Michigan State’s first official day of training camp arrives Thursday, and Pat Fitzgerald already has a handful of choices to sort through before kickoff against Toledo in Week 1.
The wide receiver room looks like the biggest early battleground. Chrishon McCray should be settled in as the Spartans’ starting slot receiver, but two more starting jobs are still open.
Notre Dame transfer KK Smith, Michigan transfer Fredrick Moore, Charles Taplin, Samson Gash, and Rodney Bullard Jr. all enter camp with a real shot to claim one of those spots. Bullard’s situation adds another layer, since Michigan State is still waiting on the NCAA to decide whether he’ll get a waiver and be eligible this season.
In April’s spring scrimmage, Taplin and Bullard worked alongside McCray as the starters, though Smith was unavailable at the time. With wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins known to stick with his starters more than most, those decisions could carry real weight.
Linebacker, on the other hand, looks like it should be one of the team’s strongest units. Jordan Hall, Dion Crawford, and Caleb Wheatland give MSU three of its most proven defenders, and Hall might be the best player on the roster, period.
Hall is locked in as the starting MIKE linebacker, while Crawford and Wheatland both make sense as starting WILL linebackers. Crawford also saw some work at MIKE during the spring.
Freshman Adam Shaw turned heads in the spring, too, and he’s worth watching once camp gets rolling.
Tight end is another spot with more questions than answers. At least four, and maybe five, players are in the mix for what probably amounts to only three weekly roles.
Michigan State needs someone who can handle the every-down job, someone who can threaten defenses as a receiver, and someone who can do the dirty work as a blocker. Brennan Parachek, Kai Rios, Jayden Savoury, Ferris State transfer Carson Gulker, and possibly true freshman Eddie Whiting are all part of that competition.
Gulker brings an especially unusual profile, since his background includes work as a passer, rusher, and frequently used gadget player at a Division II powerhouse.
Special teams will have its own decision, too, with Fitzgerald and special teams coordinator LeVar Woods needing to settle on a punt returner. That job usually goes to a wide receiver, and the thinking here points to either Gash or Taplin.
Gash may be the fastest player on the team; he set an MHSAA record in the 100-meter dash in high school, and putting him back there would be an easy way to get the ball in space. Taplin’s speed is also well regarded.
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