Mel Tucker understood the assignment.

Last season was never going to be one to proudly add to the resume. 2020 was full of ups and downs for Michigan State and its then 1st-year coach, from beating Michigan in the Big House to having their doors blown off by Iowa and Ohio State.

For all of the roster shortcoming last season, the Spartans defense managed to finish in the top half of the conference in yards allowed (397.4) but was dead last in scoring (35.1), thanks in large part to opposing offenses frequently starting on a short field.

The roster overhaul this offseason was quite remarkable, as 22 scholarship players were lost to the transfer portal since October, outdone only by Tennessee. In response, Tucker welcomes 15 scholarship transfers, including 12 from Power 5 programs.

Roster and staff turnover is the norm under a new regime, but will it pay off for the Spartans on defense? Let’s find out …

Pressuring the QB: Better

What can’t go down, must go up.

Michigan State’s sack rate ranked 106th in the nation last season, per FootballOutsiders. A Power 5 program shouldn’t be flirting with that territory in consecutive seasons, especially with a defensive-minded head coach in Tucker and a well-respected DC in Scottie Hazelton.

With the exception of losing defensive tackle Naquan Jones to the NFL, every starter on the defensive line returns. Starting ends Drew Beesley and Jacub Panasiuk are back, a duo that combined for 8 tackles for loss and 4 sacks last season. While Beesley had a career year, Panasiuk was clearly mired with side effects stemming from COVID-19. He should rebound.

The Spartans also added a graduate transfer from Duke, Drew Jordan, who racked up 35 tackles, 4.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks last season in 11 games. He’ll add a nice piece of depth to mix into the rotation on third downs.

Of all the areas on the defense, the Spartans need to take the biggest strides with their pass rush. It’s a bit of the chicken or the egg scenario, where a stronger pass rush will make the inexperienced secondary seem much improved as well.

Run defense: Better

After peaking at second in the nation in rushing defense in 2017 (95.3 yards per game), Michigan State has steadily declined each season since, ultimately finishing 2020 ranked 55th, a season that included a pair of abysmal performances in which the Spartans allowed 226 yards on the ground at Iowa and 322 rushing yards to Ohio State.

As mentioned above, with so much returning on the defensive line, the Spartans should be able to create some havoc stopping the run and have a real chance at developing a solid four-man rotation at the defensive tackle position by season’s end.

Jalen Hunt and Jacob Slade may not have put up eye-catching numbers last year, but they’re both 300-plus-pound behemoths who should reap the rewards of extended playing time in 2020. Dashaun Mallory is another lineman to watch who could turn into a bit of a star, building off 3 tackles for loss in his 2020 sophomore season. Simeon Barrow also made quite a name for himself this spring against his teammates, and he could take on a decent rotational role after redshirting last year.

One of the more pressing questions on Michigan State’s defense is what type of dropoff there will be after losing Antjuan Simmons. Simmons, the do-everything man, is gone as a leader, as are his team-leading 75 tackles and 9 for loss.

The Spartans, however, don’t lack for talent at the position, as Noah Harvey and Chase Kline are back to take on bigger roles, but Mel Tucker was also busy poaching linebackers from other programs as well.

Quavaris Crouch joins the program from Tennessee after making 57 stops in 10 SEC games. He’ll make an immediate impact as he is far and away the best athlete among Michigan State’s linebackers.

Ben VanSumeren makes the rare drive over from Ann Arbor after having 7 tackles last year for the Wolverines in his first season at linebacker. He was a fullback in his first two years for Michigan. Tucker landed another B1G linebacker in Minnesota transfer Itayvion Brown.

While Crouch is the likeliest addition to pay dividends in Week 1, 4-star 2021 recruit Ma’a Gaoteote will be the face of the position in due time, and he’ll factor in more as the season goes on.

Passing defense: Worse

Pass rush was listed as the biggest area of needed improvement because that should be a feasible task. The secondary improving leaps and bounds, however, is going to be a different type of challenge.

Michigan State was busy with the transfer portal, no moreso than at the cornerback position. At one point this spring, Kalon Gervin was the lone scholarship cornerback on the roster following the departure of several players.

Newly promoted defensive backs coach Travares Tillman can breathe a small sigh of relief, though, as the Spartans added 4 players from the portal, including Ronald Williams (Alabama) and Chester Kimbrough (Florida), who should both press for immediate playing time.

Also concerning is that Shakur Brown, the only player on Michigan State to record an interception last season (5), is gone.

The Spartans are a little more set a safety with known commodities as Xavier Henderson will retain his starting role and needs to be one of the defensive leaders this year, and Angelo Grose will likely make the move from nickel to complement Henderson at the other safety position.

Ideally the Spartans can improve on creating more turnovers in the secondary this year, while also being put in less treacherous scenarios after a litany of Spartans’ offensive turnovers last year. There’s a lot of unknown talent in the secondary this season, but if some of the true freshmen and underclassmen outperform their scouting reports, the passing defense definitely has the largest margin of error in terms of on-field performance.

Special teams: Better

Michigan State was shaky at punter in 2020 as Bryce Baringer and Mitchell Crawford rotated duties, with the former taking the lion’s share of punts.

Only Baringer is back after averaging 43.6 yards per punt last season, but he’ll have some new competition from Texas Tech walk-on Cody Waddell.

Not for nothing, but Michigan State is also one of the few teams to welcome a new long snapper on scholarship in Hank Pepper. It’s rare that a freshman long snapper already has a scholarship, so one would hope his addition will give Baringer more time.

Overall: Better

With “Year 0” in the rearview mirror, it’s safe to say that 2021 is the first season when people can begin to form an opinion about Tucker’s tenure in East Lansing.

2020 was mired in change and defined by inconsistencies. The offseason was essentially spent purging the roster of malcontents and players that don’t fit Tucker’s vision, regardless of talent.

With a normal offseason to better implement a new defensive scheme and a complete summer workout program that I think was often overlooked for a young team last year, the defense should be much more competitive this season.

There may not be a huge upgrade in terms of wins in the Big Ten, but the defense will allow the team to stay in games longer and should benefit from a less turnover-prone offense sabotaging it with poor field position.