With yet another NFL Draft in the books, Michigan State football has seen nearly a half-dozen Spartans make way for a professional career. However, in recent years, two positions have translated best from East Lansing to the NFL: running back and wide receiver.
From Le’Veon Bell to Javon Ringer to LJ Scott to Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State has a tendency to lean on the ground-and-pound approach.
So with Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams and Nate Carter signing undrafted free agent deals, let’s take a look at how former Spartan runners have fared in the NFL this century.
Kenneth Walker III
It is only fitting to begin with what many would consider the biggest name on this list. In just one season in Spartan green, Kenneth Walker III ran for 1,636 yards and 18 touchdowns en route to being named Walter Camp Player of the Year for his contributions. Additionally, the Wake Forest transfer led Michigan State to an 11-win season (amassing nearly 200 rushing yards and five touchdowns against Michigan) and an appearance in the 2021 Peach Bowl against Pittsburgh.
Due to his blend of speed and strength, Walker III became one of the biggest risers during the 2022 NFL Draft process. He was ultimately the second running back selected, being taken in the second round (No. 41) overall by the Seattle Seahawks.
Walker III ran for a career-high 1,050 yards and nine touchdowns in his rookie season. However, he has yet to play a full 17 games in a season, as his 2024 campaign ended early due to a high-ankle sprain. He’s been fantastic when he is on the field, but the injury history (only 11 games played in 2024) has been the biggest roadblock in reaching superstar status.
LJ Scott
In the heyday of Michigan State football’s excellence was LJ Scott. The former top-100 recruit ran for a career-high 11 touchdowns as a freshman and scored the game-winning touchdown to send the Spartans to their first and only College Football Playoff.
He followed that up with 994 and 898 rushing yards in the next two seasons, respectively. As a senior, Scott’s campaign was derailed by injury, failing to reach the end zone after appearing in five games.
Scott went undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft and signed with the Cleveland Browns as a free agent. His NFL stint was short-lived, as Scott was waived and retired from football just two days later, never suiting up on Sundays.
Jeremy Langford
Jeremy Langford was a rare late bloomer for Mark Dantonio and MSU due to the presence of Le'Veon Bell (who will be featured later in this article). But once Langford obtained the starting job, he broke out, emerging as one of the most dangerous running backs in the Big Ten.
Langford ran for a combined 40 touchdowns in 2014 and 2015 and eclipsed 1,400 rushing yards in both seasons. The Wayne, Mich., native also ran for 167 yards and three scores in the 2015 Cotton Bowl against Baylor in what would be his final collegiate game.
The Spartan star was drafted in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft, being selected No. 106 overall by the Chicago Bears. Langford posted 537 rushing yards and six touchdowns as a rookie and opened 2016 as Chicago’s RB1 until he got hurt, and was released in September of 2017.
Langford bounced around practice squads for the Ravens, Jets, and Dolphins before signing with the Falcons’ practice squad in 2018, where he appeared in one game. He last played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2020-2021.
Le’Veon Bell
After arriving on campus as a two-star recruit, Le'Veon Bell improved every season under Dantonio. In his lone season as a full-time starter, the Ohio native ran for 1,793 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior before declaring for the 2013 NFL Draft. Bell ranks second only to Lorenzo White (2,066 in 1985) in MSU program history in rushing yards in a single season.
Bell was drafted in the second round (No. 48 overall) by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and was the second running back selected. After taking hold of the starting job at the end of his rookie season, Bell burst onto the scene, rushing for a career-best 1,361 yards in 2014. But like Walker, injuries and off-field issues got the better of Bell, and 2014 would mark the only time he played in a full 16-game season.
Bell infamously held out of playing during the 2018 season due to contract negotiations and would later sign a four-year, $52.5 million contract with the New York Jets. After only spending a little over season in the Big Apple, he was released before encountering short stints in Baltimore, Kansas City, and Tampa Bay.
The former All-Big Ten runner last played in three games at the end of 2021 with the Buccaneers and is now a professional boxer.
T.J. Duckett
The younger brother of Tico Duckett, T.J. Duckett quickly made his mark in green and white, averaging over five yards per carry in all three of his collegiate seasons. As a sophomore and junior however, Duckett rattled off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, and scored a combined 20 touchdowns during this span.
The Kalamazoo native was regarded as one of the best running backs in the 2002 NFL Draft class, and became the second running back drafted when the Atlanta Falcons selected him No. 18 overall. Duckett ran for a career-high 779 yards and 11 scores as a sophomore, but was not much more than a goal line back.
While Duckett eclipsed eight or more touchdowns on four occasions, he was mainly a backup throughout his NFL career. After short stints in Washington and Detroit, the Seahawks signed Duckett to a five-year contract which only lasted a year, and he retired in 2009 after seven seasons.
After retiring, Duckett started multiple nonprofit organizations, including the Printing King in 2012 and New World Flood in 2017, which helps teach kids about community service.
Javon Ringer
Last but most certainly not least; the man who remains the Spartan all-time leader in all-purpose yards. Ringer averaged nearly seven yards per carry as a freshman before amassing 1,447 rushing yards and six scores as a junior, but his senior season saw him emerge as one of the nation’s most explosive offensive players. He ran for 1,637 yards and reached the end zone 22 times, and Ringer was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year, all while playing on a torn lateral meniscus.
The knee injury required surgery, which hindered Ringer’s combine performance and saw him fall to the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft, where he was selected No. 173 overall by the Tennessee Titans.
Ringer ran for just 486 yards and four scores in four seasons in Tennessee, as he only appeared in 37 games due to injury. He went unsigned after his rookie contract expired and never played in the NFL again. He now serves as the assistant director of football operations at Toledo.