Five Players MSU Must Keep for 2026, No Matter What
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Michigan State football is hurtling towards a turbulent offseason. Standing at 3-7 overall and 0-7 in Big Ten play with two games left, there is no remote guarantee that head coach Jonathan Smith will be on the MSU sideline when the Spartans face Toledo on Sept. 5, 2026.
Whether Smith is fired or retained, it is a near certainty that Michigan State's roster will look different next season. The Spartans took in 24 players from the transfer portal this past offseason, and this year's intake would likely be higher if MSU makes a coaching change.
However, what can be just as important as acquiring good players from other schools is retaining the talent that already resides in East Lansing.
Whether it's Smith or somebody else potentially trying to convince them otherwise, it's key for Michigan State's hopes for a big turnaround next year that these five players stick around:
QB Alessio Milivojevic
One of the best ways to raise a team's ceiling is to have a great quarterback. MSU is haunted a little bit by the success that Sam Leavitt is having at Arizona State, who led the Sun Devils to the CFP last season, and the success of Katin Houser at East Carolina, who is 12th nationally in passing yards.
Both of those quarterbacks transferred out following the hiring of Smith. Leavitt reportedly had some hard feelings for Smith, since he's from Oregon, and Smith never offered him, instead recruiting and getting Aidan Chiles.
Milivojevic has now gotten two starts, and it looks like the best path forward for MSU at QB would be him.
He's played pretty well despite some poor offensive line play, and he will still have three years of eligibility remaining following the season. Chiles is only going to have one.
WR Nick Marsh
Another key step will be to keep the guy to whom Milivojevic will be throwing the most: wide receiver Nick Marsh.
He hasn't necessarily made the massive freshman-to-sophomore leap into a dominant WR1 that many hoped for, but Marsh is still clearly uber-talented and on a trajectory to declare for the NFL Draft following his junior season in 2026.
Marsh is also from Detroit, which should help keep him close to home.
Somewhat selfishly, it would also stink for Spartan fans to see another Keon Coleman situation, where a receiver plays in East Lansing for two years, develops under the tutelage of wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins, and then goes elsewhere for one season before reaching the NFL.
LB Jordan Hall
Retaining linebacker Jordan Hall is absolutely crucial for next season, too. He's been the leader of Michigan State's defense this year, which started slow, but has definitely gotten better as the season has drawn on.
Hall leads the Spartans with 74 total tackles this season and is the second-highest-graded player on MSU's defense, only behind fellow linebacker Wayne Matthews III.
This type of situation is also not new to Hall. Mel Tucker was fired during his freshman season, and, obviously, he decided to stay in East Lansing.
The question is whether Hall would be willing to stick around for a second time during a four-year career. Next season will be Hall's senior year, and it would be tough to blame him if he decides he'd like to go somewhere else where winning is a more likely possibility.
CB Aydan West
One younger player who has shown his potential this season is true freshman Aydan West, who has started two games this year. He was one of the best gets in Michigan State's 2025 recruiting class, with West sticking with his commitment despite some late pushes from Ohio State and Virginia Tech.
With three years of eligibility remaining and so much time and room to grow, keeping West around would be huge for the Spartans' defense in '26 and beyond.
EDGE Anelu Lafaele
Another young player who has shown potential is redshirt freshman Anelu Lafaele, who will have three years of eligibility remaining after this season.
He's done for the season with a foot injury and has not played since the Nebraska game, but he did well with the snaps he had. Lafaele recorded sacks during the Western Michigan and Youngstown State games and is still tied for second on the team in sacks.
MSU's coaching staff has also raved about the motor that Lafaele has and the energy he brings. They got him out of the transfer portal this past offseason after he redshirted at Wisconsin in 2024.
With some more development, particularly as a run defender, Lafaele can become a really good player to have on the exterior of a defensive line.
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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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