MSU's Marsh Names DBs That Give Him the Most Trouble
In this story:
Defensive back is one of the biggest question marks for Michigan State this upcoming season, with multiple new transfers coming in and a couple guys coming off of injuries.
That can make it a bit difficult to gauge where the position group is at with kickoff less than one week away. One of the best ways to really get answers to that is to ask one of MSU's wide receivers that goes up against all of them every day in practice about who has performed the best.
Last Monday, star wide receiver Nick Marsh did just that and rattled off a list of names from the defensive backfield.
"I love lining up against Josh Eaton, AB and Andrew Brinson. We've got NiJhay Burt," Marsh started. "Who else? And then we've got the young guy, Ayden West. He's pretty nice, man. He's going to be real good. ... "Oh, wait. I left somebody out; Malcolm Bell. I'd say Malcolm Bell gives me the most trouble, actually."
Stories of Marsh's Five
Of those five players that Marsh just named, only Brinson IV played for the Spartans last year. But he only appeared in five games and logged just 59 snaps at corner, so it's not like Brinson IV brings a ton of experience to the position when going up against Marsh.
Three of the remaining four are incoming transfers: Eaton, Burt and Bell, all of whom do have a lot of experience from their previous schools.
Eaton is coming over from Texas State after beginning his career at Oklahoma. Across his two seasons at Texas State, Eaton played in 25 games and started 20 of them, totaling 49 tackles, 13 pass breakups, three tackles for loss and one sack.
Burt is making the jump from the FCS level and Eastern Illinois. He spent most of his career as a special teams guy and safety at EIU but broke out last year as an outside corner and led his team in interceptions (3). During a game against Northwestern last fall, Burt made six tackles and forced a fumble.
Now at MSU, he could very well get some real playing time, most likely in a slot corner role.
The last of the three transfers, but certainly not the least, is Malcolm Bell out of UConn. Bell went back and forth between starting and not starting across the last two years in Storrs but graded out quite well coverage-wise on Pro Football Focus, picking up a 77.6 mark last year (average is 60.0).
While it would be tough to tell if Bell's productivity could hold up against Big Ten receivers and a tougher schedule, Marsh's endorsement as the toughest guy he's faced in practice is certainly a good sign.
"The Young Guy"
Marsh also shouted out true freshman Ayden West, stating that "he's going to be real good."
West was one of Michigan State's top gets in the 2025 recruiting class, beating out both Ohio State and Virginia Tech for his services. 247Sports ranked West as the third-best recruit in this incoming class for the Spartans, only behind DL Derrick Simmons and LB DeJae White.
Stay up to date with all our content when you follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook, Spartan Nation, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be sure to share your thoughts on Week 1 when you join our community group, Go Green Go White, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
Don't forget to give us a follow on X @MSUSpartansOnSI as well.
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.
Follow jacobcotsonika