Madre London named Michigan State's No. 1 tailback

By foxsports
Published

Michigan State football's search for a new feature back has been a big story during the offseason, and coach Mark Dantonio said Monday it could be over. 

He declared redshirt freshman Madre London the team's No. 1 back but also had good things to say for the rest of the competitors. 

"I thought Madre London had a great scrimmage," Dantonio told reporters in East Lansing on Monday. "Gerald (Holmes) is probably ahead of LJ (Scott) in terms of knowing what to do, but LJ makes plays and looks very, very good out there." 

Holmes is a sophomore who like London is listed at 216 pounds while Scott is a true freshman from northeast Ohio who goes 233. 

Dantonio also mentioned Delton Williams, a 6-foot-1, 228-pound junior who was the team's No. 3 rusher last season, "is just getting back into the flow" after being away from the team during the offseason as discipline for an off-field issue. 

"He came in on the 14th," Dantonio said. "He's lost a lot of time, so there's timing things. There's just little things, he's got to get himself back in shape. He is certainly functional. So I think we have four very good running backs. Nick Tompkins sort of rounds that out. He's just a little bit light, but he plays extremely hard and he's very quick."

Tompkins is a 5-9, 178-pound junior from Georgia.