15 Most Important Michigan State Football Players in 2023, Spring Edition
Year 4 of the Mel Tucker era for Michigan State football is set to begin next week with the start of spring practice.
The Spartans are coming off a disappointing 5-7 campaign in 2022, and much of the momentum that the program built with an 11-2 record in 2021 has dissipated. With that being said, Tucker now has three of his own high school recruiting classes in the program, as well as multiple key transfers.
Without further ado, here are Michigan State Football's 15 most important players heading into 2023 spring practice, in reverse order:
1.) WR Keon Coleman (Jr.)
I wouldn't normally pick a wide receiver as the most important player on a football team. However, Keon Coleman is clearly Michigan State's best offensive talent and the Spartans need him to be special in 2023.
After getting his feet wet as a true freshman in 2021, Coleman burst on to the scene and led Michigan State in every major receiving statistic in 2022. Last year, the sophomore finished with 58 receptions for 798 yards and seven touchdowns.
At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, Coleman has the size to beat just about any corner in single coverage. He also has the speed and athleticism to blow by safeties. Coleman is a matchup nightmare, and Michigan State has to take advantage of that again in 2023.
2.) LB Darius Snow (R-Jr.)
Michigan State lost Darius Snow to a season-ending right leg injury in the first game of the 2022 season, and the impact of that loss was felt throughout the entire year.
Snow, who converted from a safety/nickelback to linebacker, would have easily been the Spartans' best pass-coverage linebacker and would have helped shore up MSU's pass defense in the middle of the field.
We haven't gotten an update on Snow's health status in quite some time, but hopefully he'll be fully healthy by the start of the 2023 season. If Snow is healthy, he'll play a big role for the Spartan defense this fall.
3.) QB Payton Thorne (R-Sr.)
Michigan State will conduct an open quarterback competition this spring, summer and fall but until someone supplants Payton Thorne as the starter, I'm going to operate under the impression that he will lead the Spartan offense next season.
After an excellent debut season at MSU's starter, Thorne did not take the expected "next step" last season. Michigan State's inability to run the football in 2022 was a major factor in Thorne's regression, but it also revealed the quarterback's limitations.
Priority No. 1 for the Spartans must be to improve the run game, but there are always going to be moments where your quarterback has to go win you a game. Thorne wasn't that kind of guy last season. Can he be that in 2023?
4.) QB Katin Houser (R-Fr.)
It might seem strange to have two quarterbacks among the "15 Most Important" players on football team but, remember, this is the "Spring Edition" of these rankings.
Houser, a former four-star prospect, is a more physically-gifted quarterback than incumbent starter Payton Thorne. Is that talent enough to overcome the upperclassmen's experience? We'll find out over the next several months.
Even if Houser does not overtake Thorne for the starting job, the redshirt freshman will push the redshirt senior to be better. The Spartans' depth at quarterback is a rare commodity these days in college football.
5.) LB Jacoby Windmon (R-Sr.)
Jacoby Windmon transferred to Michigan State from UNLV in December 2021, and immediately became the Spartans' best defensive player in 2022 and another home run transfer portal addition by head coach Mel Tucker.
Despite missing the final four games of the regular season due to suspension, Windmon led the nation in forced fumbles (6) and led the team in sacks (5.5). He was also MSU's sixth-leading tackler (49) and added three pass breakups, a fumble recovery and an interception.
Windmon's versatility was a huge asset for the Spartans a year ago, as he played both defensive end and linebacker depending on what Michigan State needed on a particular week. At the start of spring camp, Tucker said that Windmon has been moved back to linebacker for the upcoming 2023 season.
6.) OL Keyshawn Blackstock (Jr.)
As we mentioned above, priority No. 1 for Michigan State's offense needs to be improving the run game. The Spartans ranked 111th out of 131 FBS programs with 113 rushing yards per game, and tied for 88th in yards per carry (3.76).
You have to give your quarterback more support than that.
Enter four-star JUCO transfer offensive lineman Keyshawn Blackstock, one of the most important additions to the Spartans' roster in 2023. Coming over from Coffeyville Community College in Kansas, Blackstock has starting experience at tackle and will bring needed depth at a huge position of need for MSU.
At 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, Blackstock comes to East Lansing ready to play right away. Placing him at No. 6 on this list might be a little high, considering he still has to win a starting position, but if he's another one of those big-time portal additions we've grown to expect from Tucker, it would be a huge step in improving the Spartans' offense.
7.) CB Charles Brantley (Jr.)
Michigan State's much-maligned secondary has faced heavy criticism over the last couple of seasons, with good reason. But this unit does have some intriguing pieces, if the coaching staff can figure out how to put them together and use them properly.
One of those pieces is junior cornerback Charles Brantley, a hard-hitting DB who led Michigan State with six pass breakups. He was also the only Spartan defensive back to record an interception in 2022.
At 6-feet and 165 pounds, Brantley packs a wallop for such a small guy. If he can add some more weight to his frame while maintain his speed and athleticism, that would be a benefit for MSU. There's going to be a lot of competition for starting spots and roles among the Spartans' secondary this offseason, but there's a good bet that Brantley will start at corner in 2023.
8.) WR Tre Mosley (R-Sr.)
As the No. 3 receiving option for Michigan State in each of the last two seasons, Tre Mosley had 70 receptions for 889 yards and seven touchdowns. Those are pretty darn good numbers for a No. 3 wide receiver.
