How Guard Shift for Conner Moore Will Impact MSU's Offense
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State's offensive line is going to look completely different this season.
Conner Moore is the only returning starter from last year's starting five. He spent most of the year at right tackle, though there were times when he moved over to left tackle. In a bit of a twist, though, MSU seems to be moving him to guard this season, despite Moore not playing a single snap there last fall.
Why Moore's New Role Makes Sense
Moore seems to be switching over to the left side of the offensive line, as well. I've seen him go through one drill where he was to the left of the centers. Another time, the Spartans had a group of five linemen lined up -- with that group looking an awful lot like a starting lineup -- and Moore was positioned at left guard.
The move has sense to it. Michigan State has some decent depth at right tackle, even with Moore out of the equation. Rakeem Johnson seems to be positioned for the starting role there, actually. He's only played 90 career snaps at right tackle before, but Johnson was starting at right tackle during the spring game back in April. Robert Wright Jr. is another interesting option; he was the starting right tackle at Georgia Southern last season.
Moore was at right guard at the time, but if he were to play guard, the left side makes more sense. Nick Sharpe's more natural spot on the offensive line is right guard. He played on the left side last season at South Carolina, but Sharpe had previously played only right guard during his four years at Wake Forest. That's where his position coach was Nick Tabacca, the Spartans' new offensive line coach.
Playing left guard also isn't totally foreign to Moore. He started three games there at the beginning of the 2024 season, back when he was at Montana State, with the first of those against FBS foe New Mexico. Moore got 175 snaps of experience there, not allowing a sack and just two pressures across those three games, and 74 pass-blocking snaps.
Overall Impact on Offense
Placing Moore at left guard gives Michigan State a pretty formidable duo on the left side of its offensive line. Ben Murawski is MSU's new left tackle and should be one of the Spartans' best players this year. He and Moore are two of Michigan State's best run-blockers.
Moore's 78.9 PFF grade in the run game was the second-highest on the team last year (min. 100 run-blocking snaps). That was only behind Matt Gulbin's 81.9 mark. Murawski's elite 86.4 run-blocking grade was the fifth-best mark among all offensive tackles in the FBS last year while he was at UConn.
Pairing that up with a running back like Cam Edwards -- another UConn transfer -- can lead to some pretty big things. When Edwards ran to the left A, B, or C gaps last season (where the left tackle and guard will be involved), he averaged a really impressive 7.4 yards per carry. Edwards averaged 5.9 YPC during the season as a whole.
Moore's Thoughts on Change, Development
"I've enjoyed it so far," Moore said about playing guard. "I'm still playing, I guess, a little bit of tackle, a little bit of guard here and there. I'm just kind of experimenting with it, but it's been fun so far. I've actually really enjoyed it."
Moore also feels ready to take a step forward in his overall game as he heads into his second and final year at Michigan State. Going off the team's roster, he's gained five pounds (306 to 311) and actually grown an inch from last fall to now.
"I think I'm a lot stronger than I was last year. I think I'm a lot faster..." Moore said. "But just in general, just being on the field and stuff like that, I feel a lot stronger just out there playing. I feel a lot quicker."
Decision To Come Back
The decision to come back to Michigan State was also pretty easy for Moore. MSU is his childhood team, and even through the coaching change, Moore says it was "pretty easy" for him to return for another year. The only way he would've left is if the Spartans and Pat Fitzgerald removed him by force.
"I was getting calls from Coach Tabacca every day, from Coach [Nick] Sheridan, and Coach Fitz, pretty much every day," Moore said. "I definitely felt [their desire for me to return], but this where I wanted to be, like I said. I didn't really care if they didn't want me. I was going to do everything to come back."
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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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