D-line makes spring strides

EAST LANSING - Ted Gill is feeling the sunshine this spring.

Of all of Michigan State's coaches, Gill may be the one encountering the most pleasant developments. And it's a good thing, because his defensive line is the biggest question mark on what could be a scary-good defense in 2009.

"We're quicker than we've been," Gill said Thursday of a line that must replace departed starters Brandon Long and Justin Kershaw. "We're more athletic than we've been."

MSU went through the 11th of 15 spring practices Thursday, with a scrimmage set for Saturday, followed by a Tuesday practice and the April 25 spring game, which will be free to the public at Spartan Stadium.

Each time out, Gill is seeing things he likes:

• He has a senior (Trevor Anderson) who has assumed a leadership role, moved from right to left defensive end and put on strength and eight pounds to help him against the run.

• He has a junior nose tackle (Oren Wilson) who has become another leader, and whose play has improved markedly this spring after two seasons as a starter.

• He has two redshirt freshmen (tackle Jerel Worthy and end Tyler Hoover) who will contribute significantly in 2009 and may end up being four-year starters.

• He has a raw, sophomore nose tackle (Ishmyl Johnson) who is "probably faster than anybody we've got up there," Gill said, and who reminds Gill of a surprise he encountered two years ago - end Jonal Saint-Dic.

• He has a tireless sophomore tackle (Kevin Pickelman) who is up to 265 on the way to 275 and is battling Worthy for a first-team position.

• He has a junior end (Colin Neely) who appears past his injury troubles and is competing with Hoover to start opposite Anderson.

• And he has a sophomore converted linebacker (David Rolf) with pass-rushing promise who is working as Anderson's understudy.

Senior Michael Jordan, who has missed time this spring with an undisclosed injury, will be in the rotation at tackle in the fall, and walk-on sophomore Johnathan Strayhorn is giving quality competition at end.

So there's no shortage of material for Gill. The challenge is turning it into a unit that can improve on last season's play. MSU had 26 sacks, eighth in the Big Ten, after collecting 40 in 2007.

Anderson, who had eight of those sacks, said MSU's ends had just six sacks in non-blitzing situations.

"That's not acceptable," he said.

The production doesn't always have to come off the edge. Johnson is "a real surprise," Gill said, and he can be "very powerful."

Worthy, who tore ligaments in a knee as a high school senior, redshirted last season while still recovering.

He's a 293-pound athlete with quickness inside.

"He's got a lot of ability," Gill said of Worthy. "He can run, he can get off blocks real fast. He's different than Kershaw, he's faster and more explosive."

Anderson said Worthy has "the best get-off on the defensive line, period."

A LEGGETT UP: Sophomore running back Ashton Leggett has "separated himself a little bit" from the other backs, head coach Mark Dantonio said.

Leggett is competing with Andre Anderson, A.J. Jimmerson and Caulton Ray to replace Javon Ringer in the backfield. Leggett is the biggest of the four at 237 pounds, and Dantonio said his ability to break tackles has impressed.

Freshmen Edwin Baker and Larry Caper also will be in the mix in the fall.

BRIEFLY: MSU's men's basketball team will be honored before the spring game, and its coaches and four senior captains will be honorary coaches for the game. ... Dantonio said Glenn Winston, who starts a 180-day jail sentence Friday after he was convicted on two counts of misdemeanor assault, remains on scholarship. ... Safety Roderick Jenrette is in school but still is not participating in football-related activities. ... On lineman Arthur Ray Jr., whose leg remains cancer-free but who is far from being able to play, Dantonio said: "We're going to keep hope alive as long as we can."