DETROIT - Former Michigan State linebacker Jon Reschke, who left the program following the 2016 season after making what he called "an insensitive and totally regrettable comment" about a former teammate, could return to the Spartans.

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio, after speaking to high school coaches at the Horatio Williams Foundation in Detroit on Wednesday evening, said Reschke could be back and it will be up to the players to decide.

"I've talked to our football team about it," Dantonio said. "That's our football team's decision on that one. I think there's certain things that you go through relative to your football team so that decision will get made as we go forward. I think it's more important to talk to our players about that, if and when that happens."

Reschke, who would need a sixth year of eligibility approved by the NCAA in order to even have a chance to play this fall, announced his departure from the program in February 2017. He released a statement saying, "in an argument and a brief moment of anger, I lost control of my emotions and made an insensitive and totally regrettable comment involving a former teammate" and that it offended a "countless" number of people.

Reschke, who didn't elaborate about the nature of the comment, added that, after discussions with Dantonio and the coaching staff, it was best for him to complete his degree and seek a graduate transfer for his final season of eligibility. He never caught on with another program and in a May post on Instagram announced he had ACL surgery that day. Reschke is now potentially in line to rejoin the Spartans, if his former teammates welcome him back.

"I think it's important that we allow our players to embrace certain things and empower them to make decisions," Dantonio said, "so I'll empower them to make certain decisions on our football team."

Dantonio said Reschke's potential return would not be brought to a vote by the team but he would speak with members of the Spartans' Eagles leadership council.

"We have leaders on our team and I expect them to lead from within," Dantonio said.

Reschke's potential return leads to questions about the impact it would have on team chemistry after the Spartans rebounded from a disastrous 3-9 season in 2016 with a 10-3 finish last year. Michigan State finished spring practice earlier this month and Dantonio said the chemistry is unmatched since he took over the program prior to the 2007 season.

"It's as good as it's ever been in my 11 years in terms of chemistry because we've had to solidify things together," Dantonio said. "We've had to come together, we've had to establish our self on the field, we've had to establish our self off the field and we're challenged constantly right now. That creates a little bit of chemistry in itself and I think right now we've got great young people. I'm not going to say we won't ever make a mistake, but we've got great young people and we're poised for challenges."

Reschke, who joined the program in 2013 and took a redshirt as a true freshman, started all 14 games at outside linebacker in 2015 and was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection. He started the first two games of the 2016 season before suffering an ankle injury and didn't play the rest of the year.

Michigan State returns 19 of 22 starters from last year's team, which set a program record for the biggest single-season improvement at seven wins. Outside linebacker Chris Frey was one of just two starters the Spartans lost from a defense that ranked No. 2 in the nation against the run and No. 7 in total defense.