It is a new season, a new start and fittingly, Brandon Randle will be wearing a new name on his jersey. When Michigan State opens the college football season Friday at Spartan Stadium, it will be the debut of the Brandon Bouyer-Randle jersey.
Source: Battle Creek Enquirer
Five bold predictions and superlatives for Michigan State as well as conference- and nation-wide predictions for the 2018 season. The Spartans kick off at 7 p.m. Friday against Utah State in Spartan Stadium.
Source: Spartan Tailgate
The Michigan State Spartans recently released the depth chart for the first week against Utah State, and, as expected, there were not many surprises. One thing that was interesting, though, was the strong-side linebacker position (SAM). MSU listed both Tyriq Thompson and Brandon Randle as the starting SAM linebacker on the official depth chart with an “OR” designation.
Source: The Only Colors
The old saying in football goes, if you have more than one quarterback you don’t have a quarterback. Or, at least, it goes something like that. Of course, the idea is that if one doesn’t stand out, that means none of the quarterbacks will excel. That same theory doesn’t apply to the linebacker position, and at Michigan State, the feeling is the Spartans have plenty of options to anchor a defense that finished second in the nation in 2017 in rush defense, allowing just more than 95 yards a game.
Source: Detroit News
Brandon Randle is one of those guys who is just too talented to keep off the field. Buried on the depth chart at linebacker in 2017, the coaching staff decided to move him over to defensive end to get him on the field as a redshirt freshman.
Source: Spartan Avenue
Michigan State’s group of linebackers is so deep this fall they needed a bigger meeting room. The Spartans’ linebacker meetings during the team’s preseason camp have had nearly 20 players at times. A group that size couldn’t fit in the normal linebackers room in the Duffy Daugherty Building, so the group at the center of the Spartans’ defense had to take over a room formerly occupied by the defensive line to have enough space.
Source: MLive.com
Linebacker remains a position of strength for Michigan State. Always has been under Mark Dantonio. For his coaching predecessors as well. And for a Spartan defense that hopes to make the leap from exceptional to elite this season, finding one more starter in the middle will be challenging. But not due to a shortage of capable linebackers. The opposite, actually.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Junior middle linebacker Joe Bachie is the leader of the group. He is coming off a junior season where he tallied 100 tackles, including 8.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, three interceptions and 3.5 sacks. Moreover, he was voted team MVP, the first sophomore since Drew Stanton in 2004 to win the award.
Source: Saturday Blitz
Kenny Willekes returns for his junior season, coming off a very strong sophomore season that saw him go from unknown former walk-on, to one of the best defensive ends in the Big Ten. He was selected third-team All-Big Ten last year, after leading the team in sacks with seven, and tackles for loss with 14.5. He had 73 tackles, which ranked second in the Big Ten amongst defensive linemen and he played in all 13 games, including 12 starts.
Source: Saturday Blitz
Heading into last season, defensive end Kenny Willekes was a former walk-on who had bounced around positions and appeared in just one game. Wide receiver Felton Davis had only 14 catches for 200 yards and one touchdown in his first two seasons. Joe Bachie had never started a game but was pegged as the Spartans’ starting middle linebacker of the future.
Source: MLive.com
When it comes to spring practice this year for Michigan State football, one of the big questions asked was, who would play outside linebacker in 2018. And Battle Creek’s Brandon Randle was hoping to use the Green-White spring game Saturday to help answer that question.
Source: Battle Creek Enquirer
“It’s a big-time competition between Tyriq Thompson and Brandon Randle,” defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Mike Tressel said this week with MSU gearing up for Saturday’s spring game. “They both bring different qualities to the table.”
Source: Spartan Tailgate
Michigan State sees Brandon Randle as a special player. The Spartans wouldn’t have recruited him if they didn’t. This year, they also saw Randle as a specialist. As a redshirt freshman this season, Randle has used his special talents to see steady time on the football field.
Source: Battle Creek Enquirer
It was a run play to the short side, a jet sweep handoff to Western Michigan’s LeVante Bellamy. No one blocked Jacub Panasiuk. Michigan State’s true freshman paused for a fraction of a second before swallowing up the wide receiver for a 7-yard loss. “It was amazing when I stood up and could just feel the vibration of the crowd,” Panasiuk said. “It was unbelievable.”
Source: Detroit Free Press
He has been waiting patiently for his debut. And now, when he finally takes the big stage, he might just be asked to play a starring role.That’s the possibilities facing Battle Creek Central graduate Brandon Randle as he gets ready to play his first football game for Michigan State University. MSU opens the 2017 college football season with a home game against Bowling Green University Saturday at Spartan Stadium.
Source: Battle Creek Enquirer
Brandon Randle has yet to play a down of college football. Yet, when Mark Dantonio was asked who stood out as a surprise through the first two weeks of fall camp, the 11th-year Michigan State coach singled out Randle from a roster of more than 100 players. “He’s given an indication that he’s going to be a very good player for us,” Dantonio said before practice on Monday morning.
Source: MLive.com
He might not have a set position just yet, but less than three weeks into preseason camp it’s clear redshirt freshman Brandon Randle is making an impact. To say Michigan State is looking for a playmaker at defensive end to add a spark to a pass rush that was nearly nonexistent last season would be an understatement. Enter Randle, an outside linebacker by trade who redshirted back in 2016.
Source: Detroit News
There’s been plenty of mystery surrounding the Michigan State football program the past few months. But a few answers became clear at the MSU spring game on Saturday, including how the Spartans may use Battle Creek’s Brandon Randle.
Source: Battle Creek Enquirer