Projecting offensive starters for Michigan State football in 2024

Left Guard: Luke Newman

Luke Newman is another transfer pickup for Jonathan Smith, this time from FCS level Holy Cross. Don’t let the FCS tag fool you, Newman is as legit as they come.

Newman is entering his fifth season in college after playing four seasons with Holy Cross. While at Holy Cross, he was named to the All-Patriot League first team three years in a row from 2021-2023. But to top it all off, he was a first team FCS All-American this past season.

Newman racked up 37 career starts at left tackle for Holy Cross over the last three seasons combined. This corresponds to every game they played in those three years, showing how durable he is.

Even though he played left tackle at Holy Cross, I’m going to slide him in at left guard as I think the speed and strength at the Big Ten level will take some adjusting to. Regardless of that though, this was a massive pickup for Smith and will immediately make the offensive line much better, which we all know Michigan State desperately needed.