5 MSU Players Gaining Ground for Starting Roles This Fall
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Friday marks just three weeks to go until kickoff for Michigan State.
The Spartans are still figuring out and tweaking their depth chart as training camp hums on. This year's camp should be particularly competitive, with a new, highly motivated staff and 111 total players, 62 of whom are newcomers, all trying to forge out roles. These five weren't full-time starters last year, but they seem to be making headway for such a role now:
WR Charles Taplin
One "unknown" set to take on a starting spot is second-year wideout Charles Taplin. He seemed to carve out a starting role during the spring, and Taplin seems to have held onto that spot up to this point. If he keeps it into Week 1, that would feel a bit remarkable. Taplin caught just one pass for eight yards as a true freshman, and he was one of the Spartans' lowest-rated recruits in their 2025 recruiting class.
"Tap is probably one of the fastest guys on our team," wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins said back in the spring. "He's a smart dude, really great quickness, really good at the top of routes, and he's developed his body over this last year...I feel like now he's ready physically and mentally and emotionally to be able to contribute to help us win games versus just, 'I've got a chance to play' type of deal."
WR Rodney Bullard Jr.
The other outside receiver who currently seems to hold a starting position is Rodney Bullard Jr. He played the most snaps among MSU's wide receivers outside of starters Nick Marsh, Omari Kelly, and Chrishon McCray last season, starting one game against Minnesota while McCray was out. He caught four passes for 102 yards and a touchdown that day.
Bullard will have to make an effort to hold onto his position as a starter as pads go on, but he's also just hoping he gets the chance to play. He's been awaiting a decision from the NCAA on a waiver since the winter, and he still hasn't heard back. Obviously, a decision has to come soon, but the closer the NCAA waits, the more damaging a "no" becomes for both Bullard and the Spartans.
TE Jayden Savoury
The biggest riser from camp thus far may be sophomore tight end, Jayden Savoury. He looked impressive enough to me while just going through some pass-catching drills in shorts, but offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan only added to that on Wednesday when he spoke about the type of improvement he's seen from Savoury as a blocker.
"Jayden, certainly, has been somebody that's been just continuing to get better," he said. "I think we all saw some of the movement and body controllability in spring. What I've been proud of him is, I think that he's playing more physical. He's playing behind his pads and trying to become a more dependable, reliable blocker... I have seen progress with Jayden from an ability to block the C and D gap, which is important, so that you can be treated like a tight end and not just like a wideout."
OL Rakeem Johnson
Rakeem Johnson also appears to be emerging on the offensive line. He seemed to be operating as MSU's starting right tackle during one drill, which was certainly a very interesting note, as it also meant that previous starting RT Conner Moore had moved over to left guard.
It also showed that Johnson is currently ahead of Georgia Southern transfer Robert Wright Jr. on the depth chart. That's a slight surprise, as Wright started there last year and didn't get flagged once all year. He was also one of Michigan State's higher-rated transfer portal pickups. Johnson, on the other hand, has just 90 career snaps at right tackle -- most of his snaps last year came when he started the final four games of 2025 at right guard.
DL Eli Coenen
I have also liked the short bits I've seen from Illinois transfer Eli Coenen. While watching one drill, he looked like the quickest and most violent player among all of MSU's defensive tackles. He's been a projected starter for the Spartans for some time now, but this year will be the first time Coenen will have that role in his college career.
One green flag with Coenen is just how much he's improved in college. He went from redshirting as a freshman at D-II Bemidji State to being a real part of Illinois' DT rotation last year. The year-over-year improvement indicates that he can be a real solid defensive tackle for Michigan State this fall.
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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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