3 Tactical Changes To Expect From Michigan State This Year
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Things should look different for Michigan State football this coming year.
The Spartans have a new head coach, a pretty new roster, and a mostly new coaching staff. Lots of changes have come off the field, but what happens on the field is what ultimately matters most. Here are a few tactical changes to expect from MSU this year:
More Focus on Running the Ball
I think you'll see Michigan State try to establish itself as a run-first offense this coming year. The reason for that isn't necessarily the switch from Brian Lindgren to Nick Sheridan as offensive coordinator, but more a matter of personnel.
Firstly, MSU has a largely unproven quarterback. I still think Alessio Milivojevic will surprise some people this season, similar to how he surprised me during his four starts last fall, but I doubt we will see him immediately rise to the level where the Spartans airing it out every play would feel wise.
It has more to do with Michigan State's offensive line and its running backs. MSU has at least four running backs who should get some carries this year. That group is led by UConn transfer Cam Edwards, who ran for 1,240 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.
The Spartans also brought in Marvis Parrish, Western Kentucky's RB1 last year, and Jaziun Patterson, Iowa's RB2 last year. MSU also kept Brandon Tullis, who was the RB2 for much of the 2025 season in East Lansing.
The offensive line should have some decent run blockers, too. Ben Murawski is the most notable addition in that regard. His 86.4 run-blocking grade on PFF was the fifth-best mark among all offensive tackles in the FBS last year. Edwards averaged 8.0 yards per carry while running into either gap adjacent to Murawski at UConn last year.
The main question is just how much Michigan State will be able to maintain its identity. Losing teams need to throw the ball more often, so the Spartans staying within arm's reach of their opponents is how they can prevent the offense from becoming predictable and/or one-dimensional.
More Trick Plays/Creativity
One thing I wasn't a huge fan of with Lindgren's offense was that it never felt all that creative. I don't know exactly how many trick plays Michigan State ran in the previous two seasons, but the number is almost certainly pretty low.
I think Sheridan is going to change that. MSU probably won't start running trick plays like the Detroit Lions with Ben Johnson, but I think there will be some more misdirection and some additional funky stuff.
Any trickery the Spartans pull out this fall will most likely flow through tight end Carson Gulker. He's going to be a headache for other teams to game-plan for because of this possibility. Gulker was a quarterback, running back, and tight end at different points in his career at Ferris State.
It's an inevitability that he will be given the chance to throw once in a while this season, and there will be plenty of other uses for him as an H-back or as a receiving threat at tight end.
More Aggressive in Coverage
Figuring out changes on defense may be a little trickier, as defensive coordinator Joe Rossi was retained. One adjustment I think Rossi will make this coming year is to be more aggressive on the back end.
Some of this is reliant on the pass rush. Michigan State hasn't been good enough at that part of the game for a few years, although I was surprised to see the Spartans were tied for 10th in the Big Ten with 16 sacks during conference play last season. I do have some optimism regarding improvement there with rush ends Kenny Soares Jr. and Anelu Lafaele, defensive end Keahnist Thompson, and linebackers Jordan Hall, Caleb Wheatland, and Dion Crawford.
If MSU can consistently apply pressure, that's where the secondary can come into play. Michigan State has a fair number of players there who can be ball hawks. The Spartans' five projected starting defensive backs are probably Charles Brantley (corner), Tre Bell (corner), Michael Richard (nickel), Nikai Martinez (free safety), and Devin Vaught (strong safety).
Bell is the only player in that group who hasn't had a three-interception season before, and he still had two last year at Iowa State. MSU needs to generate more takeaways this year. Last year's team only had nine, tied for the sixth-fewest in the country. I think Rossi will be a little more willing to take some chances this coming year to get that number up.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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