these guys, they will take the next step. And I believe that's where we're at right now."
Yet another interesting dilemma that surely many teams consider with the transfer portal.
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