Position Battles That Will Define Season for MSU Football
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There are a few spots on the lineup for Michigan State that are still solidly under "TBD" a few weeks ahead of fall camp.
One big reason for this is the sheer number of new players. MSU took in 32 players from the transfer portal this offseason and lost even more than that in the wake of the school firing Jonathan Smith and swiftly replacing him with Pat Fitzgerald. These are a few spots where things will be very interesting during the preseason:
Wide Receiver Battles
The most open competition the Spartans will have is at wide receiver. Only Chrishon McCray can really be penciled into the starting lineup right now, and he's probably going to operate mostly out of the slot. Both of the X and Z positions are basically anyone's guess.
This is a battle I could go on for a solid 1,500 words, but I'll keep it short. Really, I could see a very significant portion of the wide receiver room winning either of those two starting spots. That list includes, in no particular order, Michigan transfer Fredrick Moore, Notre Dame transfer KK Smith, redshirt freshman Charles Taplin, senior Rodney Bullard Jr., and true freshman Samson Gash.
There are five names, potentially more, competing for two starting spots. As of right now, I'd actually consider Smith and Taplin to be the two favorites. Smith was limited for much of the spring, but I've liked what I've seen from him on tape at Notre Dame, and he feels like the type of wideout who usually finds success when coached by Courtney Hawkins.
Taplin was a surprise riser during the spring. He was one of the lowest-rated recruits in MSU's 2025 recruiting class, but he was getting first-team reps during the spring game. Taplin made just one catch for eight yards during his true freshman season, but he's in a spot to take a huge step forward now.
Utilizing a "by-committee" approach is another option for Michigan State. This could give the coaches a few series to figure out who might have the hot hand any given day or week, but that's hardly an ideal situation. Coaches and players have enough to worry about any given game, and needing to evaluate receivers for a few series mid-game is just another thing to add to everyone's plate.
RB2 Battle
This battle won't necessarily determine who will be a starter, but it's still very important. UConn transfer Cam Edwards should absolutely be Michigan State's top running back. He was one of the most productive running backs in the FBS last season, running for 1,240 yards with 15 touchdowns.
The main question is who will get the most carries behind him, and three players are capable of being it. MSU has Western Kentucky transfer Marvis Parrish, Iowa transfer Jaziun Patterson, and returning junior Brandon Tullis there.
Personally, I'm a big fan of Parrish's game. He totaled 779 yards from scrimmage as a true freshman with the Hilltoppers and still has four years of eligibility remaining after the NCAA moved to a "5-in-5" system. Parrish also caught 36 passes in 2025, meaning he can also be a dynamic receiving threat for Michigan State out of the backfield.
Patterson has a lot of experience, though. He's had some success in that RB2 or RB3 role across his time at Iowa. Patterson has also been efficient with his carries, averaging just a tad under five yards per carry during each of his last two seasons with the Hawkeyes. Tullis was also MSU's RB2 for a good portion of the 2025 season; he'll be a solid option in short-yardage situations with his larger 234-pound frame.
Rush End Battle
The group of rush ends MSU has is another group to watch. These guys are essentially a hybrid of an outside linebacker and a defensive end, part of defensive coordinator Joe Rossi's system.
Kenny Soares Jr. and Anelu Lafaele are the two biggest names to know. Soares transferred in from N.C. State this offseason and actually began his career at Northwestern, making him the only player on the roster who has gone through a season with Fitzgerald before. Lafaele is perhaps the best pure pass-rusher on the team entering his second year with the program after transferring in from Wisconsin.
How the snaps get distributed between the two of them will be interesting to see. Soares' background as a more traditional linebacker makes him the favorite to get the majority of the playing time, since he's proven himself against the run and the pass.
Lafaele only played a little more than 60 snaps last season, but he made a big impression. He recorded a pair of sacks in 2025 before suffering a foot injury against Nebraska in the fifth game of the year. Lafaele mostly came in during more obvious passing downs, allowing him to pin the ears back and get after the quarterback. Health and improvement against the run are the next two big steps for Lafaele as he enters his redshirt sophomore season.
Tight End Battle
Perhaps the toughest position battle to gauge is the one at tight end. All of Ferris State transfer Carson Gulker, Brennan Parachek, Kai Rios, and Jayden Savoury feel like serious contenders to get real playing time this year, with true freshman Edward Whiting seeming to be the wild card.
This could be another "by-committee" approach. Some tight ends might come in on more obvious passing downs, and some others might come in when the Spartans need somebody to throw a block in the run game. Gulker would be my guess to become TE1 at the moment, just because of how versatile he is and how creative Michigan State can get with him in the lineup.
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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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