Michigan State Football 2026 Top 30 Players: No. 26
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Michigan State fans have hardly any time to watch this player play.
Only one person on the MSU roster played for Jonathan Smith back at Oregon State. That is offensive guard Luka Vincic, who didn’t actually transfer to the Spartans right away. He came over from Corvallis before the 2025 season. He’s now here in my No. 26 spot regarding the Spartans’ top 30 players for 2026.
Vincic’s First Year at MSU
Things were brief in 2025 for Vincic, unfortunately. He only played in two games and 47 total offensive snaps before suffering a season-ending injury against Youngstown State in Week 3. Vincic was the favorite to become the starting right guard for Michigan State had he remained healthy.
This was one of the first injury blows MSU’s offensive line suffered last season. Starting left tackle Stanton Ramil (now at Auburn) missed time. Right tackle Ashton Lepo (now at Oklahoma State) missed time. Guard Kristian Phillips (now at Boston College) missed time. There was never really a true starting five that survived more than a week or two together.
Importance Entering 2026
There will be questions about how Vincic rebounds from his injury this fall. He wasn’t healthy enough to put on full pads during April’s “Spring Showcase,” but he was well enough to wear a helmet, shoulder pads, and a jersey, but was still just in shorts. He went through some lighter, non-contact drills and got some practice reps at center.
Coming back from a severe injury that has kept Vincic away from full contact for at least seven months is going to be tough. There still could be a starting spot for Vincic waiting if he gets back to the form that he had last season, though.
That’s because right guard is a bit of a question mark right now. There is a relatively clear or extremely clear starter at the other four spots on the offensive line. UConn transfer Ben Murawski will be the left tackle; South Carolina transfer Nick Sharpe is set to play left guard; North Dakota State transfer Trent Fraley will be the center; and returnee Conner Moore will probably be the right tackle.
Moore has been working at right guard, though. He was actually getting first-team reps there during the final spring practice. Rakeem Johnson was filling in at right tackle.
That type of change would feel like a surprise, though. Moore hasn’t played a single snap at right guard in his career at Michigan State and Montana State, according to PFF.
Again, this may partially be because Vincic was not available. There is also tons of time for movement when intensity and urgency kick up several notches during training camp in August.
Vincic’s Career Before MSU
Vincic’s first three seasons in college football were all spent at Oregon State. The first two years were with Smith and former Spartan offensive line coach Jim Michalczik.
Coming out of Bothell, Wash., Vincic was a 3-star prospect ranked 849th overall in the class of 2022, according to the 247Sports Composite. He picked the Beavers despite other official visits to Cal and Utah.
Vincic redshirted during his true freshman season in 2022. He played in 10 games the year after that, but sparingly played on offense and was mostly a special teams contributor. The 2024 season, the first year at OSU without Smith, was sort of the breakthrough year for Vincic.
He got into 10 games that year with two starts on offense. This came with relatively regular snaps on offense for the first time, too. One start was against Oregon State’s arch-rival, Oregon. Most of his snaps were actually at center, though there were times Vincic slid to right guard.
Why Vincic Is Part of Present, Future
Vincic is going to be a fifth-year senior this coming season, but he should have the option for a sixth season because of a likely medical waiver from last year. He is also probably the most experienced guard Michigan State has, except for Sharpe.
Nearly every guard that played real snaps last season is gone now. Caleb Carter ran out of eligibility. Gavin Broscious transferred to Iowa State. Phillips went elsewhere. Vincic was on an equal or superior plane last season before his injury.
Experience is a huge factor on the offensive line. If Vincic were to become the right guard with Moore at right tackle, the entirety of MSU’s starting offensive line would be in either their fifth or sixth years of college football. Even highly touted freshmen might need a year or two in the weight room before being in proper shape to face Big Ten and Power Four competition.
Vincic has also proven he is a decent pass-protector. PFF says that he hasn’t allowed a sack in 226 pass-blocking snaps during his career. There have only been eight allowed pressures and one penalty, as well. Those types of stats aren’t quite as important for an interior offensive lineman since they can potentially get help from two guys next to them, but it’s still worth noting.
Interior offensive linemen really need to be great run-blockers. They’re still important during pass plays in maintaining the structure of the pocket, but opening up that A-gap or B-gap is the big thing to look for. Vincic had an OK grade of 64.4 as a run-blocker during his 2024 season at Oregon State.
That grade shot all the way up to 90.7 last season with the Spartans, but that was across just 18 such snaps. Vincic hasn’t played enough at MSU to make any real declarative statement in that aspect.
Ultimately, I still think we’ll be seeing Vincic in the starting five at some point this coming season, though I’d watch out for Johnson. Even if Vincic doesn’t start Week 1, he could quickly be called upon by Nick Tabacca to action if Fraley, Johnson, or Moore aren’t pulling their weight at center or right guard.
That versatility is one of the sneaky-good things about Vincic. Plenty of offensive linemen are limited to one spot. If they were to switch, it would usually be going from left tackle to right tackle or right guard to left guard. Vincic keeps the options open with the center/right guard combo.
Past Top 30 Stories
No. 30, WR Samson Gash | No. 29, WR Charles Taplin | No. 28, S Devin Vaught | No. 27, KR Kenneth Williams
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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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