3 Positions To Watch in MSU's Upcoming Spring Showcase
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The first round of practices of the Pat Fitzgerald era at Michigan State are almost complete.
Saturday is MSU's "Spring Showcase," which is set for noon ET at Spartan Stadium. Each team gets 15 spring practices each year. This will be practice No. 15 and the only one open to the public. These are a few things that I will be keeping an eye on:
Offensive Line Combinations
There are a few reasons this won't be a full-fledged "spring game," and some bumps on the offensive line are one of them. Even though that room isn't at full strength, it'll be interesting to see which five guys the team has out there during its "move the ball" scrimmage of about 75 plays.
The Spartans rebuilt their offensive line in the transfer portal this offseason. UConn offensive tackle transfer Ben Murawski, the projected left tackle, was Michigan State's top-ranked transfer addition at 204th overall, per On3.
Other portal additions include Georgia Southern offensive tackle transfer Robert Wright Jr., North Dakota State center transfer Trent Fraley, and South Carolina guard transfer Nick Sharpe.
MSU's top returners are offensive tackles Conner Moore and Rustin Young. It will be interesting to see if anyone got shifted over a spot, even if it's because of health issues.
Defensive Back Hierarchy
Another big question to be answered is where many of the defensive backs stand. Iowa State transfer Tre Bell will almost certainly be repping with the ones at cornerback, but someone else has to fill in the other gap, with Charles Brantley being limited.
Louisiana Tech transfer Michael Richard is the favorite to start at nickel. At safety, it'll probably be Nikai Martinez, but that other safety spot might be a battle between Aveon Grose and Maine transfer Devin Vaught.
Gauging RB Depth Chart
There are a lot of interesting options in the Spartans' backfield. UConn transfer Cam Edwards is the heavy favorite to be RB1, but it's a virtual free-for-all behind him. Brandon Tullis is back, but Iowa transfer Jaziun Patterson and Western Kentucky transfer Marvis Parrish can both also compete to be RB2.
It goes even deeper than that. Jace Clarizio and Zion Gist both help fill out the room, but kick return specialist Kenneth Williams, who transferred in from Nebraska, also is repping with the backs. How these guys run and what order they go in will be a very interesting clue as to where they all stand.
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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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