Which Michigan State Players' Stock Rose and Fell vs. WMU

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Season openers are always going to have a lot to digest, especially in the current era of college football that has tons of players coming and going.

During Michigan State's 23-6 victory over Western Michigan, there were several performances that stood out, and perhaps a couple that faded into the background a little bit.

That being said, here are three Spartans who saw their stock rise during Friday's win and three who saw it drop.

Stock Risers

RB Makhi Frazier

One of the standouts for Michigan State was sophomore running back Makhi Frazier. After only getting seven carries for 21 yards during the entirety of last season, Frazier made a statement by rushing for 103 yards and a touchdown on just 14 carries.

A decent percentage came on the very first series for MSU (five rushes, 45 yards), as he was able to find some sizable holes behind the starting offensive line.

What also stood out about Frazier is that his movement always seemed to have a true purpose and every step he took was efficient. What's for sure is that he didn't look like a true sophomore making his first start.

LB Jordan Hall

MSU's junior captain was a force at linebacker on Friday. Jordan Hall led the way for the Spartan defense that pitched a shutout (WMU's only points were on a pick-six).

Hall led the team with eight total tackles, but what stood out was that he had 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Last year, he only had one tackle for loss and was never able to get to the quarterback in the backfield.

WR Omari Kelly

In his Spartan debut, wide receiver Omari Kelly certainly stood out.

The Middle Tennessee State transfer's seven receptions for 75 receiving yards both led the way for Michigan State's receiving corps.

Kelly was brought in to be the second option behind Nick Marsh, but his performance certainly makes the statement that he can be the WR1 when need be.

Stock Fallers

RB Elijah Tau-Tolliver

During his Spartan debut, Elijah Tau-Tolliver certainly appeared to be a distant third option in the RB room.

The Sacramento State transfer got eight carries and only 17 yards. His longest carry went six yards.

It's not necessarily about Tau-Tolliver being bad -- blocking on several of his carries wasn't great -- it was just more about Frazier and Brandon Tullis both playing great and averaging above seven yards a carry.

TE Jack Velling

Michigan State's senior tight end had a very quiet day on Friday, catching only one pass for three yards.

Jack Velling is coming off of a decent 2024 campaign. His receptions and yardage stayed relatively flat from 2023, while the touchdowns dropped steeply.

As the former Oregon State Beaver tries to finish his college career strong and make a case for the NFL, Friday's game wasn't a great start.

Second Half Offense

Michigan State's Aidan Chiles, right, fumbles after Western Michigan's James Camden, left, delivers a hit during the fourth quarter on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

For the second straight year, Michigan State's offense got shut out in the final 30 minutes of its season opener.

While this could come down to losing a bit of a mental edge when it's 21-0 at halftime, MSU just never got in a rhythm at the end of the game. The only promising drive ended with an Aidan Chiles fumble when the team was in the red zone.

MSU averaged 1.6 fewer yards per play in the second half than the first and also got 3.2 less yards per carry on the ground. Virtually every statistic dropped off, which is something MSU can't afford next week against Boston College.

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