3 Key Duos Michigan State Football Will Rely on in 2026
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Michigan State has a few duos that will be huge for its level of success this fall.
With 62 new players on the team this year, there are a lot of variables at play here. That's why five of the six players in these duos weren't on the team last year. See each duo below:
Kenny Soares Jr. & Anelu Lafaele
The rush end position is quietly becoming a pretty interesting group for MSU this year. NC State transfer Kenny Soares Jr., who is converting from linebacker, was awarded the team's No. 1 jersey after his teammates voted him as "The Spartan." Soares only has 3.0 career sacks, but the coaching staff seems high on what they've seen from him as a pass rusher. He was supposed to move to EDGE at NC State, but the Wolfpack moved him back to linebacker after some injuries.
Returnee Anelu Lafaele is also hardly a traditional "backup." He only got 68 total defensive snaps during his first year with the program after transferring from Wisconsin, but Lafaele got a pair of sacks and a forced fumble during his time there. He would've been Michigan State's leading sack-getter had he not gotten hurt in the fifth game of the year against Nebraska.
"That's another guy where you gotta put a rope around him, and you gotta hold that guy back," defensive coordinator Joe Rossi said when I asked about Lafaele this past Monday. "He's been great. Haven't had a worry. He's going a thousand miles an hour... I'm excited to have him back. He was flashing, doing some good things for us last year, was injured, kind of a freak thing. We're happy to have him back."
MSU hopes the two of them can help solve the program's recent pass-rushing woes. The Spartans' 22 sacks last season were tied for the third-fewest in the Big Ten, and nobody on the team had more than 2.5. The year before that, Michigan State had just 19, and there was a pretty humiliating six-game streak where it didn't get one.
Charles Brantley & Tre Bell
Michigan State also got both of its starting cornerbacks this year from the transfer portal. One of the biggest coups of the offseason was the Spartans taking advantage of an opportunity to bring back Charles Brantley, who transferred from MSU to Miami (FL) following an exceptional 2024 season. Brantley played in only three games for the Hurricanes, though, which allowed him to redshirt and enter the portal again.
Tre Bell was another one of Michigan State's better additions. He started eight games at Iowa State last year and had a pair of interceptions for the Cyclones. This was also after never having been a full-time starter across three seasons at FCS Lindenwood, a testament to the job cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat did with him in Ames.
MSU's secondary took a step back last year without Brantley (and with starting safety Nikai Martinez out for most of the year). The Spartans allowed 231.3 passing yards per game during the 2025 season, ranking 92nd in the FBS. Even with a horrendous pass rush in 2024, Michigan State's pass defense ranked 46th in the FBS (206.9 yards per game) when it had Brantley, a serviceable CB2 in Ed Woods, and Martinez.
Having two proven Power Four corners during the first year of a rebuild isn't something to be taken for granted. Rossi is hoping to get the best year yet out of Brantley, and Bell's steady, upward career trajectory is a nice green flag.
Cam Edwards & Marvis Parrish
MSU's backfield also has a pair of very intriguing transfers. The Spartans could easily go four deep on a weekly basis with UConn transfer Cam Edwards, Western Kentucky transfer Marvis Parrish, Iowa transfer Jaziun Patterson, and Brandon Tullis.
Edwards has been the clear RB1 since he committed to Michigan State during the winter. His 1,240 yards and 15 touchdowns from last year are a level of production nobody else can match. Parrish seems to be emerging as MSU's second option, though.
Parrish was one of my favorite transfer additions during the winter. He's got four years of eligibility again with the NCAA's new 5-in-5 rule. Parrish had 779 scrimmage yards as a true freshman at WKU last year (576 rushing, 203 receiving).
Pat Fitzgerald singled out Parrish at the start of fall camp as somebody who has improved his body a lot this offseason. He's listed at 209 pounds on the Spartans' roster, which is a big jump from the 196-pound frame he had while playing for Western Kentucky last season.
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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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