After an offseason that felt like it would never end, Michigan State is officially in game preparation and it officially starts a new era under Pat Fitzgerald on Friday night.
Toledo is on the clock, depth charts are being formed, and the excitement is palpable.
Fitzgerald spoke to the media on Monday about the upcoming game and how excited he is to get going with the team he has who he expects to be “superstars” in their respective roles. He also didn’t give too much away in terms of depth charts or injury reports, so that might mean that a surprise or two should be expected.
That could mean freshmen earning much larger roles than anticipated.
If that is the case, there are a few true freshmen who have the biggest immediate impacts.
1. Samson Gash, WR
The top-ranked signee in Michigan State’s 2026 class wasn’t an easy pull, and Fitzgerald could tell you that. Samson Gash was deciding between a few schools despite being committed to Michigan State. He didn’t sign in the early period and revealed that he was remaining committed but keeping his options open. Ultimately, he decided to trust the new coaching staff and signed in February.
Michigan State needed his signature, too. The Spartans were losing Nick Marsh and Omari Kelly from a team that already struggled through the air. They needed Gash to provide some depth.
While he won’t be on the two-deep right away, he’s too talented to keep off the field. Michigan State is going to utilize that talent some way or another, whether it’s on offense or on special teams.
2. Adam Shaw, LB
A name that we’ve heard about a lot this summer is Adam Shaw and that’s because the true freshman linebacker is more polished than anyone probably expected right away.
Michigan State will likely be implementing a 4-2-5 scheme so that will limit opportunities for linebackers buried on the depth chart, but luckily for him, the room isn’t crazy deep so he’s going to get a shot at some point. And in the new “five years to play five seasons” era of college football, playing true freshmen extensively will be much more common.
Shaw will get some early run behind a guy like Brady Pretzlaff.
3. Collin Campbell, OL
It was almost too easy to pick an offensive lineman, but Michigan State’s line has struggled for years and any depth is good depth — especially when that depth comes in the form of a four-star.
Collin Campbell was the No. 197 recruit in the 2026 class and Fitzgerald was able to convince him to remain committed through the coaching change. He joins a pretty deep group of offensive linemen in East Lansing, but he has the talent and the size (6-foot-6, 295 pounds) to compete for a role immediately.
Fitzgerald did say there were 10-11 guys fighting for starting jobs and Campbell was almost surely one of them despite being a true freshman.
It wouldn’t be all that shocking if Campbell was one of the top 2-3 linemen on the team within the next year or two.
Add us as a preferred source on Google