The term “SEC speed” gets thrown around a lot to describe the level of athletes in the SEC compared to the rest of the country. After spending the past three seasons as Texas A&M’s defensive coordinator, new Michigan State linebackers coach Mark Snyder is very familiar with “SEC speed,” but says the Big Ten – MSU and Ohio State, at least – is right there with the SEC.
“That speed is real, trust me,” Snyder said Monday on Lansing 92.1 FM, per Mlive.com. “But we are right there with them, no doubt. I was here for pro day and had a chance to see the guys run, and the myth of the Big Ten versus the SEC (in terms of speed), I don’t see that here, and the little bit of Ohio State film I’ve seen, I don’t see it there. We have that type of speed in this program.”
Two former Michigan State players – running back Jeremy Langford (4.42) and cornerback Trae Waynes (4.31) – ran the fastest 40-yard dash among their respective position group at the NFL combine. That alone backs up Snyder’s statements about his new team.
Snyder's transition to Michigan State is still ongoing. He said he’s still learning the ways of the program and establishing relationships with the players on a daily basis. He’s been impressed with what he’s seen from the Spartans thus far.
“I think the team is oozing with confidence right now, to be honest with you,” Snyder said. “Our kids know they are good, they know they are well-coached, they know they can run with anybody in the country, they are not going to get out-hit or out-toughed.
“We have a group of guys that really love football, and I’ve been very impressed with that.”
The Spartans haven’t even played their spring game yet, but head coach Mark Dantonio said a few weeks ago that his team is already “game ready.”
“We could go out and play a game tomorrow,” Dantonio said on April 9. “We’re going to make mistakes, but we are game ready because we practice enough, we do enough things from a live standpoint, we tackle enough. We do the things that we need to do. When we hit the field we are moving, and we have a lot of guys with experience back.”
The Spartans will hold their annual Green-White spring game on Saturday.
For more Michigan State news, visit SpartanMag.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
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