Michigan State football coach Pat Fitzgerald just wrapped up his first spring in East Lansing and the excitement levels are rising now that March Madness and Spartan hockey are over with.
The next major sport on the schedule is football and we’re four months away from its return.
It’s going to be a long summer as we wait for the official kickoff to the Fitzgerald era in the fall, but we’re going to try and pass the time by talking about some positives we saw this spring.
We’ll start with some breakout candidates. I have three in mind.
1. Carson Gulker, TE
This was an easy choice for me. Although you could argue that Carson Gulker broke out in 2025, totaling over 1,000 all-purpose yards while helping Ferris State win its third national title in four years. Now, he’s at Michigan State with H-back capabilities that have fans thinking about Connor Heyward.
If Gulker is even a fraction of what we saw from Heyward during his senior season in East Lansing, I think Michigan State fans are in for a treat.
Gulker received rave reviews all spring and he just looks the part of a legitimate weapon on the offensive side of the ball. I can see him playing the Heyward role really well and becoming a fan favorite in 2026 to kick off the Fitzgerald era.
2. Bryson Williams, WR
I feel like I heard the name Bryson Williams more than anyone not named Alessio Milivojevic, Jordan Hall, or Pat Fitzgerald this spring. The talented wide receiver was praised for having a Big Ten-ready body for a receiver and several teammates and coaches raved about his spring.
Fitzgerald even talked about how he’s pumped to see what the redshirt freshman receiver can do with that frame on Saturdays considering he moves better than anyone else built like him.
Michigan State has a need at receiver and Williams has been a topic of conversation this spring. It’s not difficult to see why I think he’s going to have a huge year.
3. Derrick Simmons, DL
We heard some good things about Derrick Simmons this spring and that’s a carry-over from what we heard about the talented defensive linemen during his one year with Jonathan Smith.
Simmons played in just four games as a freshman and had two tackles so he can really only go up from here. I expect him to make a push for one of those starting jobs on the interior, and he’s going to be the next Derrick Harmon-type defensive lineman in East Lansing. Let’s just hope that, unlike Harmon, Simmons sticks around for his entire college career.
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