Analyzing MSU's Roster Outlook as Transfer Portal Opens

Little stays the same in college football these days.

Michigan State football will look dramatically different in 2026. The Spartans will have a new head coach, Pat Fitzgerald, and a huge number of new players. More than 30 scholarship players are known to have plans to enter the transfer portal, with the first announcement (running back Makhi Frazier's) coming in the same day Jonathan Smith was fired.

Toss in the vacancies created by players who are out of eligibility, and there are not many spots on the field where it does not feel like MSU needs help from the transfer portal. It is a guarantee that there will be some unfamiliar faces starting for the Spartans in Week 1 of 2026 against Toledo.

So, let's talk about where things stand and go position-by-position on what to expect with the Spartans' strategy moving forward.

Analysis

Sep 7, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; A detailed view of Michigan State Spartans helmet on the field before the game against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Static Spots

There are really only four spots on the field where MSU fans can probably feel good about right now: quarterback, offensive tackle, and linebacker.

Alessio Milivojevic proved himself worthy of getting a shot at being the full-time starting QB next year and has already said he's coming back. Right tackle Conner Moore is back, and nothing has been heard definitively yet from left tackle Stanton Ramil. At linebacker, the Spartans are getting star player Jordan Hall back, along with Brady Pretzlaff, though a ton of the depth behind them has left.

If MSU takes players from those positions in the portal, there is a high chance it would be somebody who begins as more of a backup. Every other spot on the field has some serious need. If you have a ton of time on your hands, try to make a 2026 depth chart right now --- it won't look very pretty.

Michigan State is losing its top two running backs. It's losing its top three wide receivers (at least). Multiple interior offensive linemen are gone. The team's three main cornerbacks are gone, along with much of the depth behind them. Several pass rushers are gone.

Michigan State's Nick Marsh smiles while warming up before the game against Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Maybe it's all a good thing. Why try to bring a bunch of players back from a team that just went 1-8 in Big Ten play? "Cleaning house" may be the smart thing to do here.

Clean slates are always sources of optimism, but MSU needs to find better players than the ones who are leaving. That is never a guarantee, especially when so many roster spots are open.

Nov 22, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Chrishon McCray (13) reacts after a touchdown during the third quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

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