Losing Cam Edwards for the season was on every single Michigan State fan’s nightmare bingo card, but surely the worst-case scenario wouldn’t happen to the Spartans, right?
We all should have trusted our pessimism as the offense’s best weapon was just ruled out for the remainder of the year after suffering a leg injury on a low tackle against Nebraska. He was in obvious pain the minute he went down after the tackle and couldn’t put any weight on his leg. He returned after leaving on a cart with crutches and a massive boot.
The bad news waiting game came to an end on Monday when Pat Fitzgerald told the media that his star running back would miss the remainder of the year.
Now that we’ve all had a few hours to recover from that punch to the gut, it feels like a good time to take a look at who is going to have to be that “next man up”, as Fitzgerald loves to say.
Who will be Michigan State’s “next man up”?
In order after the Nebraska game, the “next man up” at running back probably looks like this:
- Jaz Patterson
- Marvis Parrish
- Brandon Tullis
- Zion Gist
- Jace Clarizio OR Kenneth Williams
Fortunately, this was the most loaded position group entering the season, so losing one guy shouldn’t change a ton. Although that “one guy” is Edwards who had proven to be the most explosive offensive weapon for the Spartans, Patterson looked really comfortable in his place and ran hard. He may have been the third option entering the season, but now he looks like the frontrunner to replace Edwards.
Patterson had just 54 yards on 16 carries, but all of those were hardfought yards against a really food Nebraska defensive front and he always fell forward. He also scored the Spartans’ lone touchdown.
Parrish is a guy who can be the “next man up” if he can shake off the slow start to his Michigan State career. He looked like a potential breakout star after averaging 5.4 yards per carry as a true freshman with Western Kentucky, but he’s only averaging 2.9 yards per touch with Michigan State. He’s going to get his opportunities, but he has to work on his pass blocking and he needs to hit the holes harder.
Tullis is the returning Spartan back that stuck around when Makhi Frazier left and even after Fitzgerald brought in all these transfers. He had a really strong 37-yard showing against Eastern Michigan but only carried the ball once for two yards against Nebraska. Fitzgerald praised him after that EMU performance, but it’s pretty clear where he stands in the pecking order.
As for the last spots, Gist is probably the fourth option seeing as he has the fourth-most carries (3) of the bunch and Clarizio is a former four-star from the 2025 class and a fan favorite when he committed. He’s stuck around for a reason, so maybe he’ll get a shot at some carries along with return specialist Kenneth Williams.
Who is the next man up? Patterson proved against Nebraska that it’s now his job to lose.
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