Michigan State Football Positional Preview: Defensive Tackles
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The interior defensive line is one of the biggest X-factors and concerns for Michigan State's defense this year.
MSU lost a significant amount of its depth and production from last season. Alex VanSumeren (transfer to USC), Grady Kelly (eligibility), Jalen Satchell (eligibility), and Ru'Quan Buckley (eligibility) all departed this offseason and got some real snaps at defensive tackle in 2025. Here's where the unit stands entering 2026:
DL Coach: Winston DeLattiboudere III
The Spartans' new, high-energy defensive line coach is Winston DeLattiboudere III. He was previously the defensive line coach for the Arizona Cardinals in 2025. Coach "DeBo" was also the defensive line coach at Minnesota in 2023 and 2024, and at Akron in 2022.
DeLattiboudere's career is firmly intertwined with that of defensive coordinator Joe Rossi. He played for Rossi at Minnesota for a couple of seasons. Rossi was his defensive line coach (and interim DC) in 2018, and he was promoted to permanent DC the following season. DeLattiboudere was then on the Minnesota staff with Rossi in 2023.
Probable Players in Rotation
Ben Roberts
Michigan State's top defensive tackle this season is Ben Roberts. He was a starter for MSU last year in six of the seven games he appeared in, but injuries kept him out for a big portion of the season. Roberts finished his 2025 campaign with 11 tackles.
The Spartans need Roberts out there and healthy this season. He's missed time in each of his seasons with Michigan State thus far, including two games in 2024. MSU cannot really afford to dig into its bench a ton at defensive tackle. The Spartans don't really have a ton of bodies at defensive tackle, period. Roberts has played 371 defensive snaps in his career -- he will need to provide more than that during his final collegiate season.
Eli Coenen
Illinois transfer Eli Coenen should be the No. 2 guy on the defensive line. He's probably the speediest option MSU has at defensive tackle. Coenen is on the lighter side for a DT at 287 pounds, which means he should be a threat to break through every once in a while.
What has impressed me about Coenen as a portal pickup is the upward trajectory of his career thus far. He's gotten better each year he's been in college, going from redshirting at Division II Bemidji State in 2023 to being a fixture in Illinois' defense in 2025. He'll be taking on a bigger role at Michigan State this fall, but Coenen's career trajectory indicates he's ready.
Derrick Simmons
One young player facing some pressure this year is Derrick Simmons. He was the lone 4-star recruit in MSU's 2025 recruiting class, and he redshirted last year to adjust to the large jump from Division 5 MHSAA football at Frankenmuth to the Big Ten. Simmons got into four total games, making two tackles in 44 defensive snaps.
His snap count is bound to jump up this year. He's probably the third interior defensive lineman on the depth chart right now. Roberts and Coenen should be the starters, but Simmons will be rotated in plenty, given how physically demanding playing defensive tackle is.
Each of the Rest
Carlos Hazelwood
Things thin out in a hurry following Simmons, though. Next up on the depth chart is probably Toledo transfer Carlos Hazelwood, who is entering his redshirt sophomore season with the Spartans.
Hazelwood didn't get much playing time over his two seasons with the Rockets. He got a total of 83 defensive snaps for Toledo last year. His overall PFF grade of 78.1 is impressive, but it was based on a limited sample size. What does inspire real optimism is his eight pressures in 49 pass-rushing snaps, a very impressive rate for an interior defensive lineman.
Mikeshun Beeler
Next up is probably Mikeshun Beeler, a redshirt sophomore who has spent his whole career with Michigan State up to this point. There really isn't much to go off of with Beeler. He got just six defensive snaps for MSU last year, and only three the year before that.
Beeler, a Chicago native, was originally a 3-star recruit. He finished ranked 1,008th overall in the class of 2024, per the 247Sports Composite. He picked the Spartans over other notable offers from Oregon, Texas A&M, Arizona State, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Indiana, and Purdue.
Hudson Aultman
Rounding things out is true freshman Hudson Aultman. The Delaware, Ohio native was a late addition to Michigan State's 2026 recruiting class, with Jonathan Smith's staff flipping him from Miami (OH) a couple of weeks prior to the early signing period. He finished ranked No. 1,265 overall in his class, according to the 247Sports Composite.
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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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