Michigan State Football Positional Preview: Rush Ends
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Rush end is one of the small quirks in Michigan State's defense. It's also one of the most interesting groups the Spartans have headed into the 2026 season.
MSU's pass rush has certainly not been good enough in recent years. The team finished in a tie for the third-fewest sacks in the Big Ten last year (22), and Michigan State had the third-fewest in the conference the year before that (19). This refreshed group of rush ends is hoping to help turn that around.
Starter: Kenny Soares Jr.
NC State transfer Kenny Soares Jr. is the most important and the most intriguing part of this room this year. A big reason for that is simply that the rush end, or being an EDGE rusher in general, is new to him. Soares was supposed to move to EDGE when he transferred from Northwestern to NCSU last year, but injuries in the Wolfpack's linebacker room led him to move back.
Soares still thrived at his traditional spot last fall. He finished second on the team with 80 total tackles, as well as 4.5 tackles for loss. Soares only finished the year with half a sack, though. There are more ways to measure somebody's effectiveness as a pass rusher than just sacks, but making a fifth-year senior with just 3.0 career sacks a starter on the defensive line is certainly an interesting choice.
What's clear is that the pass-rushing snaps Soares has put on film have impressed the coaching staff enough to move him.
"When we looked at him, we said we felt like he was best on the edge," defensive coordinator Joe Rossi said about Soares on Aug. 10. "He had the traits. He just needed to be developed a little bit and coached at rushing the passer. Then we got on the phone with him, and we really, really liked him a lot in terms of his personality, his attitude, and just his intelligence."
Soares has also seriously stepped forward as one of the team's leaders. He really might be the leader. His teammates voted him as "The Spartan" this year, meaning he's seen as the player who best exemplifies the program's new values. He'll also be awarded the No. 1 uniform as a result.
It's largely an off-field honor, but that doesn't mean Soares' traits as a player aren't a part of it. He's drawn compliments from teammates and staff for his competitive nature, but it's tough to see Soares getting enough votes to become "The Spartan" if he's not turning some heads in practice.
Next Up: Anelu Lafaele
He's slated to be Michigan State's "backup" at right end, but Anelu Lafaele very well could be the best pure pass-rusher the Spartans have. He was playing like it during the limited action he got last year, but he suffered a season-ending injury during MSU's fifth game of the 2025 season at Nebraska.
Prior to that, Lafaele had a strip-sack against Western Michigan and then another sack against Youngstown State. PFF credited him with seven pressures in 50 total pass-rushing snaps during his redshirt freshman season.
"That's another guy where you gotta put a rope around him, and you gotta hold that guy back," Rossi said of Lafaele. "He's been great, haven't had a worry. He's at a thousand miles an hour; sometimes we've gotta calm him down. He's looking really good rushing the passer in 1-on-1's... I'm excited to have him back."
Other Players at Rush End
Isaac Smith
Still repping with the rush ends is Isaac Smith, though he's also still spending time during practices with the traditional defensive ends. Smith started all 12 of Michigan State's games last season, getting roughly 25 snaps per game. He finished with 26 tackles and one sack. PFF only credited Smith with six pressures in 105 pass-rushing snaps last year.
There may not be quite as big a role for Smith this year, though. He's normally been fourth in line for drills I've seen involving the rush ends (Soares goes first, followed by Lafaele).
Chris Piwowarczyk
Don't be too surprised if you see Chris Piwowarczyk out there from time to time this year. He's a third-year preferred walk-on who hasn't played a snap for the Spartans yet, but he's been getting the third reps during drills thus far in fall camp.
Trey Lisle
An interesting part of the rush end room's future is Trey Lisle. He's a pretty towering figure at 6'6" and 254 pounds, but the SEMO transfer may be more of a longer-term project for the coaching staff. Lisle had 16 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, and half a sack in eight games last year across 241 total defensive snaps.
Cory House Jr.
Cory House Jr. has also been one of the most interesting true freshmen to observe during practice. He's listed at 6'3", but he looks taller than that, and he looks like he's got some pretty long arms. It's tough to gauge a path towards real snaps for House right away, but he's quickly emerged as an interesting young prospect.
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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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