Experienced MSU Players in Massive Battles for Playing Time
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Every position battle matters a ton these days in college football.
It's never been difficult for programs, including Michigan State, to build up depth. A player who's disappointed with their amount of playing time can leave in the winter. These experienced MSU players who will have remaining eligibility for 2027 are currently in the middle of some big position battles:
RB Brandon Tullis
There are only going to be so many carries to go around in the Spartans' backfield this year. Michigan State has a clear-cut RB1 in UConn transfer Cam Edwards, but other transfers Jaziun Patterson (Iowa) and Marvis Parrish (Western Kentucky) should also be contributors this coming fall. This means that returning junior Brandon Tullis could be as far down as RB4 on the depth chart.
This would be a lesser role for Tullis than last year. He was usually the secondary running back to Makhi Frazier in 2025 and also made a pair of starts against USC and Minnesota. Tullis, Frazier, and Elijah Tau-Tolliver were the only running backs to get a carry last year, if you exclude the two rushes by Bryson Williams, who is now focusing on being a wide receiver.
RT Robert Wright Jr.
One remaining storyline during fall camp for Michigan State is the starting spot at right tackle. The starting spot was left vacant with Conner Moore's shift to left guard. Rakeem Johnson and Robert Wright Jr. have been the two candidates to take over there, and it seems like Johnson is winning with less than two weeks to go until kickoff.
Wright is entering his redshirt junior season, but he came to MSU with three seasons of eligibility remaining because of a pair of medical waivers. He was the starting right tackle at Georgia Southern last year, going the whole season without committing a penalty. Johnson winning that battle would feel like a bit of a surprise, but that seems to be the way things are trending.
WRs Fredrick Moore & KK Smith
Two of the Spartans' newest receivers are also in interesting spots a few weeks before kickoff. Wide receiver was one of the big positions to watch for Michigan State in the transfer portal this winter, and MSU's main additions there were Notre Dame transfer KK Smith and Michigan transfer Fredrick Moore.
Neither of them seems to be holding starting spots at the moment. Chrishon McCray is still the expected starter out of the slot. Charles Taplin and Rodney Bullard Jr. (eligibility still pending) seem to hold onto the X and Z spots, respectively.
This doesn't mean that Smith and Moore won't play this season. Going off the highlights from camp that the team puts out on social media, Smith might actually have as many highlights as anybody else. He's seemed to have gotten the better of starting cornerback Tre Bell a couple of times.
Pat Fitzgerald has said he anticipates a rotation at receiver this year, which would differ from what we've previously seen with receivers coach Courtney Hawkins. Michigan State pretty much exclusively played its starters at receiver last year. That should change this fall.
LB Cam Stodghill
It's tough to figure out the role for Cam Stodghill this coming season. He transferred to MSU from Albany this offseason after making 65 tackles in just seven games last year, including a 10-tackle game against Iowa during the 2025 season opener.
The challenge is just that Stodghill is joining a pretty packed linebacker room. Michigan State has three pretty proven players at the top with Jordan Hall, Caleb Wheatland, and Dion Crawford. Brady Pretzlaff and true freshman Adam Shaw also seem like they'll challenge for playing time this fall. It just may be tough for the Spartans to put Stodghill on the field a ton.
OG Luka Vincic
This season will also be big for Luka Vincic. He seemed well-positioned to be Michigan State's starting right guard last year, but Vincic suffered a season-ending injury in Week 3 against Youngstown State. His availability for Week 1 this year against Toledo isn't 100% certain, but Vincic is practicing right now without any obvious restrictions.
Vincic may not be a starter this year, but he should still be a key reserve. He could realistically fill in for MSU at either guard spot, as well as at center. He'll have to be ready in case of injury or if the staff just decides to rotate him in once in a while. This season is Vincic's fifth in college, but he should be eligible for a sixth with a medical waiver from last season.
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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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