MSU Athletes Who Will Ignite Fireworks This Coming Season
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Happy Independence Day, Spartans.
As good as the grilled hot dogs and the fireworks are, we are still right in the middle of the Michigan State offseason. July 4 actually means that MSU's first football game against Toledo is precisely two months away.
The Spartans have athletes in the three most popular sports (football, men's basketball, and hockey) who can set off some "fireworks" at any time.
Once there's snow on the ground in December and it's time to put on a highlight reel from one of these teams, these guys are relatively safe bets to pop up at some point.
Football: RB Cam Edwards
Perhaps the most exciting pickup of the offseason for MSU football is UConn transfer Cam Edwards. He was one of the most productive running backs in the FBS last season, period. Edwards totaled 1,240 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground for the Huskies. Those numbers ranked 15th and tied for 13th in the country, respectively.
The "fireworks" for Edwards come from his big-play ability. Edwards had a run of at least 20 yards in eight of UConn's 13 games last season. He had a 51-yard carry against Delaware, a 67-yard run against Ball State, and a 73-yard dash against FCS Central Connecticut State.
According to PFF, Edwards forced 49 missed tackles last season. That's nearly as many as MSU's top three last season of Makhi Frazier, Brandon Tullis, and Elijah Tau-Tolliver combined (51). Edwards also had 28 total rushes of at least 10 yards, and he picked up 67 first downs.
Edwards is actually Michigan State's top-rated player on the College Football 27 video game as a 90 overall. The Spartans have a lot of other depth at running back as well, between Tullis, Iowa transfer Jaziun Patterson, and Western Kentucky transfer Marvis Parrish. Despite all the offseason moves at the position and newfound promise there, Edwards is still the clear top option in the backfield right now.
Basketball: Coen Carr
Nobody in college basketball has the capability to shift momentum the way Coen Carr does. He's the most exciting player to watch in the sport right now. It's like watching a great television or movie scene that you've seen before when Carr operates on the fast break: you know exactly what is about to happen, but you can't help but smile, lean forward, or maybe even stand up with anticipation.
Carr has only found more opportunities to rattle the rim as he's gotten better. He had 67 dunks across Michigan State's 35 games last season, according to Torvik -- nearly two per game. That would account for 31.8% of Carr's points last year as well.
Very few players of Carr's athleticism have played for MSU, if any. It will probably be a long time before another one like Carr represents the Spartans again, if ever. Carr could probably go out and win next year's NBA Dunk Contest with ease if the league were so bold as to allow a fourth-year college player to show up some of their own players at the most popular All-Star Weekend event.
Carr's big remaining step is unlocking his three-point shot. He started to take threes with some real frequency for the first time last season, but shot just 27.6% from deep. If he climbs that number into the mid-to-high 30s, or whatever is enough to be respected more out there, Carr will shoot right up draft boards, even if the NBA still prefers younger, one-and-done guys.
Hockey: Ryker Lee
MSU hockey has a real embarrassment of riches in terms of talent on its next roster. The Spartans are currently set to roster 10 first-round picks for the 2026-27 season.
One of those picks is Ryker Lee. He was picked 26th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2025 NHL Draft and is currently preparing for his sophomore season in East Lansing.
What makes Lee such a fascinating player is his stick-handling and creativity in the offensive zone. It just feels like something exciting is going to happen every time he gets his stick on the puck, especially when opposing defenses give him room to breathe and operate. Lee can give you a spin-o-rama goal one moment, and then he can weave around multiple defensemen the next.
Lee is Michigan State's top returner for the coming season, as well. His 15 goals and 15 assists (30 points) are both the most among those returning from the 2025-26 team. Lee is hoping to help the Spartans four-peat as Big Ten regular-season champions, but the program's Frozen Four and national title droughts, which stretch back to 2007, remain.
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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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