Mark Dantonio had an optimistic tune as Michigan State opened camp on Thursday.
He should have.
The Spartans return 19 position starters, which is tied for most in the country.
"I think this is the 12th year now doing this. I think everybody in America has optimism on the first day," Dantonio said.
"Can we sustain? That's the big question."
MSU finished 2017 with a 10-3 record after a 3-9 season the previous year.
"We've got depth, I think we have a lot of very good skill players to go along with that. Right now there's a lot of retention. There always has been on the first day from our older players, but when you have 41 of the top 44 back on 1-and-2 (defense), and 1-and-2 offense, there's gonna be a lot of retention," Dantonio added.
