Michigan State Football Top 30 Players: No. 28, S Devin Vaught
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Safety was a need for Michigan State this offseason.
The Spartans were able to hold onto Nikai Martinez, but somebody else needed to be next to him. MSU ended up with Maine transfer Devin Vaught. He’s going to be the first transfer and defensive player to debut on this top 30 list at No. 28. Wide receiver Samson Gash started things out at No. 30, and then Charles Taplin followed at 29th.
Basic Background on Vaught
Vaught is originally from Charlotte, N.C., where he attended Mallard Creek High School. As the fact that he transferred in from Maine implies, he wasn’t exactly the most sought-after prospect. Vaught’s only three listed offers on 247Sports were from Maine, Presbyterian and then-FCS program Delaware. Nobody from the FBS offered him.
He had to find his way out in the northeast corner of the United States (in case you care, defensive coordinator Joe Rossi was an assistant for the Black Bears from 2007-11). Vaught played in just three games during his true freshman year in 2023 to preserve his redshirt.
2024 Season
Vaught got his first real chance during the ‘24 campaign. He started all 11 games that he appeared in and performed at a very high level. Vaught intercepted three passes that season and also returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown during an eventual upset win over then-No. 5 Villanova.
He wound up with a great Pro Football Focus defensive grade of 79.9. Vaught also didn’t allow a touchdown that entire season, nor did he commit a penalty.
2025 Season
That redshirt freshman season is probably the best season that Vaught has had. His numbers from his redshirt sophomore year from last fall are still fine, but not quite as good, though last season resulted in second-team all-CAA recognition.
Vaught still picked off three passes again, one of those being a pick-6 against FBS squad Georgia Southern. Another sealed up a win against Merrimack. His 60 total tackles were also the second-most on Maine, showing that he can clog up the right gap in the run game pretty consistently. His PFF grade dropped a bit to 70.6, though, and he was charged with allowing four touchdowns in coverage.
State of Safety Room
The strong safety spot should probably be Vaught’s this coming season. It’s not a 100% certainty with returning redshirt senior Aveon Grose competing for snaps. Nothing is ever completely static with position battles, but Vaught is the favorite. Grose only made his first start with the Spartans during the 2025 season finale against Maryland.
Free safety is pretty indisputably the property of Martinez. Last season was really supposed to be Martinez’s final collegiate season, but injuries limited him to just four games. The former UCF transfer could’ve understandably entered the portal again as a grad transfer after the coaching change, but he opted to stay with it at Michigan State.
The retention of James Adams may have been a factor in that. Adams was hired to the staff before the 2025 season after previously working with the same position group at Wake Forest, his alma mater.
Adams also went into the portal to get Louisiana Tech transfer Michael Richard, who is expected to be the team’s starting nickelback. Some teams have nickels run with corners, but Michigan State has Richard with the safeties. Adams’ experience as a secondary and cornerbacks coach at other previous stops helps with that.
What’s Ahead for Vaught
The biggest question about Vaught is how he can adjust to the Big Ten level after facing CAA offenses for three years. His frame is relatively standard at 6’0” and 208 pounds. His status as an FCS transfer doesn’t necessarily discount what he can do.
MSU had Caleb Carter and Elijah Tau-Tolliver in significant roles last season. They transferred in from FCS programs Western Carolina and Sacramento State (now joining the FBS this fall). Neither player had the most successful season, though Tau-Tolliver had some pretty impressive games in the later stages of the season.
Michigan State and Pat Fitzgerald actually took in 11 transfers from either the FCS or the Division II level out of 32 total players. Some of those other non-FBS guys are more to fill out depth on the roster. Vaught is not one of those players. He’s at MSU to play.
Vaught’s ball-hawk abilities are the biggest thing he has going. The Spartans only intercepted five passes as a team last season. Only two of those picks are returning to East Lansing — one from Grose, and one from linebacker Jordan Hall.
Landing players with a history of forcing turnovers was one of the focuses for MSU in the portal. Richard also intercepted three passes last season. At corner, Iowa State transfer Tre Bell had two interceptions last season. Houston Christian transfer Tyran Chappell had four picks in 2025. Miami transfer (technically) Charles Brantley had three with Michigan State during the 2024 campaign and five for his career.
The lack of penalties on Vaught’s part also sticks out. He’s only been flagged once during his career, and it happened during Maine’s season finale at New Hampshire last season. Safeties aren’t put in a spot where they need or should commit a penalty very often, but it is still a sign that Vaught is playing clean and smart football.
I think Vaught can also play nickel, if he really needed to. He’s a sound enough tackler and has good enough instincts that I think he can still perform when he creeps up closer to the line of scrimmage. Again, Richard should be holding down that spot, but Vaught gives MSU some flexibility on how it can use him and others.
Overall, Vaught seems to be a pretty good find from a corner of the country. He was all the way down at 2,193rd overall on On3’s transfer portal rankings, but Vaught might end up being a pretty ready-made Power Four starter. Martinez’s injuries last year led to plenty of rotating on the back end. Vaught can be the Spartans’ answer next to him to prevent that from happening in 2026.
Previous Top 30 Articles
No. 30, WR Samson Gash | No. 29, Charles Taplin
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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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