Former Michigan State football players have been on NFL preseason rosters throughout the past month, but unfortunately, now is the time when teams make cuts to get down to that 53-man limit.
Unfortunately, that means a lot of Spartans will be without homes in the next couple of weeks.
So far, we've already seen a few Spartans cut this preseason as guys like Ameer Speed, Montorie Foster Jr., Matt Sokol, and Kenny Willekes have all failed to make 53-man rosters, but another former Michigan State star was added to the list on Monday.
The New Orleans Saints announced their round of roster cuts, and former Michigan State defensive lineman Mike Panasiuk was unfortunately listed.
Saints released/waived:
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) August 25, 2025
RB Cam Akers
P James Burnip
WR Roderick Daniels
WR Moochie Dixon
DE Jasheen Davis
DE Jeremiah Martin
DE Omari Thomas
OT Josiah Ezirim
OT Jonathan Mendoza
TE Seth Green
TE Michael Jacobson
G Kyle Hergel
G Mike Panasiuk
LB Tyreem Powell
You might be confused as to why Panasiuk is listed as a guard on this list, and that's because he actually made a position switch at the professional level. The former four-star defensive lineman from the 2016 recruiting class played on that side of the ball throughout his four-year Michigan State career, but when he graduated, his future was brighter on offense, per his coaches.
Panasiuk didn't catch on in the NFL as he would have liked, but he was a star in the UFL. He was dominant enough to get a look in the NFL this preseason, but the Saints let him go on Monday.
While there's still a good chance that he makes a practice squad this season to provide depth just in case a player along the offensive line gets injured and has to head to the IR, Panasiuk is likely headed back to the UFL where he will have no problem getting work.
Like Willekes, Panasiuk almost made the rare UFL-to-NFL jump this offseason.