Previewing, Predicting MSU Football's Season Opener vs. Toledo
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A new season and a new era are about to begin for Michigan State football.
The Spartans are opening their 2026 season, and Pat Fitzgerald's tenure as head coach, on Friday night against Toledo. Kickoff is set for 8:05 pm ET on FS1. Here's everything you need to know about this interesting Big Ten vs. MAC matchup:
Two First-Year Coaches
One of the big storylines involves the coaching. Both MSU and Toledo have new coaches this year. Michigan State has Fitzgerald, who brings with him 17 years of experience from Northwestern (2006-22).
The Rockets have Mike Jacobs, who has 11 years of head-coaching experience at the Division II and FCS levels. He previously was at Mercer, where he led the Bears to the FCS playoffs in 2024 and 2025. Mercer played an SEC team each of Jacobs' years there, losing to No. 10 Alabama by a 52-7 score in '24 and losing 62-17 against Auburn last fall.
MSU's Offense vs. Toledo's Defense
Michigan State's offense will feel a lot different this season. The Spartans hired Nick Sheridan as their new offensive coordinator during the offseason; he brings play-calling experience from Indiana and Alabama, along with a pretty great track record with quarterbacks. That's good news for Alessio Milivojevic, who had a successful audition at the end of the 2025 season, throwing for 986 yards, seven touchdowns, and just two interceptions across four starts.
Wide receiver Chrishon McCray and offensive lineman Conner Moore are the only two returning starters from last year. A big reset is probably for the best after MSU's offense finished 97th in yardage in the FBS in 2025. None of the Spartans' five starting spots on the offensive line should be the same, with Moore expected to move from right tackle to left guard. Questions also remain on which players will receive the most playing time at wide receiver and tight end.
The star of Michigan State's offense this year is probably UConn transfer Cam Edwards. He ran for 1,240 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Huskies during the 2025 season, finishing in the top 15 in the FBS in both categories. MSU also has a lot of depth at running back behind him between Brandon Tullis, Western Kentucky transfer Marvis Parrish, and Iowa transfer Jaziun Patterson.
Toledo should have some continuity in its defense. Jacobs brought defensive coordinator Jahmal Brown with him from Mercer to Toledo. The two of them also worked together at D-II programs Notre Dame College and Lenoir-Rhyne.
Several Mercer players are also now a part of Toledo's defense. The big name to know is Andrew Zock, who won the Buck Buchanan Award last year for being the top defensive player in the entire FCS. He had 20 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks last year.
It's also worth noting that the Rockets added former Michigan State safety Armorion Smith from the portal this offseason. Smith started seven games and appeared in all 12 games for the Spartans last year.
Toledo's Offense vs. MSU's Defense
MSU's defense doesn't have quite as many questions. Fitzgerald decided to retain Joe Rossi as the team's defensive coordinator. Linebacker Jordan Hall, defensive lineman Ben Roberts, cornerback Charles Brantley, safety Nikai Martinez, and EDGE Isaac Smith are all players who have started on Michigan State's defense before.
Plenty of other starters this year are joining the team via the transfer portal, with Brantley among them. The other big additions have been NC State transfer Kenny Soares Jr. at rush end and Iowa State transfer Tre Bell at cornerback. In total, seven of the Spartans' expected defensive starters were playing elsewhere in 2025.
The big concern for Michigan State is on the defensive line. MSU hardly has any depth at the defensive tackle position. Only two players there have real, notable college playing experience, and it's a position where three, four, maybe five players need to play regularly. The Spartans only have six scholarship defensive tackles on the roster.
Toledo's offensive coordinator is Cris Reisert, who was previously the head coach at Gardner-Webb, going 7-5 last year. He voluntarily stepped down from his head coaching position to become the Rockets' OC and quarterbacks coach.
The expected starting quarterback for Toledo is John Alan Richter, who has been a backup for four years, waiting for this opportunity. UT could also turn to Lenoir-Rhyne transfer Khamoni Robinson, who scored 29 total touchdowns and had six interceptions in 2025.
Running back CJ Miller, wide receiver Rico Bond, and wide receiver Adjatay Dabbs are other names to know. Miller ran for 957 yards and 14 touchdowns last year at Mercer. Bond won the Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in the FCS last year, recording 61 catches for 701 yards and six touchdowns. Dabbs finished 2025 with 45 catches, 856 yards, and eight scores, including two catches of 80+ yards.
Final Prediction: Michigan State 34, Toledo 20
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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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