Winners and losers from MSU spring football workouts

EAST LANSING – Saturday provided a crisp, energetic Green and White game to wrap up Michigan State’s 15 spring football practices.

And while position battles typically carry over into late-summer preseason camp, players develop edges or benefit from circumstances beyond their control.

“I don’t know, spring games are spring games,” Spartans coach Mark Dantonio said. “We asked our guys to go 15 for 15 and make all 15 practices. We ask them to get a little better every day.”

So keep that in mind – it’s all relative – as we look at the three biggest winners and losers from MSU’s spring workouts.

Winners

► Tyler O’Connor: The fifth-year senior solidified his grasp on the No. 1 quarterback job going into preseason camp with a spring that impressed his coaches, capped by a 10-of-16, 138-yard, one-TD performance in the Green and White game. He wasn’t perfect, as evidenced by a forced throw near-interception that was dropped in the back of the end zone, but O’Connor commanded the huddles, looked sharp in the hurry-up offense and displayed a touch with his passes to and connection with the receivers on his Green team.

► Donnie Corley/Cam Chambers: The decision to enroll in January clearly has benefited the two true freshmen, four-star wide receivers. Chambers had the better spring game, finishing with two catches for 45 yards and a touchdown. Corley caught one pass for 18 yards, but he was the talk of the offseason so far by both his teammates and coaches.

► Dennis Finley: The broken leg Finley suffered early last season doesn’t appear to be hampering him, and the junior appears to be on track again to being Jack Conklin’s heir apparent at left tackle. The 6-foot-6, 282-pounder flashed his health with a strong seal block on the edge to help spring fourth-string running back Nick Tompkins for 12 yards on the White team’s second-quarter touchdown drive.

Losers

► Ron Burton:  Defensive line coach Burton has had the luxury of being able to rotate guys at will since arriving from Air Force three seasons ago. Injuries limited MSU’s front four this spring, then tackle Craig Evans and end Montez Sweat left the team. Burton could be the biggest winner of the summer, though – he inherits a highly regarded incoming freshman defensive line class with ends Josh King and Auston Robertson, as well as tackles Naquan Jones and Mike Panasiuk.

► Madre London: An ankle injury midway through last season hampered London’s production and field time after he started the first six games. Shifty youngster LJ Scott took carries away, then bruising Gerald Holmes emerged as a north-and-south power runner. Sophomore London got only four carries for 4 yards in the spring game, though Holmes had just seven attempts for 13 yards and Scott carried 10 times for 21 yards.

► Drake Martinez: Coaches moved the former Nebraska player from safety to running back to start spring drills with hope of maximizing his speed and athleticism, then shifted him back to defense. The 6-2, 210-pound junior enters the summer looking for a spot, with a crowd in front of him at either linebacker, safety or running back.