MSU Safeties Cox, Nicholson ready to move on from 2015

EAST LANSING – They don’t have a nickname, at least not yet. Since Pat Narduzzi uses the “412 Crew” moniker with his Pitt Panthers, Montae Nicholson and Demetrious Cox might want to avoid that.

“De De (Cox) is to the point where he recognizes things before they happen and communicates them. And Montae’s skill-set is very, very, very good,” co-defensive coordinator Mike Tressel said Tuesday. “I wouldn’t trade them for anybody. … You feel like anybody that’s behind them is learning a lot, because their knowledge of our defense is about as good as it can be.”

But the two safeties are the anchors of Michigan State’s secondary, a pair of Pittsburgh-area pounders prepared to show that the Spartans have grown in pass coverage over the offseason.

The Spartans gave up 233.9 yards passing per game during the 2015 season, their most allowed since 2009. That included four games in which opposing quarterbacks passed for more than 300 yards and four in which they threw for less than 200, including just 46 by Ohio State.

It also was a season filled with similar fluctuation for both players. Cox, now a senior, began the season at cornerback before shifting back to his natural free safety spot. Nicholson struggled early at strong safety as a sophomore but finished with a flourish.

It was particularly trying for Nicholson, who played significant snaps as a hard-hitting true freshman in 2014 after arriving as a highly coveted two-way player from Gateway High in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. He earned a spot on the All-Big Ten Freshman Team for both ESPN.com and BTN.com.

Last season, however, his number of missed assignments grew and tackling issues mounted. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder went to the bench for four games during the start of the Big Ten season, supplanted by true freshman Khari Willis.

“I think it was good for me,” Nicholson said. “It helped me realize why I’m here and what I’m here to do. At any given time, all of this can be taken away.”

After returning to the starting lineup against Maryland on Nov. 14, Nicholson collected 40 of his 83 tackles. He tied for the Spartans’ lead with three interceptions, showing the athletic ability of a receiver with 60 return yards. And Tressel said he witnessed Nicholson becoming “really comfortable” at boundary safety, to the point where “he feels like he can do anything at that spot.”

“I felt extremely confident, just the fact that my coaches believed in me, my teammates still believed in me,” Nicholson said. “Even my teammates who replaced me for those few games, they were right there with me, coaching me up, telling me not to bring my head down, telling me everything’s going to be all right and to keep working. I’m here for a reason, I have the abilities, they just to be put to use.”

Cox, at 6-1 and 198, also had three picks while bouncing between cornerback and safety. His seven pass breakups were second-most for the Spartans, while his 79 tackles ranked fourth, just behind Nicholson. Tressel compared Cox – who is in his fifth year in the program, coming from Jeannette, Pennsylvania – to Kurtis Drummond in terms of understanding of MSU’s defense and anticipation of what offenses are going to do.

“He still knows a little more than me,” Nicholson said of Cox. “He has what coach calls ‘The One’ instinct. He knows stuff before it comes. I’m just trying to get on that level still.”