Michigan State may get a shot at a very familiar face when Oregon comes to East Lansing in November.
Dan Lanning announced after Oregon’s disappointing loss to Illinois this past weekend that he was moving on from his offensive coordinator, and he is temporarily turning to Jay Johnson, the former Michigan State offensive coordinator, to handle the job.
That sets up a reunion for the Spartans, who will now have a chance to line up against the same offense Johnson ran in East Lansing for two seasons. Plenty of the current Michigan State defenders have already spent time practicing against that scheme, which could give them some comfort when the Ducks arrive.
The move also revives a conversation that followed Johnson around during his time with the Spartans. Oregon players are buying into the idea that he “coached some great players at Michigan State,” and that much was true in 2021 when the offense was rolling.
But those teams were powered by the players around him, not just the play-calling. Jayden Reed, Keon Coleman, Jalen Nailor, Germie Bernard, and Kenneth Walker III all suited up for Michigan State, and all of them are now in the NFL.
It’s a lot easier to look sharp when you’ve got the best running back in college football and four NFL receivers on the field.
For Michigan State, the timing of this matchup is at least interesting. The Spartans and Ducks won’t meet for a few more weeks, but Oregon’s season is already looking shaky. The Ducks now have three losses after the defeat to Illinois, Dante Moore is out for the rest of the year, and Johnson is stepping in to call the offense.
That’s a rough stretch for a team that entered the year with bigger expectations.
Still, Oregon is Oregon. Lanning’s program is built to reload, and the Ducks are expected to be back in the national title mix next season. But this year has not gone according to plan, and the quarterback injury only made things worse.
Michigan State, meanwhile, is still trying to piece things together. The Spartans have been much better over the last few weeks, outside of the second half against UCLA, and they get a much-needed bye week to regroup. They’ll need that break, because beating Oregon will take a lot.
A lot has to go right for a shorthanded Michigan State team to upset a roster loaded with talent on paper. But the ingredients are there for this to become a real test. Oregon is trying to adjust on the fly with an offensive coordinator who struggled in East Lansing, and the Spartans should be better prepared than most to see what comes next.
For Michigan State fans, the idea of facing a Johnson-coached offense probably sounds pretty good. After all, Big Ten teams enjoyed seeing Michigan State’s offense for two years. Now the roles are flipped.
Even so, Oregon’s talent may still be enough to cover for the issues that got Johnson fired in the first place.
In Other News...
Michigan State Is Finally Making A Serious Push To Rebuild Fast
Pat Fitzgeralds first season in East Lansing has not delivered the kind of on-field turnaround Michigan State was hoping for, but the bigger picture around the program may be starting to move in a much more ambitious direction. New athletic director Dan Bartholomae has already signaled that he wants the Spartans to spend at a level that can keep them among the Big Tens financial heavyweights, a clear acknowledgment that roster building now matters as much as any coaching change.
According to a report by Justin Spiro, that shift could show up in a major way this offseason, with Michigan State planning to spend in the high-$30 million range on its football roster. If that number holds, the Spartans would be putting themselves in the top five for Big Ten spending, a sign that the school is trying to speed up its rebuild rather than wait for it to happen gradually. The question now is whether that investment can translate into the kind of immediate competitive jump the program has been searching for. [Read more 🡒]
Jack Velling Reignites A Familiar Michigan State What-Might-Have Debate
Jack Vellings NFL path has already taken a familiar turn for Michigan State fans who remember the promise and the inconsistency from his two seasons in East Lansing. The undrafted rookie tight end landed with the Falcons after the preseason, only to be released, leaving him back in the market for another practice-squad opportunity as he tries to keep his pro career moving.
For Spartans followers, Velling is one of those players who naturally triggers the what-might-have-been conversation. His college stint offered flashes without fully settling into the kind of breakout run that changes a programs view of a player, and now his next stop will say plenty about whether there is still untapped NFL value waiting to be found. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Gets One Last Chance To Salvage A Lost Season
Michigan State heads into its bye week carrying a six-game losing streak, and the timing feels more like a pause than a reset. The Spartans have dealt with injuries and a steady run of losses, leaving little room for optimism as they finally get a chance to step back and regroup in Week 9.
Still, the schedule does offer one last path to make the year look less bleak. Michigan, Oregon, Washington and Rutgers are still ahead, and there are enough winnable opportunities in that stretch to improve the record before the season runs out. The extra rest should help, but it may arrive too late to truly change the feel of what has already become a difficult season. [Read more 🡒]