And then, in the offseason, the Spartans dipped into the portal to rebuild their secondary, one by one, after losing key pieces to outbound transfers.

So continues the makeover of the back end of Joe Rossi’s defense, moving MSU further away from the sieve-like zone coverage in four years under Mel Tucker and his staff back more toward the one-on-one islands — the “No-Fly Zone” mantra — that built the foundation of Mark Dantonio’s best defenses.

“For me this year, it's about getting that room to play better than than we have,” secondary coach Blue Adams said toward the end of spring practice in April. “And we got a lot of work to do.”

Among the six transfers to leave the program since last season’s 5-7 finish in coach Jonathan Smith’s debut, MSU lost starting cornerback Charles Brantley (Miami of Florida) and another previous starter in versatile Dillon Tatum (Northwestern), both of whom were part of the injury brigade last season that saw the Spartans combing their depth chart for healthy bodies by the end of the season. A third, then-freshman Jaylen Thompson (Memphis), also transferred after getting a turn as a fill-in starter when safeties Malik Spencer and Nikai Martinez — both returning starters this fall — were hit with injuries.

Thompson also was one of the bevy of bodies lost on the shelf late in the season. The injury issues, by the end of November, had Rossi joking about playing so many young and untested players: “That isn't good for my ulcers.”

“We gotta try to maintain that health,” Adams said last month. “I mean, this is a contact sport. And being able to have guys that you can either put in there or have guys that are tough enough to kind of go through that process of just playing a contact sport is always good. …

“We went down a whole lot last year, we ran through some bodies. We were little dudes, and so sometimes, when you play physical, sometimes that happens. We just gotta have enough depth to stick the next guy in.”

Still, MSU finished 46th out of 133 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision at 206.9 passing yards allowed per game but 83rd in pass efficiency defense. The Spartans' nine interceptions ranked 84th overall nationally and 13th in the Big Ten. Only six of those picks came in conference action, and MSU picked off only one pass in the final five games as the attrition mounted.

“It got thin,” said Spencer, who missed the last three games with an injury. “So as you see, everybody matters. So even the last one on the depth chart, he now knows and really understands that, ‘I have to lock in. I can be called whenever.’”

Spencer and Martinez are healthy, and starting cornerback Chance Rucker also returns after suffering an arm injury in the second game of the season. Along with them, seven transfers arrive from the portal to help bolster the back end, three of them who arrived in January – cornerbacks Joshua Eaton (Texas State), Malcom Bell (Connecticut) and NiJhay Burt (Eastern Illinois) – and four more who will get to campus this summer.

Maryland Terrapins wide receiver Tai Felton cuts in front of Michigan State Spartans defensive back Nikai Martinez during the first half at SECU Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 in College Park, Md.

Since spring practice ended, Rossi and Co. added safeties Tracy Revels (Bowling Green) and Devynn Cromwell (Texas Tech) along with cornerbacks Dontavius Nash (East Carolina) and Anthony Pinnace III (Texas-San Antonio).

“We look a little different,” Adams said. “We got length, I think. We got some longer bodies in there, we just gotta beef them up a little bit. But you have guys that look forward to the opportunity to play man coverage, so you like that in them.”

Dantonio’s defense, with current Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi running it, was known for challenging opposing passing attacks with press-man quarters coverage that blanketed receivers. But when Dantonio retired, Mel Tucker arrived and altered all of that.

In 2021, despite winning 11 games, the Spartans were the nation’s worst in pass defense, ceding nearly 325 yards a game and 27 TD passes through the air (118th out of 130 in the FBS). In 2022, they had the fewest interceptions in the FBS with just two. Then in 2023, with Tucker getting fired midseason, MSU’s opponents threw for 237.8 yards per game (tied for 86th) and 24 TD passes (tied for 110th) with just 10 interceptions (84th).

Rossi arrived and revived more of the man-coverage elements that previously had been staples of the Dantonio era. Adams believes the new additions will help set that tone.

“From a mentality standpoint and a skill-set standpoint, you want guys that can get on the line of scrimmage and play press man,” Adams said. “And the zone aspect will come. But you want guys that relish the opportunity to get on the line of scrimmage and play man-to-man coverage.”

Michigan State's Nikai Martinez celebrates his interception against Florida Atlantic during the second quarter on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.

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