We have made the end of the week together. Welcome out of Friday, everybody to X's and Bros. Throughout the Gerrys State of Michigan. We are with you Monday through Friday from six until nine. We always, and I mean always, welcome you to the Meyer Hotline at eight sixty six eight three, eight forty eight forty three. And of course we want the text. We want to text via Sports Radio to twenty one thousand. Get your thoughts, get your feedback. I want to feel from you on what you're feeling
about anything that might be in the world of sports. I'm Matt Sheppard. Trent Belly is our producer and you can follow us on Twitter or x at XB Mornings and you can like us on Facebook if you'd like. And that's X's Am Bros. Later on at six thirty five. In case you missed it yesterday, it was a good interview with Jim Copperni of Spartan mag Not because of me. It was because of him. That's the reason it was a good interview. I think you'll enjoy it. If you missed it,
we will put it up and play it at six thirty five. In the meantime, the Tigers with another impressive win. They blow out Cleveland ten to one. I mean, absolutely schooled them. This is the starting to score some runs offense, waking up a little bit. Eighth time this year, eighth time that they have scored ten runs or more in a game. That's the most this franchise has seen since twenty sixteen. Riley Green with three hits and three RBIs Matt Vierling with two more hits, Gie or Sheela collects a
couple of hits and three runs driven in. Jack Flaherty rock solid? Does he up his trade value to you or does he make you want to keep him? That was one of the things I was contemplating for a poll question, and then Trent came up with a better one. So we're going to give it to Trent here this morning on what our poll question is. We want to know who should start for the National League? Which pitcher in the
All Star Game? He got Paul Skins, Chris Sale or other. Yeah, there's a reason we write that, and I'll tell you what it is here in a moment. In the meantime, the Tigers will play the Dodgers in the first of a weekend series starting here tonight. Trek Scobel will be on the bump now immediately. I think boy and I would think a lot of people would Dodgers lead the NL West. Dodgers one of not the best, but one of the best teams you could argue in baseball. I'll say
the National League right now, only because LA is scuffling mightily. The Dodgers were beaten by the Phillies again yesterday. Philly sweeped them. They showed them, didn't they. You want to know who the best team in the National League is? How about sixty one wins? How about a three game series sweep and outscoring LA nineteen to five during that three game series. It's kind of a common theme yesterday in Major League Baseball. Tell you what it is
here in a minute. Because the cub shout out the Orioles for a second straight game. This is where this is what makes baseball beautiful and frustrating them at the same time. The Cubs, last in the NL East, against the Orioles, best in the aliest, best in the American League, shut them out for a second straight game. First time that's happened for Baltimore since June of twenty twenty one. Tells you something. Astros beat the Marlins.
Who's the hottest team in baseball since June first, Houston. They are twenty four and eleven. They've won nine straight at home. I told you when the Tigers played Houston. If you don't recall, I said, there's a lot of people saying Houston stinks. I'm not buying it. I just don't believe it. This is a team that has way too much talent for them
to stink. This is a team that has way too much talent and way too much experience for them to finish last or second to last at the time because Oakland was worse in the American League West and a proven track record too. That's the other key. We trust the Astros, Yeah we do, don't we. I mean they've won three straight now, they're above five hundred, and they're only two games back of Seattle, who won yesterday as well.
