MSU Names Scout Team Players of the Week Ahead of Indiana Game

Every week, Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith and his staff name some of the top-performing scout team players. This was something that they did last year and have continued to do this season.

This week, the work has to have been very challenging. The third-ranked Indiana Hoosiers have several different guys who are elite at their respective positions, including Heisman contender Fernando Mendoza.

Here are the players that MSU recognized this week:

LB Chris Piwowarcyzk

Piwowarczyk is a redshirt freshman linebacker who has not been able to see game action yet during the 2024 or 2025 seasons. His father was a four-year letterwinner for MSU under former head coach George Perles. Piwowarczyk was also a Scout Team Player of the Week during Week 3 prior to the Youngstown State game.

LB DiMari Malone

Malone is a true freshman linebacker who attended Dakota High School in Michigan. He was a three-star prospect and the 896th overall recruit in the class of 2025, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings, and had other Big Ten offers from Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois, and Rutgers.

RB Darrin Jones Jr.

Jones Jr. is another true freshman and a running back who attended Orchard Lake St. Mary's. This is the second time he has gotten scout team recognition, as he was named ahead of the Spartans' Week 4 game against USC.

DB George Mullins

This is the second time in three games that Mullins has made the select group, as he was recognized during Week 6 before the Nebraska game. Mullins was a three-star recruit who also had offers from Mississippi State and Illinois.

OL Drew Nichols

Getting recognized for the second time this year and for the first time since Week 1 is true freshman offensive lineman Drew Nichols. He was a three-star recruit out of Murrieta, California, who also had offers from SMU, Miami (FL), Minnesota, UCLA, and several others.

Tracking Scout Team Award Winners

Michigan State's head coach Jonathan Smith walks the sideline during the fourth quarter in the game against UCLA on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Week 1 vs. Western Michigan: WR Shawn Foster, DB Dorian Davis, DL Cal Thrush, EDGE Tyler Gillison, OL Drew Nichols

Week 2 vs. Boston College: TE Charlie Baker, OL Payton Stewart, DB Keshawn Williams, DB Deuce Edwards, DL Mikeshun Beeler

Week 3 vs. Youngstown State: WR Bryson Williams, WR Atticus Carridine, LB Chris Piwowarczyk, DB Dorian Davis, DB Evan Young, OL Antonio Johnson

Week 4 at USC: OL Justin Bell, DB Evan Young, DB Elisha West, RB Darrin Jones Jr.

Michigan State's Aidan Chiles prepares for the snap against UCLA during the first quarter on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Week 6 at Nebraska: TE Wyatt Hook, WR Nick Hardy, OL Antonio Johnson, DL Mikeshun Beeler, DB George Mullins

Week 7 vs. UCLA: QB Ryland Jessee, DL Cal Thrush, DB Deuce Edwards, LB DeJae White, OL Rashawn Rogers

Week 8 at Indiana: LB Chris Piwowarczyk, LB DiMari Malone, RB Darrin Jones Jr., DB George Mullins, OL Drew Nichols

Jonathan Smith patrols the sidelines during Michigan State's game at USC on Sept. 20, 2025. | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

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