Michigan State University Athletics
Six Seniors Returning for Additional Season at MSU
4/12/2021 9:57:00 AM | Football
Two of the returning players, Matt Allen and Drew Beesley, share why it’s important to them to come back for one more year at Michigan State.
By Cera PowellÂ
For MSUSpartans.comÂ
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Extra time is a precious commodity, especially for college football players with finite careers.
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Six Spartan seniors – center Matt Allen, offensive tackle AJ Arcuri, defensive end Drew Beesley, offensive lineman Luke Campbell, kicker Matt Coghlin and defensive end Jacub Panasiuk – are taking advantage of a rare opportunity, staying at MSU for another year thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Allen, Arcuri, Beesley, Campbell and Coghlin are all back for a sixth season, while Panasiuk returns for a fifth year.
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The NCAA announced in 2020 that athletes competing in Division I sports would be given an opportunity for an additional year of eligibility.
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Staying longer was attractive for Allen, an offensive lineman, especially since his 2020 season had him missing a lot of time due to injury.
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"I think there's a positive and negative with everything," Allen, a native of Hinsdale, Illinois, said. "My time at MSU, I thought I was ready to leave. But after this COVID-19 year and everything that happened, I realized I wasn't really ready yet, but I was more mentally ready more than physically ready."
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The NCAA announcement changed both seniors' perspectives, as they went from thinking about their graduations and exits from MSU to looking forward to a future in East Lansing.
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Beesley, a defensive end from Rochester Hills, Michigan, is a three-time letterwinner who earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors last season. He graduated with a degree in economics in December of 2020. Staying an extra year means he now is pursuing a graduate program in sports coaching and leadership.
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"I was going to play the season and see how it went, but part of me was thinking like, 'Oh, maybe I should move on with my life'," Beesley said. "But you know, my heart told me I should stay because I absolutely love this place."
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Allen's choice to come back and play was a little different from Beesley's. He started at the center for the 2020 opener against Rutgers, but then had an injured foot curtail his season.
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When the season ended, Allen thought about his last time playing football at MSU would be when he got injured and returned back home to start a career that didn't involve playing football.Â
"(The) COVID year for me, personally, was like the biggest blessing in disguise because I hurt my foot," Allen said. "The only way I would've been able to get a sixth year is through a medical redshirt, and it's really difficult to get medical redshirts from the NCAA."
Â
Beesley looked at his options and the decision became clear.
Â
"I laid out the pros and cons on whether I should stay or should go, and when I did that, coming back was kind of a no-brainer," he said.
Â
Both players said having a precious extra year means more opportunities to play, make memories with teammates, and further their education.
Â
"This is a year to better ourselves, to build upon our investment that we already had, and basically a decision that could help us at the next level not only as a football player, but as a person," Beesley said.
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Another big factor prompting their return is head coach Mel Tucker and the football staff.
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"The new relationships that I've formed with Coach Tucker, the staff, and the rest of the crew are relationships that I value," Beesley said. "I wasn't ready to let go of that, so that's part of my decision to come back.
Â
"Coach Tucker, he's building a culture that I'm excited about for the future and it's something that I wanted to be a part of."
Â
Allen has set big goals for the fall: win the Rimington Trophy and be named first-team All-Big Ten. These are two goals Allen strongly feels that Tucker and the coaching staff could help him reach.
Â
"This is a very hungry football staff, and they want to be the best of the best, and I wanted to be a part of that," said Allen. "So that's really one of the bigger reasons I came back, and because of my trust in Coach (Chris) Kapilovic and my trust in Coach Tucker."
Â
Â
For MSUSpartans.comÂ
Â
Extra time is a precious commodity, especially for college football players with finite careers.
Â
Six Spartan seniors – center Matt Allen, offensive tackle AJ Arcuri, defensive end Drew Beesley, offensive lineman Luke Campbell, kicker Matt Coghlin and defensive end Jacub Panasiuk – are taking advantage of a rare opportunity, staying at MSU for another year thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Allen, Arcuri, Beesley, Campbell and Coghlin are all back for a sixth season, while Panasiuk returns for a fifth year.
Â
The NCAA announced in 2020 that athletes competing in Division I sports would be given an opportunity for an additional year of eligibility.
Â
Staying longer was attractive for Allen, an offensive lineman, especially since his 2020 season had him missing a lot of time due to injury.
Â
"I think there's a positive and negative with everything," Allen, a native of Hinsdale, Illinois, said. "My time at MSU, I thought I was ready to leave. But after this COVID-19 year and everything that happened, I realized I wasn't really ready yet, but I was more mentally ready more than physically ready."
Â
The NCAA announcement changed both seniors' perspectives, as they went from thinking about their graduations and exits from MSU to looking forward to a future in East Lansing.
          Â
Beesley, a defensive end from Rochester Hills, Michigan, is a three-time letterwinner who earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors last season. He graduated with a degree in economics in December of 2020. Staying an extra year means he now is pursuing a graduate program in sports coaching and leadership.
Â
"I was going to play the season and see how it went, but part of me was thinking like, 'Oh, maybe I should move on with my life'," Beesley said. "But you know, my heart told me I should stay because I absolutely love this place."
Â
Allen's choice to come back and play was a little different from Beesley's. He started at the center for the 2020 opener against Rutgers, but then had an injured foot curtail his season.
Â
When the season ended, Allen thought about his last time playing football at MSU would be when he got injured and returned back home to start a career that didn't involve playing football.Â
"(The) COVID year for me, personally, was like the biggest blessing in disguise because I hurt my foot," Allen said. "The only way I would've been able to get a sixth year is through a medical redshirt, and it's really difficult to get medical redshirts from the NCAA."
Â
Beesley looked at his options and the decision became clear.
Â
"I laid out the pros and cons on whether I should stay or should go, and when I did that, coming back was kind of a no-brainer," he said.
Â
Both players said having a precious extra year means more opportunities to play, make memories with teammates, and further their education.
Â
"This is a year to better ourselves, to build upon our investment that we already had, and basically a decision that could help us at the next level not only as a football player, but as a person," Beesley said.
Â
Another big factor prompting their return is head coach Mel Tucker and the football staff.
Â
"The new relationships that I've formed with Coach Tucker, the staff, and the rest of the crew are relationships that I value," Beesley said. "I wasn't ready to let go of that, so that's part of my decision to come back.
Â
"Coach Tucker, he's building a culture that I'm excited about for the future and it's something that I wanted to be a part of."
Â
Allen has set big goals for the fall: win the Rimington Trophy and be named first-team All-Big Ten. These are two goals Allen strongly feels that Tucker and the coaching staff could help him reach.
Â
"This is a very hungry football staff, and they want to be the best of the best, and I wanted to be a part of that," said Allen. "So that's really one of the bigger reasons I came back, and because of my trust in Coach (Chris) Kapilovic and my trust in Coach Tucker."
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