5 New Michigan State Players To Watch in Opener vs. Toledo
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Football is finally back in East Lansing.
Michigan State is opening up its 2026 season with its traditional Friday night home game against Toledo. Kickoff is set for 8:00 pm ET on FS1. The Spartans will look very different this year, bringing in 62 new players -- 32 from the transfer portal and 30 freshmen. Here are some newcomers to watch during Friday's game:
RB Cam Edwards
UConn running back transfer Cam Edwards is probably the most exciting transfer portal addition. He totaled 1,240 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground last season for the Huskies, often with some help from left tackle Ben Murawski, another UConn-to-MSU transfer.
Edwards has feasted on the MAC teams he's faced up to this point in his career. He's got 49 career carries for 348 yards -- a 7.1-yard average -- and four touchdowns against the conference thus far. Edwards should be the best running back Michigan State has had since Kenneth Walker III, and Friday is his chance to announce himself to Spartan fans.
TE Carson Gulker
Tight end Carson Gulker is perhaps MSU's most interesting addition this year. He probably doesn't have a "star player" ceiling like Edwards does, but Gulker will provide a ton to Michigan State's offense. He's a transfer from Division II dynasty Ferris State, where he served as the Bulldogs' quarterback, H-back, and tight end at different points. Gulker can throw, run, and catch as well as anybody.
He also has the stats to prove that it's hardly just an unusual gimmick. Gulker accounted for 73 touchdowns during his career at Ferris State -- 50 rushing, 16 passing, and seven receiving. He also comes to MSU with 2,228 career rushing yards, 1,591 passing yards, and 548 receiving yards. The possibilities for Gulker are endless, and Week 1 will be the first serious hint as to how he'll be utilized.
CB Tre Bell
Iowa State transfer Tre Bell is another key addition at corner. The same could be said here about Charles Brantley following his one-year stint at Miami (FL), but Brantley isn't exactly a "newcomer." Bell has been a late bloomer in his college career. He started at Lindenwood, where he originally planned to play both football and basketball. Over three years there, Bell never got more than a handful of starts.
He decided to hit the transfer portal following his redshirt sophomore season, when he was picked up by cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat and the Cyclones. Bell wasn't originally a starter for ISU in 2025, but he moved into that role after a couple of injuries to guys ahead of him. He took advantage of that opportunity, transferring again and following Poteat to East Lansing during the offseason.
Rush End Kenny Soares Jr.
NC State transfer Kenny Soares Jr. is perhaps the biggest leader on this year's team. At the very least, that's what his teammates named him when he received the honor of wearing No. 1, a tradition Pat Fitzgerald had at Northwestern that he's also starting at Michigan State.
Soares is one of the team's biggest X-factors this year. MSU is looking to start applying pressure on opposing quarterbacks for the first time in a couple of seasons, and Soares is one of the biggest keys to that as the team's starting rush end.
What only adds to the intrigue is that Soares hasn't played at EDGE before. Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi said during training camp that NC State would move him there, but injuries led the Wolfpack to move Soares back to linebacker, where he eventually finished the season with 80 tackles.
Rossi and Michigan State say they like what they see on film from Soares as a pass rusher, but you don't often see Big Ten teams put a ton of eggs in the basket of a pass rusher with just 3.0 career sacks. We'll see if the position switch pays off.
KR Kenneth Williams
He may only get one or two opportunities with the ball per game, but Nebraska transfer Kenneth Williams was another big portal pickup. Williams, a Detroit native, was the Cornhuskers' kick return specialist last season, and he was one of the best in the Big Ten at it. He averaged 32.9 yards per return across 12 opportunities last season, including a 95-yard touchdown against Nebraska.
Williams' efforts netted him Second Team All-Big Ten honors from the media and Third Team all-conference honors from the coaches. He can also play running back and had a 60+-yard touchdown carry during MSU's spring scrimmage in April, but Williams is likely buried on the depth chart there.
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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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