What To Know About Jaziun Patterson, MSU's New RB1
In this story:
EAST LANSING -- Michigan State's offense has to change a lot, and fast. That's not by choice, either.
Head coach Pat Fitzgerald had to be the bearer of bad news during his Monday press conference, where he announced that star running back Cam Edwards was going to miss the rest of the season. Edwards took a hit to his right knee while his foot was planted against Nebraska on Saturday and was eventually carted to the locker room. His 2026 season will end with 304 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Edwards' Replacement
Edwards' injury means that Jaziun Patterson will be elevated to the RB1 spot. He became Michigan State's lead back following Edwards' injury and actually ran the ball pretty well. The box score says 16 carries for just 54 yards (3.4 YPC) and a touchdown, but it felt like Patterson had had a better day than that with the holes and space he had to work with.
"Jazz Patterson stepped up and graded out very high," Fitzgerald said on Monday. "There were a couple of runs that were very close to popping for explosives. But it's great to see him performing."
The jump to starter will still be significant for Patterson. He had received just 10 total touches through the three full games MSU had Edwards. Patterson's offensive snap count dropped to just five during the Spartans' Week 3 loss at Notre Dame, and he didn't get a single touch that night. His 16 carries against Nebraska were the second-most of any game in his career.
Patterson wasn't even the clear-cut RB2 before Edwards' injury, really. He and sophomore Marvis Parrish were getting a similar number of carries up to that point. There isn't much debate about who gets the new starting spot, though. Patterson is an experienced Big Ten player who began his career at Iowa (a program Fitzgerald certainly wants to emulate in some ways), whereas Parrish is a younger guy going through his first Power Four season.
How Patterson Differs From Edwards
The loss of Edwards is significant. There's no other way to describe it. Patterson isn't the running back Edwards is -- he'd be the starter if he were. What Michigan State will miss most from Edwards is his elusiveness. Edwards didn't have tremendous breakaway speed, but his jump cut was the type of thing that could turn a loss of one into a gain of five.
Patterson is a bit more of a physical back. He, too, probably isn't one to burst through the hole at Jahmyr Gibbs-level speed and house it, but he's the right back to fall forward on those runs between the tackles and gain that additional yard or two. Patterson has 26 carries for 100 yards on the season. According to Pro Football Focus, 61 of those yards came after contact.
Patterson's Iowa Career, Transfer to MSU
MSU picking up Patterson this offseason was a bit of a surprise. It's not necessarily due to anything on Patterson's end, but he was the third different running back the Spartans had picked up in two days. Edwards announced his big commitment to Michigan State on Jan. 7. Parrish became the second running back addition the very next day. Patterson also committed on Jan. 8, but that news came a few hours after Parrish's decision.
Patterson had been in that RB2 or RB3 role for some time at Iowa. He appeared in 34 total games across four seasons with the Hawkeyes. Patterson got between 58 and 63 carries during the 2023, 2024, and 2025 seasons with Iowa, finishing his time there with 858 rushing yards on 4.4 yards per carry and four touchdowns.
More Depth at Running Back
Losing Edwards probably means other backup running backs will get more opportunities, too. Parrish only got three carries during the Nebraska game, but giving Patterson the same workload Edwards was receiving at the start of the season probably isn't wise. It doesn't have to be a total by-committee approach where two or three backs get similar touches, but things should level out a little bit. That would benefit Parrish, who had 779 scrimmage yards at Western Kentucky last year.
Brandon Tullis and Kenneth Williams could also get more involved. Tullis was MSU's RB2 for much of the 2025 season and decided to stick around despite the influx of portal players at his position. Williams is a Nebraska transfer who has primarily been the Spartans' kick return specialist, but he's gotten some snaps at running back at times this year.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
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