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   Mark Dantonio has plenty of reasons to be pleased with the direction of the Spartans. They were playing for a Big Ten championship on the final day of the regular season, then stayed close to Georgia -- a preseason No. 1 -- in the Capital One Bowl.

   Now Dantonio enters the spring trying to figure out how to replace Javon Ringer, the engine of his offense, while also picking a new starting quarterback and retooling the defense.

   The good news is that Michigan State continues in its steady, consistent climb to the top of the Big Ten. Dantonio has become increasingly pleased with each recruiting class, labeling the most recent haul an "A". By comparison, his first class was a C.

   Now that he has instilled a supreme level of confidence, and seemingly rid the program of a mentality of losing, Dantonio can get to work rebuilding Michigan State for 2009.

   The most important decision may come at quarterback in choosing a replacement for Brian Hoyer. Kirk Cousins looked sharp as Hoyer's backup last season, but transfer Keith Nichol was an all-state quarterback as a Michigan prep and returns to his home state with three years of eligibility remaining after transferring from Oklahoma.

   If Dantonio picks the right quarterback, and a tailback emerges from a trio of candidates, the Spartans just might have enough to challenge again for the top spot in the Big Ten.

   SPRING OBJECTIVES:

   The Spartans could have a pretty interesting quarterback battle this spring between Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol. Cousins played well in short spurts as a freshman last season, while Nichol grew up an hour from East Lansing and is an intriguing dual-threat quarterback. Nichol, the former all-state high school quarterback, has three years of eligibility remaining.

   The Spartans have to find a replacement for Javon Ringer, and have two pretty good candidates in Andre Anderson and A.J. Jimmerson. With carries behind Ringer at a premium, Anderson finished last season with 97 yards on 26 carries, while Jimmerson carried just eight times for 14 yards.

   BUILDING BLOCKS:

   The defense loses a real leader in S Otis Wiley, but returns its best linebacker (Greg Jones) and best pass rusher (Trevor Anderson).

   Regardless of who wins the quarterback battle, he'll have to big targets to throw to in Mark Dell and Blair White. The two combined for 79 catches and more than 1,300 receiving yards last season. Dell has more upside, but both proved steady receivers while playing with an erratic quarterback in Brian Hoyer.

   STARS OF 2009:

   WR Mark Dell -- Exploded for 202 yards in the opener against Cal, but never had 100 receiving yards the rest of the season. Injuries sidetracked him late in the year, but Dell has all the tools to be one of the league's best. Finished 2008 with 36 catches for a team-high 679 yards and three touchdowns.

   LB Greg Jones -- His 127 tackles were 42 more than any other defensive player, but Jones was often overlooked in a conference deep at linebacker. He'll be a junior next season and poised to become one of the league's biggest names.

   DE Trevor Anderson -- The Cincinnati transfer cemented his role as a starter in his first year. He led the defense with nine sacks and will only get better as a senior. Double figures in sacks are a reasonable goal.

   TOP NEWCOMERS:

   QB Keith Nichol -- The transfer from Oklahoma will provide a heated quarterback derby with Kirk Cousins.

   RB Edwin Baker -- Carried 77 times for 863 yards (11.2 avg.) despite missing four games with a knee injury. Selected for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, but missed the game with a knee injury. Could compete with A.J. Jimmerson for the starting job at tailback.

   OL David Barrent -- At 6-foot-8 and 290 pounds, Barrent was graded as Iowa's top prospect, and Mark Dantonio stole him from both the Hawkeyes and Cyclones. Participated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and is ranked as the ninth-best offensive lineman prospect, according to Rivals.com.

   LB Chris Norman -- Ranked as the sixth-best outside linebacker, according to Rivals. Norman is a three-year starter who had 109 tackles as a senior, including 34 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.

   ROSTER REPORT:

   --RB Glen Winston has been suspended at least until his court date on April 29, and perhaps beyond. Winston pleaded guilty to assault charges for his role in a fight last fall involving hockey players.

Previous Report: 02/06/2009