How MSU's Preseason Affects Roster's Long-Term Future
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Michigan State football is nine days away from kickoff.
This year's training camp has been interesting to follow. MSU has 62 new players this year -- 32 transfers and 30 freshmen. Here's what's changed for the team's long-term outlook thus far:
Future Bright on Offensive Line
The decline of the Spartan program has coincided closely with a decline in the offensive line. Michigan State allowed the second-most sacks (37) in the Big Ten last season and had the fourth-fewest yards per carry (3.78).
Pat Fitzgerald and the coaching staff have made a very intentional effort to devote resources to turning things around there. Three of MSU's projected starters this season were playing somewhere else in 2025: Ben Murawski (UConn) at left tackle, Trent Fraley (North Dakota State) at center, and Nick Sharpe (South Carolina) at right guard.
Some players on the bench (and one starter) have bright futures with the program, though. All three of those transfers and left guard Conner Moore are entering their final seasons of eligibility. Right tackle Rakeem Johnson is the only projected starter right now who should still be playing college football in 2027. He's entering his redshirt sophomore season.
Michigan State has a good crop of other offensive tackles, too. The primary backups this year are likely Rustin Young at left tackle and Georgia Southern transfer Robert Wright Jr. at right tackle. Young started five games for MSU last year, but another year as a backup will probably do him some good before he likely takes over in 2027. Wright was a starter at Georgia Southern last year and went the whole season (752 snaps) without a penalty.
Collin Campbell is another big piece of the future. There may not be much of a path to playing time this season for him, but it's rare to see true freshmen play right away in the trenches. Campbell was still the highest-rated recruit in the Spartans' 2026 recruiting class, finishing at 197th overall according to the 247Sports Composite.
Luka Vincic is another part of it. He's a redshirt senior this season, but he should have eligibility for 2027 because of a medical waiver from last year. Redshirt freshman Drew Nichols also seems to be stepping forward as the team's backup center.
Outlook at WR
The Spartans also have an interesting crop of receivers who should get snaps this coming season. Fitzgerald said this month that he anticipates Michigan State will use a rotation at receiver this year. That would differ significantly from what MSU has done in the past with Courtney Hawkins as the position coach. None of the Spartans' backups at receiver last year received more than 132 snaps.
Fitzgerald said as many as eight or nine receivers could get some burn. Perhaps that's what Michigan State does during the early portion of the season, but the team will probably have to cut it down to five or six at some point.
Charles Taplin is currently leading the way for the young receivers. He's getting starter reps during practice and got plenty of first-team reps during the spring scrimmage in April. Taplin made just one catch for eight yards and only received 10 offensive snaps during his true freshman season in East Lansing, but he shot up the depth chart during the spring and will certainly be more involved this fall.
Bryson Williams and Samson Gash are also positioned for some playing time. Williams is a dynamic athlete who began as a hybrid running back/wide receiver. He had one reception for eight yards and two carries for 20 yards last year. Gash has blazing track speed that should translate immediately. He's another one of Michigan State's most prized recruits from the previous cycle.
Outlook at Corner
One of the surprises this offseason has been cornerback Tyran Chappell. He's probably limited to a CB3 role this year behind Charles Brantley and Tre Bell III, but this season is still just Chappell's redshirt sophomore year. He'll be eligible through the 2028 season. Chappell transferred in from Houston Christian this offseason after a four-interception campaign in 2025 that earned him First Team All-Southland Conference recognition.
It's a little unusual that Chappell wasn't a more highly regarded transfer. His PFF grade of 86.2 last year was the eighth-best mark among all FCS corners who played at least 500 snaps. Despite that and his three remaining years of eligibility, Chappell was ranked 1,714th overall among transfer portal prospects this year by On3, and he was all the way down at 2,175th on 247Sports' rankings.
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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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