MSU Secondary Gets Needed Boost with Player's Return
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Michigan State is getting a key member of its secondary back.
On Friday, starting safety Nikai Martinez announced on social media that he would be returning to the Spartans in 2026, simply stating, "I'm back." This past fall was supposed to be his senior year, but injuries limited him to only four appearances. That qualified him to take a redshirt and gain that precious additional year of eligibility.
Next year will be Martinez's third and, presumably, final year with the program. He transferred to MSU ahead of the 2024 season from UCF. He started all 12 games during the first year of the Jonathan Smith era. Now, he'll get to play during the first year with Pat Fitzgerald manning the sidelines.
The secondary surrounding Martinez is going to look much different. Fellow safeties Armorion Smith (portal) and Malik Spencer (out of eligibility) are gone. All of the Spartans' top cornerbacks from this year are also leaving the program: Malcolm Bell and Joshua Eaton are out of eligibility, while Aydan West is in the portal.
More on Martinez, MSU
One plus for Martinez is that his coordinator and position coach will be the same as before. Two of the holdovers from the previous staff are defensive coordinator Joe Rossi and safeties coach James Adams.
Martinez is probably the second-most important returning player for MSU's defense, only behind linebacker Jordan Hall. MSU's secondary definitely missed Martinez in 2025. If he's able to stay healthy in 2026, Martinez will certainly raise the floor of what the Spartans can do defensively.
Michigan State is also already beginning the process of filling out the secondary. The Spartans are reportedly set to host Louisiana Tech safety transfer Michael Richard on a visit Saturday. Richard was the 2023 Conference USA Freshman of the Year and was second-team all-conference in 2024. He intercepted three passes this past season as well.
A few corners are also set to visit MSU soon, though that does not impact Martinez's domain as much. One big name visiting is Iowa State transfer Tre Bell, who started the Cyclones' final eight games this year. Michigan State also hired ISU's Hank Poteat to be the team's new CBs coach, which certainly doesn't hurt its recruitment of Bell.
The Spartans are also hosting Houston Christian corner transfer Tyran Chappell, who intercepted four passes during his redshirt freshman year at the FCS level.
There will be more targets in the future; those are just the Day 1 targets.
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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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