Is there a more bitter rivalry in sports than Michigan State football and injuries? The Spartans seem to be fighting this battle to the bitter end every single season, and it usually doesn’t go Michigan State’s way. This is a one-sided rivalry these days.
Already this season, Luka Vincic has been ruled out for the season, and Alante Brown was given a long-term injury prognosis by Jonathan Smith a couple of weeks ago.
Now, another Spartans has been ruled out for the rest of the season, and it comes at a position that was ravaged in Week 4 by both injuries and an ejection.
The linebacker room just got a lot thinner on Monday as Smith announced that Brady Pretzlaff would miss the remainder of the season after suffering an injury. He didn’t travel to USC, but there was no word on how serious it was — until now.
Jonathan Smith said second-string Mike LB Brady Pretzlaff is out for the season with the injury. The nature of the injury was not disclosed.
— Jim Comparoni (@JimComparoni) September 29, 2025
Pretzlaff surprisingly did not make the trip to USC, and now has been ruled out for the year.
Tough break for the team and the…
Pretzlaff was raved about during the preseason, and teammates were excited to see him put everything out on the field after a tremendous offseason. Unfortunately, the redshirt freshman linebacker wasn’t able to remain healthy, and he’ll have to hope to be full-strength by next season.
Smith didn’t reveal what the injury was, but it’s a tough blow to a unit that had already lost Wayne Matthews III (still unsure for how long) and Jordan Hall against USC.
We saw how that worked out with three linebackers out.
The defense has already been a disappointment this season, but losing key players at a position of strength on that side of the ball is only going to make things tougher.