Cal Raley hit homeers from both sides of the player. The point is, when you, like you said, trust is it's such a good word, but it's such an overused word. Not in this case, because you're right on. When you've been there, done that, and when you have the same consistent guys doing it, then you don't worry that much, at
least not in baseball. If it were football and they were proven and they were you know, one in five, then absolutely you deserve to be concerned because you know at some point teams slash players lose it over a period of time. But for Houston, when you have when you have players like jose L Tuove who's hitting over three hundred, was an All Star and then was replaced yesterday. We'll get to that a little bit later on why do you
hear who replaced him? When you have Alec Bregman who scuffled at the beginning, but suddenly he has caught fire and now has eleven bombs. When you have Jeremy Pania, who was the darling of the World Series a few years ago, is a rookie and was MVP and has suddenly bumped the average up to two seventy seven. Who have Jordan Alvarez who's got nineteen bombs in fifty one stakes, you don't worry about that. They're going to have some guys come and go. I love Kyle Tucker. I think he's a hell of
a player. Chas McCormick is kind of an EH but he's pretty steady. And then you can replace a guy here or there. Suddenly Martin Maldonado's gone and you get a guy like Yanierdiaz in and he's doing a pretty good job of contributing for the most part. I mean, bat in two eighty six, you take that out of here, quote unquote everyday catcher, and he has played eighty two games. So there. I mean, yeah, you're gonna feel with that team. You're gonna feel like I don't think we're out
of it yet, folks, You know what I mean. Framber Valdez on the bump, Hunter Brown on the bump, Ronel Blanco on the bump. Justin Verlander that even at his age. Yeah, I'm not saying they're gonna win the World Series. I think they'll win the West. I think they're better than Seattle. Of course, I also thought the Tigers would win their division. So anyway, in baseball yesterday it was startling. It was the
lowest scoring day in Major League Baseball since nineteen seventy six. Losing teams averaged one point zero eight runs per game. There were six shutouts in Major League Baseball. Now the Tigers helped add to that because the opposing team yesterday, Cleveland in this case, scored just a run. So the losing's team in
Major League Baseball on Thursday averaged one point zero eight runs per game. That's something else, man, really is We're gonna the reason we tell you or the reason we ask you our poll question which NHL pitchers should start the All Star Game, Paul Skeens, Chris Sale or other. It comes with a purpose, and the purpose is what Paul Skeens did yesterday. You know we
is I hope he's the outstanding first overall pick out of LSU. When I watch him pitch, I think I don't wish that could be Casey Mice because he was the first overall pick out of Auburn. Anyway, what Paul Skeens did yesterday is pretty historical. We'll get to his line and wonder if it makes me specifically change my mind about the All Star Game that's coming up next. On Exes and Bros. As we just get things ruling on a Friday
morning across the Great State of Michigan. Bill Simonson here from my good friend Josh Garvey. Now he's a managing shareholder at Dorn Mayhew's Grand Rapids office. Their world headquarters are in Troy, Michigan, on the east side of the state, and they have locations all around the world. They have over five hundred and fifty motivated accounting professionals ninety years in business, and I mentioned the
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make a donation and to learn more about the foundation's mission. That's f R E. D I the Pizza Man dot com. Together we can make a difference. He would here from my good friends Ed Meyer. Now the Meyer Hot Deal Days are happening all week. Get big offers all over the store. You can save on electronics, kitchen, electronics, toys, sporting goods, hydration, vacuums and more. Meyer Hot Deal Days happening all week at your local Meyer. One of the hardest things to do in sports radio or
in life. Can I change that? Let me change that? In life. One of the hardest things to do is what say I was wrong? Well, I'm going to say it right now. Earlier this week, Trent and I had a topic of the National League All Stars and who should start, and I was bullish on Chris Sale, and I said, I prefaced all of it saying I don't like Chris Sale. Now, there are some things that he's accused players of that he he ends up. It turns out
he was He wasn't as far off as people thought he would be. Let's put it this way, Chris Sale, though, this year has been incredible for Atlanta. He's twelve and three, He's got a whip of point ninety four. He has struck out one hundred and thirty six batters, most in the majors. He's got a two point nine or he's got a two point seven for er. I can give you all the numbers you want that would support my argument. What I missed with the argument is the passion, intrigue,
and desire to see Paul Skens start. I don't believe in necessarily projecting all these different numbers. This is what Paul Skein's going to have if he had as many starts by this time as Chris. We don't know. Okay, you can project it all you want and it would probably be true, but we don't know. Here's what we do know. The All Star Game is more of a spectacle rather than an event. People vote in who their favorites are, not always who deserves to go. Is that fair to say?
