3 Veteran MSU Players Who Will Set Tone This Season

Michigan State football will rely a ton on some of its veteran players this coming season.

This season, the first under head coach Pat Fitzgerald, is an opportunity to set the tone for Fitzgerald's reign in East Lansing as a whole. These three players will play some particularly important roles this coming year:

WR Chrishon McCray

Wide receiver is one of the biggest question marks for MSU right now. Fitzgerald is anticipating up to seven or eight receivers to get playing time this year. None of the options in the room are entirely proven, but the closest thing to it is Chrishon McCray. He's back for his second season with the program after transferring in from Kent State. He caught 24 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns in 2025.

McCray's role should become more important this season. He'll be a starter again this year, but McCray could end up being Alessio Milivojevic's favorite target. That's what it looked like back in April during the spring game, at least. It feels like another receiver, or two, is bound to emerge at some point, but it may be up to McCray to make things happen in the passing game sometimes.

DT Ben Roberts

Interior defensive line depth is one of the major concerns for Michigan State this coming season. The initial part of the rotation seems serviceable, but things get really thin, really quickly once the Spartans start digging into their bench. The play and health of Ben Roberts will be a major factor in how MSU's defensive line holds up this season.

Roberts is an effective defensive lineman when healthy. The problem is that he's dealt with injuries in each of his two prior seasons with Michigan State. Roberts missed five games last year and two games the year before that. He simply needs to stay on the field as the Spartans' top defensive tackle this year.

LB Jordan Hall

MSU's defense is going to run through Jordan Hall, though. He was the unquestioned leader of the team last year, and he's definitely going to be a leader again this year. Hall had a team-high 88 tackles last year, 2.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception. His retention by Fitzgerald and defensive coordinator Joe Rossi certainly heightens this team's ceiling.

The main question is just how big a jump Hall will make this year. He was still playing very well at the tail end of last year, despite the fact that he was playing through a torn oblique and turf toe. It's rare for football players to truly play at 100%, but Hall was playing through issues that would keep most out for weeks or months.

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