Most of the time, you will college position coaches boasting about how well they recruited for their position for the upcoming season. Michigan State assistant defensive line coach Ron Burton is exactly the same way, unless it’s July and the new recruits are just getting to campus.
According to College Football Talk, Burton doesn’t believe in what “star” rating they had before the athletes got to campus. The third year coach believes that you are starting over once you get on campus and you have to prove yourself no matter what you did in high school.
“The stars are gone when you hit our campus, and everyone starts from Square One, and that’s the way coach (Mark) Dantonio always wants it,” Burton told mlive.com. “The kids we have coming in up front, we’ll give them the opportunity and time will tell.”
The same goes for four-star defensive end Raequan Williams, who spearheaded the 2015 Top 25 recruiting class for the Spartans. He is going to have to work against a very strong defensive front if he wants the chance to start as a true freshman.
The Spartans return three senior studs on the defensive line from their 11-2 season in 2014. The Spartans won the Cotton Bowl in dramatic fashion over Baylor, but it was the entire season that was the story for the team.
The defense for Michigan State was ranked twenty-second in scoring defense and first in rushing defense, only allowing 21.5 points and 88.5 rushing yards per game last season. That is one heck of a stat to boast in a tough, hard nose rushing conference like the Big Ten.
Michigan State opens the season on September 4 at Western Michigan.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
