Thursday marked the annual Big Ten Network stop in East Lansing for fall camp where the crew gets to take in a practice and give their thoughts on the upcoming Michigan State football season.
BTN studio host Dave Revsine has the most respected takes from this annual camp tour and it’s always interesting to see what he has say about the Spartans. He didn’t have a ton of good things to say over the past two years with Jonathan Smith in charge, but he pointed out a few things that stood out to him on Thursday.
Something that really stood out to him was actually what he called Michigan State’s biggest concern.
He noted that the defense has some star power with Jordan Hall and Kenny Soares, but he believes that the depth, especially up front, is probably the biggest concern for Michigan State entering the season. He’s not wrong.
Depth on defense - particularly up front - feels like biggest concern. Still - a group that has some star power - led by LB Jordan Hall (5) along with edge Kenny Soares pic.twitter.com/15go5aOip4
— Dave Revsine (@BTNDaveRevsine) August 13, 2026
Every Spartan fan can probably agree with Revsine here. Michigan State has been lacking defensive line depth and just depth as a whole on that side of the ball for years. Injuries have also crushed the defense for years, so not having a ton of depth could definitely be concerning.
There are some stars and budding stars, but an injury or two could derail the season.
Michigan State’s lack of depth is a major concern
Revsine hit the nail on the head: Michigan State just doesn’t have adequate depth.
There may be a lot of new faces and pieces that weren’t there a year ago who could help turn things around, but there just isn’t a ton in the way of depth to really make anyone feel good.
This is probably the thinnest that Michigan State has been at linebacker in years with guys like Hall, DiMari Malone, Brady Pretzlaff, Caleb Wheatland, DeJae White, Dion Crawford, Cam Stodghill, and Adam Shaw leading the way. The experience is more so from the transfer portal which could be a concern, especially with some guys coming from the Group of Five level.
As for the defensive line, the depth is there in numbers, but not in experience. Soares leads the way off the edge with guys like Trey Lisle, Keahnist Thompson, Anelu Lafaele, Isaac Smith, and Kekai Burnett leading the way. On the interior, it’s even thinner. Gone is Alex VanSumeren and replacing him are guys like Mikeshun Beeler, Ben Roberts, Eli Coenen, and a fan favorite in Derrick Simmons.
The secondary should be OK this season with Nikai Martinez, Tre Bell, Charles Brantley, Devin Vaught, Aveon Grose, Khalil Majeed, Caleb Gash, and Michael Richard all standing out.
There may be strength in numbers, but the proven depth is just not there yet.
Joe Rossi and Max Bullough have their work cut out for them.
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