Michigan State’s first fall camp under Pat Fitzgerald is coming to a close this week and it’s officially time to start ramping up to game preparation before next Friday’s kickoff against Toledo.
The Spartans have a better idea of what the depth chart should look like and each position group is taking shape. There isn’t a ton of proven depth on this year’s team, but if Fitzgerald can coach the Spartans into a bowl berth, it will be one of his best coaching jobs yet.
So without further ado, let’s rank every Michigan State position group ahead of the season.
8. Defensive Line
This one should come as no surprise given the fact that the defensive line has been a nightmare for the past few years. There really hasn’t been much of a pulse up front, and losing Jalen Thompson and Alex VanSumeren is going to hurt. Kenny Soares Jr. is there to ease that pain as arguably the best defensive lineman and Ben Roberts and Derrick Simmons could have big years. There’s a lot of young talent here, but not a ton of proven talent.
7. Secondary
Cornerbacks and safeties could have been divided into two different categories, but seeing as they’re both on the same page of having very little depth, this felt right. Charles Brantley is back to start at corner which is an upgrade over last year and Tre Bell, too, is going to be really good after transferring in from Iowa State. Nikai Martinez, Devin Vaught, and Michael Richard are a solid trio of safeties but behind them, there’s not much to speak of. The depth here is concerning which is why the secondary is this low. The starters could be very good, though.
6. Tight End
There’s an argument to be made that tight ends should be ranked higher, but until someone steps up and proves themselves, there’s nothing to really put them in the top five yet. Jayden Savoury is a premier breakout candidate, Carson Gulker is a Swiss army knife-type weapon, and Brennan Parachek is a veteran presence who could finally live up to his four-star status from his recruiting days. There is depth here which is why it’s ahead of the secondary, but there’s not a ton of career production.
5. Wide Receiver
The receivers could be the biggest movers on this list by the end of the season because there’s so much potential but right now, that’s all it is. Chrishon McCray is going to have a big year and he might become Michigan State’s first 1,000-yard receiver since Jayden Reed in 2021, Rod Bullard Jr. is going to bring some speed to the position after getting another year, and I’m super bullish on Bryson Williams as a potential WR3 at some point. Fredrick Moore and KK Smith transferred in to help out and Braylon Collier, Charles Taplin, and Samson Gash are all young guys with loads of potential.
4. Linebacker
While the linebackers are in a similar position to the defensive backfield in terms of depth, Jordan Hall leading the way is the difference. He’s one of the best linebackers in the country and in a 4-2-5, having half of the starting linebackers at an All-Big Ten level is more than acceptable. Brady Pretzlaff is a breakout candidate, DiMari Malone, Adam Shaw, and DeJae White are all young guys who could develop into stars, and Dion Crawford, Cam Stodghill, and Caleb Wheatland all bring experience to the table. This group has a perfect mix of vets and younger guys.
3. Offensive Line
You were probably wondering when you were going to finally see the offensive line on this list, and I have them ranked a bit higher than most experts would. That’s simply because Nick Tabacca is an excellent coach and he has some quality depth up front — that’s something Michigan State hasn’t been able to say since Mark Dantonio. Ben Murawski, Trent Fraley, and Conner Moore are All-Big Ten candidates and Nick Sharpe and Rakeem Johnson could surprise some people. Don’t sleep on Robert Wright Jr., Rustin Young, AJ Dennis, Luka Vincic, and Collin Campbell who could all rotate in. Fans should be thrilled about this group entering the season.
2. Quarterback
A sign of a healthy quarterback room is depth. If the starter goes down, the backups need to ensure that there’s not a massive drop-off in production and effectiveness. Michigan State should have that this season with veteran FAU transfer Cam Fancher as well as stud freshman Kayd Coffman and second-year quarterback Leo Hannan. Fitzgerald feels good about all four guys, but Milivojevic is an underrated starter who’s going to be much better than experts are projecting.
1. Running Back
And here we are at No. 1. Are you surprised? Michigan State’s running back room got a massive upgrade this season and will feature 1,000-yard UConn transfer Cam Edwards who already has a personal goal of being the best rusher in college football. Behind him is budding star Marvis Parrish who came over from Western Kentucky, Jaziun Patterson who transferred in from Iowa, Brandon Tullis who’s returning after splitting starting carries last season, and both Zion Gist and Jace Clarizio are intriguing second-year guys who are patiently waiting their turn. That’s not even counting Kenneth Williams who was an All-Big Ten return specialist for Nebraska last season. This group is loaded.
It’ll be interesting to see how this power ranking changes throughout the season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google