Michigan State Football: 3 freshmen who could start in 2022

Michigan State football is bringing in a solid freshman class but which guys could legitimately start at some point this season?

Speaking at practice earlier this week, Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker mentioned a handful of true freshmen who were standing out to him.

Guys like Zion Young, Tyrell Henry, Ade Willie, and Germie Bernard came up. He admitted that he didn’t want to hype them up too much, but they were all playing well.

That got me thinking: which freshmen could crack the starting lineup at some point for Michigan State this season? A few names immediately came to mind.

I could take the easy way out and project freshman kicker Jack Stone to start on this list, but that would be no fun. So here are three other freshmen not named Jack Stone who could start for Michigan State this season.

I’d put Alex VanSumeren higher on this list, but Michigan State’s defensive line has so much depth, especially on the interior, that I think he has a lot of work to do before he can start.

There’s just no need at the moment for him to start, but he does have the talent.

VanSumeren was Michigan State’s highest-rated 2022 signee and he’s undoubtedly going to have a big career in East Lansing. He has a college-ready body and he’s flat-out strong. He’s shed some bad weight this offseason and looks like he’s ready to bully some opposing offensive linemen this year and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him fill in as a starter at some point this year.

However, Jacob Slade will be the full-time starter and Simeon Barrow will likely be there next to him all year with Jalen Hunt, Maverick Hansen, Dashaun Mallory, and Derrick Harmon waiting in the wings. Still, AVS could be a strong starting option if he continues to mature.