There are some new faces in East Lansing this season who are expected to do some big things. Pat Fitzgerald is one of those new faces, but he’s been raving about another all offseason.
Cam Edwards announced he’d be transferring to Michigan State in early January, much like a former Spartan running back legend who won the Doak Walker Award, and Fitzgerald already has some lofty expectations set for the projected RB1.
After practice on Monday, Fitzgerald spoke to the media and said that he has major expectations for his starting running back.
Fitz expects Edwards to be the best running back in college football.
Pat Fitzgerald: "I expect him (Cam Edwards) to be the best back in the country. There was a play yesterday where Devon Spalding and I looked at each other and I said, 'I'm good. Put him in bubble wrap till the season opener.'"
— Emmett Matasovsky (@E_Matasovsky57) August 17, 2026
Does that quote sound familiar? It almost sounds like there’s a Kenneth Walker III 2.0 in East Lansing this season. Fitzgerald wouldn’t set those expectations sky-high if he didn’t actually believe that the UConn transfer could become the nation’s top running back.
Mel Tucker shared similar sentiments about K9 back in 2021 before the season began. He was receiving rave reviews during the spring and fall camp and now so is Edwards.
Fitzgerald has fans expecting a Walker-like breakout season for the 1,000-yard rusher, and while that may not be totally fair to place all that pressure on one player’s shoulders, it goes to show just how talented everyone believes Edwards is.
Also, for the sake of history repeating itself, Edwards committed to Michigan State exactly five years and one day after Walker committed to the Spartans.
It would be nice if history repeated itself in this instance.
Cam Edwards is already forcing “shut him down” talk
When a coach wants to preserve certain players for the regular season and is even joking about shutting them down until the opener, you know that guy is going to be a star.
Fitzgerald and running backs coach Devon Spalding joking about wrapping Edwards in bubble wrap until the season is pretty funny, but they’re only half-joking about making sure they protect their prized offensive weapon until the season begins.
There’s probably not a single Spartan fan in existence who would fight against shutting Edwards down during practice until the season starts. With the way the injury bug likes to bite Michigan State football every single year, it would make sense for Edwards to avoid risking any injuries.
Michigan State looks to have gotten itself another running back gem via the transfer portal. Edwards was already receiving a ton of praise before he suited up for MSU, but now it’s tenfold.
The similarities are already there between Edwards and Walker:
- New coaching staff raving about him
- Both committed in the first week of January
- Similar size (Walker was 5-10, 210 pounds and Edwards is 5-11, 206 pounds)
- Explosive rushers who are tough to bring down
- Under-recruited
No one can say for sure that Edwards is K9 2.0, but the expectations are similar and the confidence that both backs had coming into Michigan State is infectious.
Now if Edwards scores a 75-yard touchdown on the first play of the season, we’ll have to really start considering him the second coming of K9.
The 2026 season can’t start soon enough.
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