Absolutely? Yeah? Okay. That's why when when I hear a guy is is an X time All Star, I would rather look at how many times he's made you know, you know, the first team all MLB squad, right, And in football it's even more of a thing because there's Pro Bowl alternates and all that stuff, so you got to look at all pro and chef. Also in baseball, the All Star Game doesn't hold any water anymore. It used to matter for World Series home field advantage, right,
and now it's more of a spectacle. To your point, it is, but it is I think that the lone All Star game. The football doesn't have one, so screw that. But it's the lone All Star game that really is the only true measure of whether or not the team wins. In other words, in the NBA who they're just running up and down the floor whoever can make dunks and jump shots and stuff. There's no defense, right the final sack te one hundred and forty two and thirty five. Yeah.
In hockey they play very little defense. Okay, they just leave the goalie out to dry. No one's hitting and check it. It's not played like the real game Major League Baseball. You're not hitting a ground ball to the second basement and he's letting it go through his legs on purpose, whereas in basketball it's an ol a defense. So it's it really is. The outcome
is probably the most true. But it's really important that for us to understand is that there's a lot of people who don't get a chance to see Paul schemes. And I wouldn't say this if it weren't deserving. First of all, earlier this week, I never said he didn't deserve to be in the All Star Game. I just said I think Chris Sale deserves to be the starter. I was wrong. Paul Skins. Maybe yesterday completely changed my mind. Did you see what he did? First and foremost? Yes, Okay,
you did in case people didn't see Paul Skins. And he's a he's a phenom. He and the Pirates shut off the Brewers, who lead the division. This is no slouch. This is a team that already has fifty four wins. Okay, Paul Skins threw seven innings of no hit ball. He remember this. He's already made plenty of history. First major league player to be selected to the All Star Game this summer after being drafted. Okay, He's a guy who two times this year now has thrown at least six
no his innings to begin a game. He's tied with Max Freed and Ronel Blanco for most in the majors. In that regard, he's the only player Baseball Reference Database anyway to have multiple six plus inning no hits starts as a rookie, and in terms of major League Baseball history, American and National League, he and Nolan Ryan are the only pitchers to record multiple starts of at least six innings in which they allowed no hits and racked up at least eleven
strikeouts. Yeah, he was read hot last night, and he's read hot this season, so shep. I've got a question for you. He's six and zero after last night, eleven strikeouts, seven to no hit. As you said, but ye at ninety nine pitches in a one run game. Did the Pirates make the right call by pulling him? I don't think they did, and it's this is not an emotional decision. But here is the reason why. The reason is because I don't care about pitch count. Sorry,
I just don't. I think it's I think we get quit. I don't know how many managers do. I know people will complain that aj Hinch allows it when it's ridiculous, and I would tell you that's he once allowed Edward Jackson on his no hit bid to throw over one hundred and thirty pitches. It's about when you are getting the lineup and how many how you have done in against that lineup of that particular, the ninety nine pitches doesn't bother
me. He threw one hundred and seven his last time out against the Mets. He's already thrown one hundred or more three times this year. To me, I think they should have left him in because he was getting the six, seven and eight hitters for the third time. So that's I think it's a really good question. But I do believe that he's a guy who would have still been just fine. The no hitter doesn't even matter to me. I know that sounds weird. Here's what I ask you, who's better in
your bullpen to get Jake Bowers? Who was the first guy up in the inning, and who was at the time all for one or for two? Rather, who was the best guy to get him out? This was in the eighth inning, you're talking, Yeah, in the eighth inning, after they had already pulled him. Yeah, yeah, Bowers is leading off,
He's the sixth hitter. He finished the day one for two. So tell me, right, he was the starting first baseman, right, so tell me who was better to get him out and then get Mitchell out and then get mosta stereo out. Was there somebody better in the bullpen than Paul Skeins? Of course? Obvious? Well yeah, and obviously they felt there was. They've obviously felt Colin Halderman was better. And he comes in and the no hitter's gone again. I don't care about the no hitter. It's a
one nothing game. Trying to presume you want to win. Your goal as the manager, your goal is to get the win more than anything else. As much as you'd love to see Paul Skeens get a no hitter, that would be a really fun thing to do. And the Pirates seven thrown a no hitter since Francisco Cordova and Ricardo Rincon combined against the Astros in ninety seven, So I get all that they even had an end visual the individual throw
a note hitter since John Candelaria in nineteen seventy six. All that historical significance is fine, but that's not what Derek Shelton is thinking about the manager. He's thinking about what winning the game. Who gives you a better chance against the six, seven and eight hitters than Paul Skins, who has dominated. His one blemish was a walk. But they can talk about that in Pittsburgh. We can marvel at what the kid's done. And he deserves to start
in the All Star Game because people want to see him. He is a reason to watch when we come back, a reason to listen. Jim uh Camperoni joined us yesterday from Spartan mag. We'll replay that interview. Hope you enjoy it on Exes and bros. The Super Sale is back this Friday and
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app. Huge chair for the Michigan High School Athletic Association. You can stay up to date on the latest from Lansing twenty four to seven at MHSAA dot com, at MHSAA on Twitter and MHSAA on Facebook. The latest news, press releases, and stories connected to every high school in the state of Michigan available for you twenty four to seven from the Michigan High School Athletic Association. Log on to MHSAA dot com, at MHSAA on Twitter and MHSAA on Facebook.
