Every Young MSU Player Who Got Playing Time vs. Toledo
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Michigan State got a fair number of players into its Week 1 victory over Toledo.
According to the official box score, 54 Spartans officially got into the team's 30-20 win in some capacity, whether that meant on offense, defense, or special teams. Here are a couple of the first- or second-year players who were able to see the field:
RB Marvis Parrish
There is going to be a real role for Western Kentucky transfer Marvis Parrish this season. He looked like he was in the RB3 role behind Cam Edwards and Jaziun Patterson on Friday night. Parrish finished his Spartan debut with six carries for 28 rushing yards across 16 offensive snaps.
What's notable is that Parrish is only a true sophomore. He was the top running back at WKU last year as a true freshman, finishing the year with 779 scrimmage yards. Parrish could be MSU's lead back as soon as next year, with Edwards and Patterson both playing their final college seasons this fall.
TE Jayden Savoury
One of the biggest risers this offseason is tight end Jayden Savoury. He looked like Michigan State's top tight end on Friday night, finishing the game with four catches for 36 yards. Both of those marks ranked third on the team, behind Rodney Bullard Jr.'s seven catches for 90 yards, as well as Chrishon McCray's eight catches for 69 yards.
Brennan Parachek had the only other catch among tight ends, going for a 10-yard gain. Savoury is now in his redshirt freshman and/or sophomore season. He only made one catch for 16 yards during his first year with the program. After adding on some weight and improving as a blocker, Savoury is ready for a big role in MSU's offense.
WR Bryson Williams
Bryson Williams is a young wide receiver who got some playing time. He joined the Spartans last year as a hybrid wide receiver and running back, getting two carries for 20 yards and one catch for eight yards during the 2025 season.
Williams didn't record any official stats on Friday, but he still got 15 offensive snaps. It would've been difficult for him to do much during that time as a wideout, as 10 of those plays while he was on the field were run plays. He got the most snaps at receiver outside of Michigan State's starting trio of Fredrick Moore, McCray, and Bullard.
DT Derrick Simmons
The only first- or second-year player who got defensive snaps on Friday was defensive tackle Derrick Simmons. What's sort of interesting is the fact that Simmons wasn't on the field more often. He got 13 total snaps on defense, which would actually make him Michigan State's fourth defensive tackle as of now.
Simmons has largely been expected to be the second or third defensive tackle this year. Ben Roberts and Eli Coenen were guys who were widely expected to contribute, and Week 1 confirmed that. The surprise was that redshirt sophomore Mikeshun Beeler got more snaps (18) than Simmons. Beeler scarcely played through his first two years with the program, but he looks ready to play this year.
Special Teams Contributors
The rest of these players didn't play on offense or defense, according to PFF, but they have been able to make a mark on special teams. Snap counts in that phase aren't available at this time, but the box score says these players entered the game, which would imply they got in on special teams.
DE Cal Thrush
Defensive end Cal Thrush is one such player to find action there, the first of his college career. He was actually the player who carried the American flag when the team officially took the field as well. Thrush shouldn't be too far off from playing time on Michigan State's defense. He played well during the team's spring game, largely working with the team's second-stringers.
LB DiMari Malone
Linebacker DiMari Malone made his collegiate debut on Friday. He didn't see game action last season with MSU, though he did get Scout Team Player of the Week honors from Jonathan Smith's staff twice. Malone probably has a long path towards playing time on defense with a packed linebacker room in front of him.
S Jonathan Granby
The only true freshman to see the field on Friday was safety Jonathan Granby. If there was one true freshman who was going to play, he wouldn't have been my first, second, or probably third guess.
Granby had drawn some compliments from the staff about his intelligence as a former quarterback, but he was the lowest-ranked scholarship recruit in Michigan State's 2026 recruiting class, finishing 2,474th overall on the 247Sports Composite. Pat Fitzgerald flipped him from Georgia Southern shortly after taking the job in East Lansing.
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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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