Big Picture Looks Bright For Spartans In 2015
1/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Connor Cook and Shilique Calhoun addressed the crowd at halftime of Sunday's men's basketball game against Northwestern at the Breslin Center.
By Steve Grinczel, MSUSpartans.com Online Columnist | @GrinzOnGreen
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State head football coach Mark Dantonio was looking for a "big-picture thinker" during his recently completed search for a new assistant.
With the hiring of Mark Snyder as linebackers coach and special teams coordinator, and Sunday's announcement by two-time All-American defensive end Shilique Calhoun saying he will return for his senior season, the Spartans' picture just became a panorama.
Snyder adds more familiarity with the process of pursuing a national title from the time he and Dantonio spent together as Ohio State assistants when the Buckeyes won it all in 2002.
And Calhoun made it clear that one of the main reasons, along with finishing his degree in criminal justice, for not entering this spring's NFL Draft, is to help MSU go after the biggest prize in college football - the national championship.
Thanks in large part to Connor Cook also coming back as a three-year starter at quarterback, a stout offensive line anchored by established standouts and arguably Michigan State's best defensive line since Bubba Smith anchored the unit in the mid-1960s, Dantonio wasn't shy about expectations for next season, and the Spartans won't even begin winter conditioning until later this month.
Before flying to Dallas to provide analysis for ESPN's day-long, pre-game coverage of Monday night's national championship showdown between Oregon and Ohio State, Dantonio reflected on how MSU stacked up against both of those teams last season. The Spartans built leads against the Ducks and the Buckeyes but stalled out in losses to both.
 | "It's a statement for education and maturity, and I think that's tremendous," MSU head coach Mark Dantonio said of Shilique Calhoun. "It's another opportunity to say we're working in the right direction with young people and ultimately that's why you coach." |
"If the ball rolls a different way, it may be in our direction in one of those games, and we only needed one," Dantonio said. "The thing we can understand as a program right now is we're not that far away from being in that scenario."
Michigan State just beat No. 5 Baylor, which missed out on making it into the inaugural College Football Playoff by the slimmest of margins, in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, so Dantonio made sure to temper his outlook with a cautionary tale.
"We could slide the other way, too, because this game is very fluid and there's a lot of transition between winning 10 games and winning eight," he said. "So, we've got to work towards getting better every single day in 2015.
"You're always looking for growth. When you lose something, you always look to somehow, some way, grow in a different direction, and that's a part of all of this."
In the meantime, the Spartans will bask in the positive aura that's has been expanding for over the past five years and grew even bigger with the latest developments involving Snyder and Calhoun.
Snyder fills the vacancy created when eight-year defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi left to become the head coach at Pittsburgh. Snyder was the defensive coordinator the past three seasons at Texas A&M and he worked as Marshall's head coach from 2005-09. Thirteen years ago, Snyder coached the Ohio State linebackers and Dantonio was the defensive coordinator for the nation's No. 1 team.
"He's an outstanding recruiter, an outstanding person and guy that I've known and have been in staff meetings with for thousands of hours," Dantonio said.
Throughout his 26-year career, Snyder has also crossed paths with MSU co-offensive coordinator Jim Bollman, offensive line coach Mark Staten, Mike Tressel, who Dantonio promoted from linebackers coach to co-defensive coordinator, and Spartan director of football operations Tim Allen.
"I had a chance to work with Tim Allen at Minnesota and as a matter of fact, the Allens are the godparents of my children," Snyder said.
Although other opportunities were "coming down the pike," Snyder said he contacted MSU the instant he heard Narduzzi was leaving, "because I thought it would be a great fit on our end."
Known for his energetic demeanor, Snyder may be prevailed upon to fire up the Spartans much the way Narduzzi did with his fiery, no-holds-barred approach. But first, he has to establish credibility with the players who once pledged their loyalty to Narduzzi.
"That's very important," Snyder said. "I learned a long time ago kids don't really care how much you know until they know how much you care. It's my responsibility, my commission, to get these guys to trust me. My first order of business will be to try to do that (but) it will be tough following Pat, for sure.
"It all starts with Coach D. I think that part of the reason he brought me here is maybe a little of (my approach). I do enjoy coaching the game. I do enjoy being around young people. I do have a little bit of that and if that's what's needed, that's what I'll do."
For Calhoun, it just wasn't the right time to pull the plug on a collegiate career that he feels still has so much to offer him.
"For my last year, my last hurrah, I want to come out and have a great season," he said. "With the talent that we have on this team I know we can go far and I want to actually be a part of the team that takes us to the national championship.
"I understand the talent we have here. I understand the coaching. And I understand what we can do this year. I know we have guys who can compete on a national level. As I watched the College Football Playoff play out, the two teams that are in the national championship are the two teams we lost to. It just shows we're inches away from being in that (title) game. We have the potential to go there, so it definitely was a big factor in me coming back."
Although Dantonio's research, including information from the NFL Draft Advisory Board, indicated Calhoun would be an early round draft pick, there were no guarantees he would go in the first round.
"Like coach always tells me, you've got to understand the value of both getting a degree and playing in the NFL," Calhoun said. "I know that opportunity is going to come to me. I love being a part of this group, I love playing under Coach D. He's definitely taught me a lot and another year here will look even brighter for me.
"When it all boiled down to understanding who I have above me, teaching me and guiding me, it was a pretty easy decision. (The NFL) told me I did a good job this year but I need to be more consistent. Basically, I have unfinished business."
Over the past three years, Calhoun helped Michigan State win so-called "program games." By announcing his coming back, he made a program decision in Dantonio's eyes.
"It gives you a great push for 2015," Dantonio said. "He's been an All-American two years in a row and he's going to have a chance to do that again and be All-Big Ten for the third time in a row. So, he's going to be a guy we're going to be able to feature and be a great player.
"And..., he's going to graduate from Michigan State, which may be of the most value long term. I think it sets a precedent for other players in our program and across the country."
Sunday was a day for the Spartans to celebrate retention and addition.
"It's a statement for education and maturity, and I think that's tremendous," Dantonio said of Calhoun. "It's another opportunity to say we're working in the right direction with young people and ultimately that's why you coach.
"There's no question we added a great teacher (in Snyder) and a great communicator, and a guy who's coached almost every position, probably offensively as well, and a guy who can see the big picture, and a guy I've seen impact young people on a daily basis at Ohio State, and who's fun to be around and loyal."