And if you're looking for archive boys and Girls High School Sports m h s a A dot tv. That's MHSA dot tv twenty four to seven everything you need to know about high school sports in Michigan. Log on to m HSAA dot com. Rock's Best Plays AT's Soaring Eagle Casino in Ressort July twenty sixth, the Offspring Prutty Fly for White Guy with Simple Plan and special guest Kuba Stang, plus September twentieth YEA and all the Matchbox twenty with Kevin Degrau,
all part of the Soaring Eagles Summer Ups or Concert Series. Tickets for all shows on sale now at the box office at etics dot com. Check the entire lineup at Soaring Eagle Casino dot com forty five after the hour, Welcome back on a Thursday. Glad you're with us on x'es and bros. Across the great state of Michigan. Trent Bally is our producer. I'm Matt Shepard, and we're proud and honored to welcome in Jim Comparoni of Spartan mag
He's the publisher of that fine publication since nineteen ninety seven. He's covered MSU football and basketball and recruiting since nineteen eighty eight. He's a lead analyst and a sports editor for Spartan Magazine, and he's covered NCAA tournaments. He's covered
final fours, he's covered bowl games. He's got great stuff. You can follo him on Twitter or on x at Jim Camparoni and check out a lot of the different things that he does, like on three dot com where he's really good in breaking down a lot of the things that Michigan State football has done and their depth chart and things of that. Everything that has go green, go white you can find with Jim Camperoni, and we welcome him in
on this Thursday morning. Jim, appreciate the time very much. Jonathan Smith has hit the ground running. What's impressed you most in his first few months at the Helm there in East Lansing. Hey, great, it's great to be on man. I really appreciate it. Things for that introduction, helloed everybody, Detroit. This is a lot of fun for me. I appreciate it. You know Smith, You know a lot of things are impressive.
His temperament. The things you hear about him from other people that have played for him is as a player or coached with him, solid human being, which we need more of in college football. You hear a lot of those things from a lot of people. You know. Demetrius Martin is his cornerbacks coach. He's coming from the University of Oregon. Demetri is also coached at UCLA Arizona State. They're both you know, grew up around the Pasadena area.
They've known each other a long time. They're finally coaching together now. Demetris Martin played at Michigan State in the mid nineteen nineties, first for Pearlis and then for Staban. So Demetris Martin has coached against Jonathan Smith a number of times. Jonathan Smith could be from arizo State and Martin coached out of the PAC twelfth and Martin says he's a defensive coach getting prepared for those Oregon State teams, especially his last two teams at Oregon State. He said it
was a headache. Oregon State made you defend every blade of grass vertically, horizontally, and physically, and then they would hit you with with deep shots. An interesting style of offense. They'll go under center more than any at Oregon State. They were under center for the quarterback position more than any team in the Power five, but they would also go deep off of that and just keep you guessing. That established the physicality and then go to the air,
you know. Offensive style wise, Oregon State last year reminded me a lot of the way Jim Harbaugh's offenses were at Michigan the last few years. So Jonathan Smith, former college quarterback, has I would say like a Jim Harbaugh outlook on how to attack defenses. And I think that style of play can play well in the Big Ten and they will recruit to it, primarily
with the Midwest and branching out from there. So the things I hear about him from people that have played for him and coached against him coach with him, good person and competitive, which doesn't always come across when you talk to him that always talk about how competitive he is. So all those things, step by step give Michigan State a chance to rebuild a program from foundational standpoint. It's going to take a while, but I think they've got a pretty
good person to try to get those things done. Yeah, I agree, And I think it says an awful lot about Michigan State when you can take a guy from his alma mater to come to East Lansing in this type of quote unquote rebuild whether we like it or not, Jim, we're all compared to somebody, Okay, And with Jonathan Smith, he's going to be compared in every football coach at MSU. Probably should be compared to Mark D'Antonio. And you mentioned a good person, so I think that's similar to D'Antonio because
D'Antonio was a good man. Right. There are other aspects of him as a coach that he will have to adjust to and that he will have to be in order to try and create his own shadow rather than Mark D'Antonio. What will be his biggest challenge in his first year? In his first year, you know, taking over a program that's had a lot of players leaving and a lot of players coming in. I think forty or more new new
faces and new scholarship players when he count the incoming freshmen. So getting a team atmosphere, finding leaders, gaining the trust of the players, which I think he has. You know, that's that's that's one thing. You know, the Big ten is strong. Everybody knows that Michigan State schedule is difficult. Everybody's schedule that is difficult, but it's also somewhat manageable in some ways.
But in terms of what you said about the biggest challenges, you know, in the middle of the schedule, dealing with Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon in Iowa. Those four games come right in the middle of the schedule. But I think the thing that's going to determine the direction of the season
will be two early season games at Maryland at Boston College. So those you know challenges is getting off to a good start winning those two manageable road games difficult Maryland, you know, that's an established program, you know that's been in Bowl games last couple of years. Going on the road, that'll be that's going to be a test to see if to see where Michigan State is there early in the year, doing that with Aid and Chiles and new quarterback.
Chiles has all kinds of talent. He needs to show that he can make reads and lead the team. Offensive line has had a lot of change over was somewhat disappointing the last couple of years. Now there's new people, a lot of unproven parts of that offensive line, So a lot of question marks in terms of unproven players offensive line and quarterback. And going on the road for those two early games in September. I think those are the immediate
challenges. Yeah, that's a really good point, especially with Maryland. I would argue that, you know, what Mike Loxley has done there has been pretty impressive. You get a road win there at Maryland early on in the schedule, I think that's something on which you can build. You bring up the quarterback Giles and you said learning to read defenses as a former quarterback himself, Jonathan Smith, how much will it help building a quarterback room in East
Lansing And what's the depth chart look like. You know, Chiles has all kinds of talent. He was a four star guy out for California. He's a big time recruit that went to Oregon State last year backed Dja huy Ungalley at Oregon State. When Jonathan Smith and the staff came to Michigan State, Child came with him. And he's a dynamic talent, dynamic personality. He does have some natural leadership skills, all kinds of arm, six foot four,
really good quickness, really good speed. They used him as a backup last year. You know they'd usually give him one series per game in the second quarter. I mean he's out there Utah when Utah was four and oh, and he's got a series early in the second quarter, so he had some real experience. It was not just mop up duty. He needs to
show he can make reads. That's something I ate Matt. I went over every pass completion that he made last year on TATE and I watched the entire Utah game, the entire Stanford game, and you don't really see him make reads and go to his second and third option. He didn't do that yet
and he didn't do it in the spring game. So in terms of reading a defense and those progressions, that's something that needs to come around as he gets gets set for his sophomore year, and then it'll run some you know, No, they began that Utah game empty, you know, with the receiver a tight end out five wide and the defense is scrambling a point decide what they're gonna do because they've prepared for a team that would go, you
know, tight end one back and ram it down your throat. So they'll do all those things, and he can run a lot of those things. And they've got the tight end Jack Velling coming with him from Oregon State. You know, one publication ranked Velling the Pac twelve tight End of the Year last year, so the tight end position is in good hands. The center position is also coming from Oregon State Tanne Miller, second team of All Pac
twelve. So those things helped Smith as he gets his offense established and it's going to be a physical style of off but that doesn't guarantee immediate success,
of course. You know at Oregon State he began too and ten in his first year, then five and seven, then the COVID year, then they started getting a lot of momentum seven and six and twenty twenty one, and then had a big year in twenty twenty two, going ten and three, beating Florida in a Bowl game, finishing number seventeen in the country and last
year eight and four and also the top twenty five. So it's going to take a while, but I'm impressed with the offensive line coach and the style of play, Brian Linkred coming with him from Morgan State to be offensive coordinator. A lot of interesting things to watch and a lot of new names at Michigan State for Michigan State fans to try to memorize and become familiar with.
