Michigan State’s defensive backfield has left a lot to be desired over the past few years and it really hasn’t been all that effective since Mark Dantonio was still running the show.
The ‘No Fly Zone’ became a popular term in East Lansing to describe Michigan State’s secondary in the prime of the Dantonio era but it quickly fell off when Mel Tucker was hired. The defense hasn’t been the same since 2019 and several coaching changes will do that.
Pat Fitzgerald, however, is ready to bring that ‘No Fly Zone’ back.
Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports wrote a post-spring Big Ten football recap and preview for the 2026 season and he broke down each team while also sharing who he believed would be the biggest breakout candidates in the conference.
Michigan State’s Tre Bell was the first name on his list.
"Bell emerged as a starter for Iowa State last season amid a wave of injuries in the secondary. He totaled 638 snaps across 12 games and eight starts. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder has continued his growth path in East Lansing, impressing the new Spartans staff. "Matt Zenitz, CBS Sports
Bell was also named the No. 17 cornerback transfer by 247Sports and comes to Michigan State after playing just one season of FBS football. He’s been a late-bloomer, but the talent is obvious.
Tre Bell is a feel-good success story
The Iowa State transfer began his career at Lindenwood after not being recruited much out of high school in 2022. He redshirted as a freshman, played in 10 games with four starts as a redshirt freshman, made some noise as a sophomore with a breakout game against Kansas, transferred to Iowa State in 2025 and took over as a starting cornerback in the Cyclones’ final eight games.
In that lone FBS season, Bell had 36 tackles, four tackles for loss, two interceptions, and two pass breakups. He was one of the conference’s surprise stars and he parlayed that into a Michigan State offer.
Bell will now be leading the Spartans’ cornerback room after somewhat of a mass exodus this offseason. The incoming duo of him and Charles Brantley (familiar face) will be better than people expect and I think Zenitz is onto something with his selection of Bell as a breakout candidate. He’s one of my top breakout candidates as well.
Going from redshirting at Lindenwood to being named a Big Ten breakout candidate in four years is something that needs to be talked about more.
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