MSU Football's 3 Strongest Position Groups for 2026
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Michigan State will have to lean on its strengths next season to make the leap it needs to make.
The Spartans have a lot of new names and faces around the building. MSU has 32 new players coming in from the transfer portal alone. A few different position groups seem to be emerging as particularly good ones for Michigan State in 2026, though.
Running Back
My favorite group on the whole team is the options that MSU has coming out of the backfield. UConn transfer Cam Edwards is one of the most exciting pieces on the entire team. He finished 15th in the country last season with 1,240 rushing yards for the Huskies. His 15 rushing touchdowns were good for a tie for 13th.
Edwards is the presumptive RB1 this coming season. Part of what makes the running back room exciting is the guys that will get carries behind him, though.
The depth chart is hard to gauge from RB2 to RB4. Brandon Tullis, Western Kentucky transfer Marvis Parrish, and Iowa transfer Jaziun Patterson could end up at any one of those slots, and it wouldn't be a real surprise.
Each player can be used in different ways. Tullis is the largest back of the bunch; he can be the short-yardage option for the Spartans. Parrish is probably the best receiving back on the team, totaling 36 receptions during his true freshman year at WKU. Patterson has plenty of experience from his time at Iowa; he can be used multiple ways and has averaged 4.9 yards per carry the last two seasons.
Redshirt freshman Jace Clarizio is the wild card. He didn't play at all last season while nursing a nagging calf injury, but he was still a high-3-star prospect coming out of East Lansing High School. Michigan State had to flip him back from Alabama at the last second of his recruitment.
Kenneth Williams is also worth keeping an eye on. The Nebraska transfer is known to be a kick return specialist, but he still plays running back. Williams was the only person to score a touchdown during April's "Spring Showcase," getting a 67-yard house call.
Cornerback
The Spartans also have plenty of reason for optimism at corner. Their starting pair of Charles Brantley and Iowa State transfer Tre Bell can be a pretty formidable duo together.
Brantley just transferred back to Michigan State after one season at Miami (FL). He was MSU's defensive star during the 2024 season, grabbing three interceptions and allowing zero touchdowns, according to PFF. He only appeared in three games with the Hurricanes, though. That preserved Brantley's final season of eligibility and allowed him to return to MSU and the system he thrived under with defensive coordinator Joe Rossi.
Bell's career has also risen quickly. He originally planned to play football and basketball at Lindenwood, but he decided to focus on football. Bell was never even really a starter in three seasons at the FCS level there. He wound up starting eight games with Iowa State in 2025 and played pretty well. That led him to follow cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat from Ames to East Lansing.
Houston Christian transfer Tyran Chappell also has a lot of promise. He was a First Team All-Southland player in 2025 as a redshirt freshman. Chappell is going to be one of the best ball-hawks on the Michigan State roster, as he intercepted four passes last fall.
Linebacker
Linebacker is the third position group expected to be a strength. Michigan State has multiple proven players and some decent depth at the spot, with the group assembled by program legend and position coach Max Bullough.
Jordan Hall is still the leader of the defense, and perhaps the team as a whole. He led MSU with 88 total tackles alongside 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception. Keeping him around for his senior years was one of the biggest early victories for Pat Fitzgerald and his staff.
Buffalo transfer Dion Crawford is another promising name next to Hall. He got Third Team All-MAC honors during the 2024 season after posting 8.5 sacks. Crawford moved back to a more traditional role last season, making 81 total tackles, 5.0 TFLs, and 3.5 sacks.
Caleb Wheatland will be another big part of it. He transferred in from Auburn this offseason, but Wheatland is best known for his contributions at Maryland. Crawford made 83 total tackles with 7.5 sacks during the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the Terrapins. Adding another experienced Big Ten name to the room should pay off.
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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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