Yeah, so much good stuff at Spartan mag We're talking with Jim Camperoni, who is the editor and the main guy right there right the publisher of Spartan Magan. He's been doing it since nineteen ninety seven. It's amazing how much content you provide. You had brought up a couple of names and folks. If it's not just Michigan State players now even the radar. So there's a really good recruiting piece on Spartan meg on the Radar for twenty six a four
star quarterback Nathan Bernhard providing an eye full at Michigan State camp. It's worth a read. If you follow the Green and the White. Now you mentioned the offensive line, which is it's the backbone. Man, It's the reason you win. I believe in football. Dan Campbell has proved with the Lions last year. Jim Harbaugh was a big believer in it. I would assume
Jonathan Smith has a similar philosophy. And you brought up the center Tanner Miller, but also you wrote about Luke Newman, who's poised to make an impact at right guard. Give me the overall philosophy you think that jon Jonathan Smith brings to Michigan State and how quickly he can implement that in this program. Yes, in a moment ago he asked me on the death start at quarterback. I wanted to mention also that the second stringer is Tommy Schuster from Chippewa
Valley High School, Macombe Township, Missigan. Yeah, turing in from North Dakota and he went out to North Dakota through for nine thousand yards, you know, school record holder in yards and touchdowns and you know, sixty seven completions. He's only six feet tall. You know, I've not spoken with him yet. I'm pretty sure that the Max schools did not recruit him coming
out of Chippewaba. I think I think you're right about that. I think he played in the state championship and I called his game, so I think you're right about that. I was surprised that No Max school jumped on him. Good point. Yeah. And by the way, the great job of those high school games. Just last night, I was I was watching Trey McKenny from Older Lake Saint Mary's McCormick, and the other guy called that one, but I went over. I was clearing my DVR, and you know,
I didn't really get a chance to watch. I was covering the NCAA tournament and I watched some of your calls just last night. It's a great job either state championship clf Ok. Yeah, you call it game with Tommy Schuster, and you know Shuster. You may remember they won the state title at Chippewah Valley and he was something like fourteen of fourteen in the state title game. The only person that's ever done that really good. You talk about
making Reeds. I went back and watch some of the North Dakota games. Makes Reids very accurate. He's only six feet tall and he's not that fast, so that's why he ended up at North Dakota. He went there, started for four and a half years, set school records, you know, graduated there, went into the portal, and you know, always wanted to play in the Big Ten. I always wanted to see if he could make it at the school like Mischigan State. And Michigan State did a good job
going into the portal and getting him presumably his backup. But I tell you what, the coaches when you ask him about Shuster, they smile and they just kind of nod and say, man, that guy can play quarterback. So when Smith took over, Mischigan State's quarterbacks went into the portal, you know, Noah Kim and kateon Hauser, and you know when they showed up, they had no scholarship quarterbacks on campus. That's the first time that's been
the case of Michigan State's in the World War two. So they had to completely stock the quarterback childs was coming in, they went and got Schuster and a couple of high school guys. So that's that's what the depth chart looks there. You know you mentioned Luke Newman. You know, what we're doing is a series right now in Michigan State. We are going over every single
position on the depth chart I'm doing this. I'm doing a series of stories in which I project what I think the depth chart is because Michigan State has not released an official depth chart since Mark D'Antonio was at Michigan State. So I'm just going by what I saw at the spring game, what I've heard from coaches here and there, what I've seen with my own eyes. A lot of these players coming in as as transfers, so you have to imagine
some of these things now, Luke Newman. I did ask Michigan State's off at the Wine coach, Jim Mahaltrick, when I saw him at one of the camps out at Wayne State a few weeks ago. I asked him about Newman because Newman didn't play for Mischigan State during spring practice. He's transferring in from holy Cross. He's from Birmingham Brother Rice. Really good offensive lineman, but we was recruited at kind of that you know, FCS level. I
