5 Bold Predictions for Michigan State Football's 2023 Season

Hey, Spartan Nation — Welcome to Game Week!

The long, dreaded offseason has reached its conclusion, and Michigan State's season-opener against Central Michigan is just days away. As we prepare for a new year of Spartans football, it's the perfect time for last-minute bold predictions for 2023.

Without further ado, lets get started:

1.) Michigan State will be Top 5 in the Big Ten in Rush Defense

The Spartans' defense has been a sore subject throughout head coach Mel Tucker's tenure in East Lansing. In the previous three seasons, MSU has finished no better than 10th in the Big Ten in points per game allowed.

With that being said, Michigan State had the fourth-best defense against the run in the conference in 2021, and I see the program getting back to that level this fall. The Spartans are loaded with talent at defensive tackle, and will rotate guys like Simeon Barrow, Derrick Harmon, Jalen Sami, Maverick Hansen and others throughout games. All that depth should keep guys fresh, and each of those guys boast a big, strong body. Running against the interior of Michigan State's defense should be very difficult for opponents.

The Spartans also boast excellent run-stuffers at linebacker in Cal Haladay, Jacoby Windmon, Aaron Brule and even true freshman Jordan Hall. Michigan State also has edge talent I like in Khris Bogle, Zion Young, Tunmise Adeleye and others. This amount of talent in the front seven should allow Michigan State to be very stout against the run in 2023.

2.) The Spartans finish in top-half of Big Ten in Rush Offense

On the surface, this may not seem like all that bold of a prediction, but you have to remember that Michigan State had the second-worst rush offense in the league last season.

Several problems led to MSU's inability to run the rock in 2022. The offensive line was below-average, and the Spartans' tight end room struggled in run blocking for much of the year as well. On top of that, it took time for Wisconsin transfer Jalen Berger to build chemistry with the offensive line, and Colorado transfer Jarek Broussard had a disappointing year.

I expect Michigan State's offense line to be improved in 2023, maybe not by a considerable margin, but improved nonetheless. I also think UConn transfer Nathan Carter is the real deal and is in for a highly productive season in East Lansing. Berger is back as well, and the Spartans should be better in short-yardage situations with South Florida transfer Jaren Mangham.

The key to this prediction will once again be Michigan State's tight ends. Through fall camp we've heard praise for Maliq Carr for the improvement and an increased dedication in run blocking. If that comes to fruition, that should help spring the Spartans' rush attack. Other tight ends outside of Carr will need to step up as well, be he's the guy who has the biggest opportunity to be a game-changer at that position.

3.) Michigan State will finish Regular Season at 7-5

Again, this doesn't sound all that bold, but the Spartans' over-under win total has been set at 5.5 wins by most betting sportsbooks, with that number juiced towards the under. (That means most sportsbooks expect five wins for MSU).

After incumbent starting quarterback Payton Thorne and top receiver Keon Coleman hit the transfer portal on April 30, I never would have expected to predict seven wins for the Spartans this fall. However, as you can see above, I think MSU has the ingredients to put together a solid campaign in 2023.

If they can be stout against the run defensively, and run the ball at a decent clip, the Spartans will be able to stay in most games they play this season. While minimal, a two-win improvement over last year's disappointing 5-7 season would indicate that Tucker has things trending back in the right direction.

4.) Either Noah Kim or Katin Houser will start every game

I don't have a good feel on who Michigan State will declare the starting quarterback this week, but I don't think the coaching staff wants to go back-and-forth between Kim and Houser.

While I expect both guys to play during the first two weeks of the year against Central Michigan and Richmond, I believe the coaches will choose their guy and stick with him throughout the 2023 season.

Obviously, the starter getting hurt would ruin this prediction, but that's not where my focus is. Rather, as you can see above, I expect Michigan State to have a better than expected season and, because of that, there's no reason to assume the Spartans are flip-flopping between the quarterbacks as the season goes on.

5.) MSU has 5 consensus All-Big Ten team selections

Last season, just two Spartans were consensus All-Big Ten team selections: Punter Bryce Baringer was named first team by the league's coaches and 2nd team by the league's media and linebacker Cal Haladay was a consensus second team selection.

Wide receivers Jayden Reed (2nd Team, Coaches) and Keon Coleman (3rd Team, Media) were not consensus selections. Reed, Coleman, center Nick Samac, guard J.D. Duplain, defensive tackles Jacob Slade and Simeon Barrow, and safety Xavier Henderson earned honorable mention, but were not named to All-Big Ten teams.

In 2023, I'm picking five Spartans to be named first, second or third team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media.

I see Haladay making All-Big Ten, and he'll be joined by fellow linebacker Jacoby Windmon, who likely would have been a selection last season if not for missing the final four games due to suspension. I also like two of MSU's defensive tackles to be named All-Big Ten, with Barrow, Harmon and Sami as the most likely choices.

Finally, I see at least one offensive player being named All-Big Ten for Michigan State. I'll go with Carr at tight end, but I wouldn't be shocked to see Carter earn a spot at running back. The Big Ten is loaded with running back talent however, so it'll be tough for Carter to crack the conference's Top 6 at that position.

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