EAST LANSING — Alante Brown's first year with Michigan State football fulfilled a lifelong dream, even if it didn't go the way he had hoped.
It started with the Spartans' first play of the season in his green-and-white debut.
Brown watched the season-opening kickoff against Central Michigan facing Tyrell Henry. As Henry took off, Brown collided with the Chippewas' Thomas Panunzio and immediately collapsed to the Spartan Stadium turf.
He controversially left the field with a backboard, but returned to the field for one play later in that game, then missed most of the next two weeks after entering concussion protocol.
“That could have been my last play. …Football is a dangerous sport,” Brown reflected Thursday. “Thank God. After that shock, God allowed me to get back up. That's what this game comes with.”
That's a lesson the fifth-year senior hopes to pass on to the rest of MSU's wide receivers for next season. What he learned firsthand, returning position coach Courtney Hawkins is relying on to get the most out of the wideouts in head coach Jonathan Smith's new offense.
“We go out there every day to compete. That's his character. He builds that into all of the players in our room,” said Brown, himself a former MSU and He talked about Hawkins, an NFL receiver. “We're just trying to carry that chip on our shoulders because you never know when your last play is going to be. He hums that every day. …
“I love this sport. If you really love this sport, you'll go to the next level to do what you're supposed to do for this sport. I know what I'm capable of, so I'm going to keep going. I don't think it will have much of an impact on me continuing to do what I need to do.”
Brown, a 5-foot-11, 189-pound native of Chicago, never got back on track after being eliminated in the first game. He finished his first season as a transfer from Nebraska with just three catches for 27 yards, but Smith and new offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren said Brown struggled in his first season at MSU. I believe he can be one of the veterans that can be trusted to bring changes to the offense that has been around for a long time. last fall.
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“We’ve been shuffling our guys around, especially at receiver,” Lindgren said Thursday. The Spartans are preparing for their second scrimmage of the spring on Saturday. “It was like they were playing indoors, playing outdoors, rotating groups and trying to get a feel for what they could do there. … We had some playmakers… I'm getting a feel for it.”
MSU's returning receiving corps is relatively inexperienced compared to fifth-year senior Montrey Foster, who led the Spartans with 43 catches, 576 yards and three touchdowns last season. Tre Mosley graduated and Henry and Christian Fitzpatrick transferred. That leaves Brown, junior Jaron Glover (14 catches, 261), sophomore Antonio Gates Jr. (5 catches, 82 yards, TD), and redshirt freshmen Asia Johnson and Jalen Smith. This opened up the opportunity for true freshman Nick Marsh to win. He will appear up front in a pass-oriented scheme with Smith and Lindgren brought over from Oregon State.
“Certainly, he definitely brings a different structure. Different concepts, definitely offensive schemes and things like that,” Foster said of Smith last month. “It's definitely fun. …It's gotten a lot simpler. Now that the concepts all make sense, it's easier to just go out there and have fun and just do the play.” I did.”
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The Beavers ranked 51st in the nation last season with 242.2 passing yards per game and 45th with 409.2 yards of total offense. Smith and Lindgren also brought in sophomore Aidan Childs. He brings system experience and expertise to an MSU offense that shuffled through three QBs a year ago and ranked 96th in passing (199.8 yards) and 125th in total offense (289.3 yards). It is expected that. ).
“They bring excitement, especially when you get to see the system,” Brown said. He originally committed to MSU and Mark Dantonio in 2018, then spent a year at prep school before going to Nebraska in 2020. “You'll hear things like, 'They throw the ball a lot,' or 'They're a slow-first team.' But when you look at the system, what they're doing for the players and You really see what they're good at, and what they bring to the game definitely brings joy and excitement.”
With a lot of young talent behind them, both Foster and Brown are eager to provide a vocal presence this season and serve as building blocks for Smith's future MSU team after graduation.
“This team needs some leaders,” Brown said. “We caught Montry, and we caught me – two older men in the room. So setting an example, sharing my knowledge with the team, trying to figure out what my personality is like. Just try to show what you are and bring a good culture and just keep playing ball and having fun.”
Contact Chris Solari:csolari@freepress.com.follow him @chrysolari.
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