Two of Michigan State football’s most experienced players are not returning in 2021. Tight end Matt Dotson and right tackle Jordan Reid are not listed on the roster, which came out Tuesday morning as the Spartans opened their first spring practices under second-year coach Mel Tucker.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Matt Dotson’s time with the Spartans isn’t over. The Michigan State senior tight end is coming back for the 2021 season, coach Mel Tucker announced on Wednesday. Although Dotson already played four seasons for the Spartans, the NCAA in August granted all fall sports athletes an additional year of eligibility due to COVID-19.
Source: MLive.com
It’s been almost a year since Matt Dotson ruptured the Achilles tendon in his right leg. The Spartans tight end suffered the injury in a Nov. 9 loss to Illinois, wiping out the final four games of his junior season and placing doubt on whether he’d be ready by the time the 2020 season kicked off. Michigan State tight end Matt Dotson had 16 catches for 151 yards in eight games in 2019 before an Achilles injury ended his season. Perhaps thanks to the season being delayed by COVID-19, Dotson is on target to be back in the lineup when Michigan State kicks off the season Oct. 24 at home against Rutgers.
Source: Detroit News
Michigan State’s offense just suffered another significant blow. Junior tight end Matt Dotson is out for the season due to torn Achilles tendon sustained in last week’s 37-34 loss to Illinois, coach Mark Dantonio announced on Tuesday morning.
Source: mlive.com
Brian Lewerke’s pass came to Matt Dotson, right at the goal line. Michigan State football’s tight end took an out-of-step leap attempting to high-point the ball, placed into a small opening between the Arizona State defense. It rattled off his hands and bounced to a Sun Devil defender for an interception.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Michigan State tight ends Matt Dotson and Matt Sokol combined for five catches vs. Purdue, after snagging just nine in the first seven games.
Source: Detroit News
Rocky Lombardi heard it before he took his first practice snap at Michigan State. It was a one-man lobbying approach launched by tight end Matt Dotson, who wanted to make sure the quarterback knew where he should be looking to throw.
Source: MLive.com
Michigan State’s sophomore tight end, Matt Dotson, made meaningful contributions to the Spartans’ 23-13 victory over Purdue this past Saturday. Dotson is only just getting started for the Green & White.
Source: Spartans Wire
Three Michigan State football players who helped and hurt their stock in the Spartans’ 23-13 win over Purdue on Saturday.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Matt Dotson burst off the line, ran his route and broke free from his defender. The ball sailed over his head and out of bounds. One play later, quarterback Brian Lewerke again looked to his tight end. This time, Dotson leaped and came down with his first career touchdown. “When I was running off to the sideline, it felt unreal,” Dotson said after scoring at Indiana last week. “It felt like it didn’t even happen.” That’s because it hadn’t this season.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Tight end Matt Dotson said you can track his progress through Michigan State’s offensive playbook like a transcript. The 10 games he played in – including one start – last season amounted to a 100-level course for the former four-star prospect out of Ohio powerhouse Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller.
All three starters from last season return — senior Felton Davis III (55 catches in 2017), junior Darrell Stewart Jr. (50) and sophomore Cody White (35). They are diverse in style, sizable and a talented group, which began last season unproven.
Source: Lansing State Journal
Last season was a record-setting one in many regards for the Michigan State passing game. Quarterback Brian Lewerke set single-game records for passing yards and set just about every sophomore record in the book. But one offensive group missed out on most of that action: tight ends.
Source: MLive.com
After a quiet freshman season with Michigan State football, is Matt Dotson ready to live up to his potential and become the next great Spartan tight end?
Source: Spartan Avenue
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
The film sessions in the tight ends room at Michigan State this spring have been a little grainier than usual. Coaches have shown film of a host of different tight ends, past and present, to the current players on the Spartans’ roster. Those players have watched highlights of former Michigan State tight ends going back 15 or more years. They’ve seen clips of NFL tight ends and standout college tight ends, studying their technique and mechanics.
Source: MLive.com
Last fall involved a lot of guess work for Matt Dotson. A four-star prospect out of Archbishop Moeller in Ohio, Dotson came to Michigan State last summer as the eighth-ranked tight end in the country. His size, talent and athleticism were enough to get him on the field in 10 games, including one start, as a true freshman. However, Dotson’s impact was minimal.
Source: Spartan Tailgate
Jim Bollman, Michigan State’s co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach, saw the “dropoff” in catches from his tight ends and knows MSU needs more from them this fall. MSU went into last fall with Matt Sokol, a converted high school quarterback, seeing his first significant action as a starter. Matt Dotson, a highly regarded true freshman who was adjusting to the speed and power needed in college, and redshirt freshman Noah Davis also saw snaps and sporadic passes. Between them, they found the end zon
Source: Detroit Free Press
Injuries were among the numerous factors that played into Michigan State’s demise last season. This fall, the No. 16 Spartans (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten) have dealt with injuries – just like every team in the nation – but been healthier overall. That has helped them earn a spot tied with Penn State and Ohio State for first place in the Big Ten East Division.
Source: MLive.com