LB Wheatland on Recruitment to MSU, Big Ten, and SEC

EAST LANSING, Mich. --- One of Michigan State's many new players has ties to former Spartans.

Auburn linebacker transfer Caleb Wheatland, who is really better known for his time at Maryland, knows a guy or two. Former MSU linebacker and team captain Sam Edwards and former starting quarterback Noah Kim are both friends of his.

"I had a buddy who played here who I grew up with, Noah Kim," Wheatland said. "So I used to come up all the time and go hang out with him. Sam was a part of that crew."

Wheatland spent three seasons at Maryland, one at Auburn, and is now a fifth-year senior at Michigan State. Across his collegiate career, Wheatland has accumulated 101 total tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks during that time. A lot of that was during the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the Terrapins. Wheatland only appeared in three games last season at Auburn, allowing him to redshirt.

Recruitment to MSU

Aug 31, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Connecticut Huskies quarterback Nick Evers (3) throws a pass over Maryland Terrapins linebacker Caleb Wheatland (44) during the second quarter at SECU Stadium. | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Edwards was someone who helped talk Wheatland through his transfer portal process. When he learned that defensive coordinator Joe Rossi was interested this offseason, he called Wheatland to talk things through a little bit.

When Wheatland visited campus, he liked what he heard from Rossi and linebackers coach Max Bullough. There wasn't anything flashy necessarily, but Wheatland liked the straightforward communication.

"When I came up on my official visit, just seeing the dynamic of how eager [Pat Fitzgerald] was to come back as a head coach and be a part of Michigan State [was big]," Wheatland said. "Also, with Rossi and Coach Bullough, just seeing how they sat me down, and it just wasn't really anything that was a facade.

"It was, 'This is what's gonna happen, this is the plan, this is what we have set forth for you, and this is what we expect from you when you do come here.' So that was something that I could buy into, and I just ran with it."

SEC Politics

One can infer that things were different from what Wheatland experienced when he transferred from Maryland to Auburn. He was asked what the big difference between the Big Ten and the SEC was at the moment on Tuesday, too. His main answer didn't have anything to do with stuff on the field.

"I think the SEC is very political," Wheatland said. "It's got a lot of outside noise that they like to feed into more. I think the Big Ten is taking more of a step in the way of being the more dominant conference, in my opinion. Obviously, you have tougher schedules in the SEC, but the Big Ten has been showing the playoff wins and showing National Championship wins in these most recent years."

The lack of playing time for Wheatland at Auburn is a surprise. After starting at Maryland in 2024, he played only 19 defensive snaps all season for the Tigers in 2025. That's probably not the role he was imagining or told he'd get when he entered the transfer portal for the first time.

Auburn went 5-7, with a 1-7 mark in SEC play, leading to the mid-season firing of Hugh Freeze.

Sep 7, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; A detailed view of Michigan State Spartans helmet on the field before the game against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images