Hate Week usually brings back some former players on both sides of the rivalry, and Michigan State football welcomed an extra special guest back to campus on Friday.
Jonathan Smith did a good job of teaching his team about the rivalry this year, compared to last season, by bringing in some former players and coaches to speak to the team about the importance of the yearly Michigan game.
Over the summer, Smith brought in guys like TJ Duckett and Ken Mannie, and this week, there were other big names stopping by campus to both inform and fire the team up for rivalry week.
Michigan State doesn’t need the motivation because the Spartans are already being looked at as major underdogs and they’re fighting for a bowl berth, to end the rivalry losing streak, and for the head coach’s job. There’s a lot on the line for the Spartans on Saturday night.
There was a big-time visitor in town on Friday night to speak to the team and share his version of the rivalry. That big-time visitor is Kenneth Walker III.
The rivalry game legend scored five touchdowns against the Wolverines back in 2021, which was the last time that the Spartans able to beat Michigan.
K9 IN THE HOUSE pic.twitter.com/pR3nlTmwIT
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) October 24, 2025
It’s good to see that Smith is pulling out all the stops to help motivate the team for Saturday night’s game and show them just how much this rivalry means to former players.
Jalen Thompson seemed to come away with a great take on the rivalry that Mark Dantonio famously told the team: the winners walk the streets of their hometown for life and the losers walk the alleys. These players are getting it now — let’s see if that resonates when the lights are on.