Fraley Seeking Winning Culture, Pedigree at MSU

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Calling football important in the Fraley family would be a gross understatement.

Hank Fraley is the Detroit Lions' offensive line coach and run game coordinator; he also had a 10-year career in the NFL after coming out of Robert Morris. His son, Trent Fraley, is now seeking to forge a second generation of exceptional offensive line play. Trent began at Marshall, went to North Dakota State, and he's now at Michigan State.

Usually, when an offensive lineman makes a mistake, he only truly has to hear about it once: at film review the next day. Trent gets it twice; film review's still there, but he's still going to learn what he did wrong on that phone call with Dad.

Michigan State's head coach Pat Fitzgerald instructs players during spring football practice on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Fraley's Career So Far

There wasn't too much to write home about during Fraley's first two seasons at Marshall. He appeared in only four games across two seasons, prompting the move down to the FCS level. Landing at NDSU, the most dominant program in the FCS by a long shot, with 10 national titles since 2011, ended up being a great place to land.

"I had a great experience at North Dakota State, so I'm very grateful for that time there," Fraley said Tuesday. "But obviously, I'm trying to bring that winning culture over to here, and especially with Coach [Pat] Fitzgerald, it's trending in the right direction."

Dec 19, 2023; Frisco, TX, USA; Marshall Thundering Herd offensive lineman Dalton Tucker (68) and offensive lineman Trent Fraley (53) line up against the UTSA Roadrunners during the fourth quarter at Toyota Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images | Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

Across Fraley's two seasons with the Bison, he went 26-3, starting all 29 of those games. NDSU went all the way in 2024, taking down Montana State and now-teammate Conner Moore in the National Championship game.

"I like to give him crap about that," Fraley said about his title-winning victory over Moore.

North Dakota State was upset in the second round of the 2025 FCS Playoffs, but Fraley improved a lot individually. He got about any award an FCS offensive lineman could get, topped by the Rimington Award, which goes to the subdivision's top center. That also came with first-team All-MVFC and first-team All-America honors.

Draws to MSU

Michigan State mascot "Sparty" celebrates during a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal game against UCLA at the United Center on Friday, March 13, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Playing that well at the FCS level opened up the opportunity to jump all the way up to the Power Four level for Fraley's final year of eligibility. He was ranked 582nd overall on Rivals' transfer portal rankings, coming in at 52nd among interior offensive linemen. The FargoDome can be a great place to play at North Dakota State, but Fraley is looking forward to playing in truly big-time atmospheres in the Big Ten.

"I think those [game day atmospheres] will be pretty cool to be a part of," Fraley said. "Just playing great competition every single week, and you know you're going to get some of the best players in the country that you're playing against. I think that'll just be a really cool experience to be a part of."

Tuesday, April 14, 2026; East Lansing, Mich.; Michigan State Spartans offensive lineman Trent Fraley speaks following a spring practice at the Skandalaris Football Center. | Jacob Cotsonika, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Add us as a preferred source on Google