Friday's festivities before the first Michigan State football game of the season should have everyone excited with certain tailgating lots opening up at 11 a.m. ET and the rest opening at 2 p.m. ET. After that, the Munn Tailgate is back at 3 p.m. ET and the Spartan Walk will take place about 1.5 hours later.
There's a ton of excitement in East Lansing right now. The place is buzzing.
Before the guys take the field, however, I decided to throw together a list of guys who I think could be the Spartans' breakout candidates on the defensive side of the ball.
It was hard to pick just three, but here they are.
1. Justin Denson Jr., DB, Sophomore
Justin Denson Jr. was an easy choice for me. I was close to putting veteran safety Armorion Smith here, but I think Denson is overlooked a bit too much, and it feels like he's going to become a starter early on and never look back. He's one of the guys who I believe could help revive the 'No Fly Zone' in East Lansing.
Denson played in eight games and had 13 tackles as a true freshman, burning his redshirt, and usually coaches don't burn redshirts unless they believe the player is going to be really good.
We'll see that come to fruition this year with Denson.
2. Brady Pretzlaff, LB, Freshman (RS)
I've already bought a ton of stock in Brady Pretzlaff this fall, and I'm willing to buy more before kickoff on Friday, but I want to make sure everyone else has a chance to get in on this.
The redshirt freshman linebacker has been called a "guy" to watch for by his teammates during fall camp, and the coaching staff, too, has raved about him. Wayne Matthews III made sure to bring him up when he had his time with the media earlier in fall camp, stating that Pretzlaff should be a guy to watch for. And I'm all in.
When Pretzlaff was a recruit, I was disappointed that he chose Minnesota. Then when Joe Rossi came to Michigan State, he flipped to the green and white, and I felt like the Spartans added a future star at linebacker. That rise to stardom starts in 2025.
3. Derrick Simmons, DL, Freshman
I'm not the first to predict this, nor am I one of the first, but Derrick Simmons has been turning heads all offseason and the amount of praise he's gotten from teammates and coaches has been insane.
A strong, big-bodied defensive lineman who is known for eating up blocks and getting into the backfield to wreak havoc? Sounds like a perfect breakout candidate, even if he is a true freshman and it's hard for first-year players to crack the two-deep.
Simmons is going to be a household name come November.