went to holy Cross three times all Patriot League. I went and watched his film against Boston College. They're one game against you know, a Power five team, and he was left tackle for holy Cross, and I think he looked better at left tackle against Boston College the Michigan State's left tackles half the last two years. I think Luke Newman from Brother Rice comes in as a
graduate as a senior. Now, Mahaltick told me he's going to be beginning at right guard, So that's where I'm writing about him in this depth chart preview. But I like he's got quickness, he's a mature, mature athlete, and he's sitting nicely in there at right guard. I don't discount the possibility that he could end up at tackle. And I think he's a good, solid, bona fide Big Ten player transferring in a Brother Rice product coming
in from Holy Cross. Yeah, and you wrote about Christian Phillips at left guard. How does this team you mentioned first year there's going to be some growing pains. We get it. We understand that he's changing the culture to a certain extent by bringing some isay, how does this team lack of a better phrase, tread water in year one? Do you think what do they rely on? Got to get that run game going and from their counter boot
play action, rollout passing quarterbacks, got to make reads. Offensive lines got to keep them clean to an extent. You know, they got a couple good running backs show Nathan Carter's coming back, had a pretty good year last year. Kay Roon Adams is the guy transferring in from U mass Those two running backs solid players. You know, Jalen Berger transferred out. He was repping behind those guys. And you know, the wide receivers need to come
around. You know, Montory Foster is a senior more than forty catches last year. But I'm not sure they've they've got, like, you know, real game breaking, proven type wide receivers. And as you know, over the years of State, when they whether they've had good teams or bad teams, they've always had really good wide receivers, proven wide revers. This year, going into the year, this might be the most unproven batch of wide
receivers I've seen in Michigan State in decades. That doesn't mean that they won't get it done. But you know, Nick marsh coming in as a true freshman from River Rouge, the most talented guy in the room. I would say, I think he's going to have an impact. So there's a lot of question marks, but you know, there's a smattering of talent and a lot of these guys want to be coached up. They want some discipline. I think that discipline and attentiveness was lacking the last two years with mel Tucker
defense, a lot of transfers coming in. The defense ranked outside the top one hundred the last two years. Scotty Hazelton never really got his defense, you know, untracked and you know, tightened up it. It didn't work out. Joe Rossi coming in as the new defensive coordinator was good at Minnesota. You know last year they were young at Minnesota on defense. Prior to that, I thought Minnesota was one of the more underrated defenses in the Big
Ten. And I wrote and told my writers when they played Minnesota two years ago, everybody, this is after Michigan State won the Peach Bowl. Misigsters State was in the top twenty and they just lost out at Washington. Coming back home, I said, I predicted Minnesota is going to beat Michigan wister State. It's gonna be a tough game. And a lot of my readers gave me a lot of flak for that. Matt They didn't believe it at all. But that defense that Joe Rossi had at Minnesota, I was impressed
with, reminded me of Iowa defenses a little bit. I think Jonathan Smith did a really great job going to get a Big ten defensive coordinator with Midwestern ties to come in and take over a defense that had been the leaguer for two years. Yeah, that's good stuff. Man. There's a reason you're the king of East Lansing and Michigan State. Jim Comperoni, thanks for all the insight. We could talk to you all day because your knowledge is vast
and it's incredible. Folks. You got to follow him on Twitter, on x at Jim Camperoni and subscribed to Spartan Mag if you're a Spartan fan. It is the bible of what Michigan State football and basketball are all about. Have a great weekend, my friend. All the best to you and your family. Thanks for the time today. We'll talk again, I hope. Yeah. I really appreciate it. You know, people can at our website. You do have to pay for it, but it's only one dollar for
a month. To give it a try, go to spiromag dot com. I appreciate it. Matt