Now, with the departure of Jayden Reed, Mosley becomes MSU's No. 2 guy behind Keon Coleman.
Mosley will be a steady, reliable option for whoever Michigan State starts at quarterback in 2023. He's got good route-running skills, and he's a big target at 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds. Mosley will benefit from the attention that Coleman will draw from opposing defenses, and he should improve upon the already solid numbers he put up over the last two years.
9.) DL Derrick Harmon (R-So.)
Michigan State's defensive line could be the team's deepest and most-talented unit in 2023. That's a pretty crazy turn of events considering the amount of attrition and shuffling that went on along the D-line last season.
Last year, as a redshirt freshman, Derrick Harmon revealed himself to be a "diamond in the rough" recruiting win for the Spartans. A low-end three-star recruiting coming out of high school in 2021, Harmon earned a spot in MSU's two-deep at defensive tackle last season and became a starter after Jacob Slade struggled with injury a year ago.
Harmon was arguable Michigan State's best run-stuffer on the interior last season, and that should only continue to get better as he enters his third season in East Lansing this fall. The Spartans have to get back to stopping the run on first and second downs, and give their secondary a shot at getting off the field by putting opponents in third-and-longs. Harmon will play a big role in that.
10.) C Nick Samac (5th-Sr.)
Michigan State has much better depth at offensive line in 2023 than it did this time a year ago, but the Spartans still need certain guys to rise above the rest and cement themselves as starters.
One guy who's already done that is starting center Nick Samac, who is a lock to start once again for MSU in 2023. The fifth-year senior is one of Michigan State's best and most experienced offensive lineman, and he'll be tasked with organizing the rest of the unit at the point of attack.
There's reason for optimism that the Spartans' O-line will take a step forward in 2023, and having a guy like Samac to lead the way is encouraging.
11.) DL Tunmise Adeleye (R-So.)
Michigan State has made some splashes in the transfer portal since Tucker took over the program, most notably Kenneth Walker III in 2021 and Jacoby Windmon in 2022.
While those two guys flew under the radar prior to the start of the season, Texas A&M transfer Tunmise Adeleye is probably the most prolific transfer addition that Tucker has brought in during his tenure. A former Top 50 prospect in the 2021 class, Adeleye redshirted during his first season with the Aggies before playing in just three games in 2022 and choosing to enter the transfer portal.
Adeleye is the type of out-of-region, high profile prospect that Michigan State has struggled to land in high school recruiting. He was once considered a five-star prospect. The Spartans now get a second chance with him, and if Adeleye plays up to his potential this will be another massive transfer portal victory for Tucker.
12.) LB Cal Haladay (R-Jr.)
Since he first stepped on to the field as a redshirt freshman in 2021, Cal Haladay has been a tackling machine for the Spartans. He was second on the team that year in total tackles (89), before leading Michigan State in tackles a year ago (120).
An overlooked, three-star recruit coming out of high school, Haladay was one of the last "hidden gem" recruits from the Mark Dantonio era.
He's limited in pass coverage, but Haladay thrives as a run-stuffer in the Spartans' defense. Michigan State has a wide variety of options at linebacker for the 2023 season, but it will be difficult to keep Haladay off the field.
13.) OL J.D. Duplain (5th-Jr.)
Another shoo-in to start along the offensive line, left guard J.D. Duplain brings a ton of experience back to Michigan State with 35 starts under his belt, including every game over the past two seasons.
That kind of reliability and availability has been rare for the Spartans on the offensive front, as MSU has dealt with several injuries and a lot of attrition along the O-line over the last two seasons.
The biggest key for a Michigan State turnaround in 2023 is better play from its offensive line, and Duplain will be a major part of that alongside Samac. Finding the three other guys who give the Spartans' the best chance to win is critical for coach Chris Kapilovic.
14.) TE Maliq Carr (R-Jr.)
We're approaching "put up or shut up" time for redshirt junior tight end Maliq Carr. We've heard about the 6-foot-5, 245-pounder's size, speed and athleticism for the last two years, and it's time for him to put it together and become the receiving mismatch he's been made out to be.
Carr has put up modest numbers over the past two seasons with 24 receptions for 344 yards and two touchdowns. What has kept the redshirt junior from consistently being on the field is that he's a sub-par blocker as a tight end.
Michigan State has a mantra it uses with its tight ends: "No block, no rock." If Carr shows more of a willingness to block in 2023, there's no doubt that he's the Spartans' best receiving threat at the position. We need to see it all come together for Carr this season. No more excuses.
15.) RB Nathan Carter (R-So.)
Michigan State is wide open at the running back position heading into 2023. Last offseason, the Spartans brought in Wisconsin transfer Jalen Berger and Colorado transfer Jarek Broussard. They, along with Elijah Collins, split carries throughout last season.
It didn't work very well. As mentioned above, Michigan State was one of the worst rushing teams in the country. This offseason, Broussard declared for the draft and Collins transferred out of the program. That leaves Berger as the only MSU back who took significant carries a year ago.
Michigan State went the transfer portal route again to try to find a spark at tailback, this time bringing in UConn transfer Nathan Carter and South Florida transfer Jaren Mangham.
In my opinion, Carter is going to be the lead back for MSU in 2023. He's fast, he's shifty and has good vision. It's a good sign that he's already been made available at a spring press conference this month as well.
Carter is not going to be Kenneth Walker, but he could provide some teeth to Michigan State's rushing attack again.
