Projecting defensive starters for Michigan State football in 2024

It’s almost that time again. Michigan State football is one month away and we are so close to finally getting to see what the team looks like under new head coach Jonathan Smith.

I must admit though, this season does feel weird for various reasons. The team doesn’t have any outlandish expectations as most fans probably want to make a bowl game. But we also expect the team to be much better and more well-coached than the previous staff. This is especially true when it comes to the guys on defense as the last three seasons have been some of the worst Michigan State defenses in quite some time.

Thankfully, I think Smith and his staff are up to the task.

This offseason by all accounts has been excellent so far, especially on defense. The new transfers are making a huge impact and the returning players are improving a lot.

But all of that makes predicting who the 11 starters will be this fall extremely difficult to do. That however is exactly what I’m about to do.

So strap in and see how many of these predictions you agree with and use this as a way to get to know some of the new transfers who will have a big impact on the field this season.

Note: I’ll also go over the two starters on special teams at the end of this post as well.