Ad Disclosure
‘The operation was smooth’: Mel Tucker discusses Michigan State’s start to fall camp
Published:
Camp is off and running in East Lansing.
Thursday, Michigan State was back on the field to begin fall camp. It marks the second season of the Mel Tucker era and the Spartans have a tough start to the season, opening with a road trip to Evanston to play defending B1G West champion Northwestern.
Getting off a strong start in fall camp was a point of emphasis for Tucker on Thursday. Following the first day on the field, the second-year leader was encouraged by what he saw from his team.
“I didn’t see a team full of transfers out there from an operation standpoint,” Tucker said, per MLive.com. “I didn’t notice a difference in terms of these guys know what to do, these guys don’t know what to do. I didn’t see that. I saw a football team with a lot of new faces but the guys know what is expected, they know what the expectations are, the standard, the culture. The operation was smooth today, it really was.”
Michigan State is welcoming in more than 30 new scholarship players via transfer and through recruiting. It’s been an offseason full of change, but the first day of practice wasn’t full of hiccups.
Tucker said the team accomplished what he expected to open up camp.
“I felt good about today and what we were able to accomplish,” said Tucker. “We were efficient, we were effective, we ended a couple minutes early, our guys knew what to do. … I’m looking forward to seeing the film.”
Last year, Michigan State ended the season with a 2-5 record, posting wins over in-state rival Michigan and Top 10 foe Northwestern. The Spartans are hoping to improve on that record in 2021.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB