Michigan State’s defense looks a little steadier than the offense heading into fall camp, and the biggest reason is continuity.
Pat Fitzgerald kept defensive coordinator Joe Rossi in place, and that decision brought a ripple effect. Rossi helped secure returns from Jordan Hall, Nikai Martinez and Ben Roberts, then added Charles Brantley back from the transfer portal. That gives the Spartans a defensive core with some real familiarity, even as the roster keeps turning over elsewhere.
The biggest shift may be Rossi’s role. Under Jonathan Smith, he was handling linebacker duties as well as coordinating the defense, which tied him up during practice. Now that Max Bullough has taken over that position group, Rossi can operate more like a full-time defensive coordinator and spend more time moving across the field, checking every part of the defense and correcting issues as he sees them.
Martinez said that has already made a difference.
"It's definitely very important for the whole defense just to be able to see his vision and see directly from the source how he wants everything to be," Martinez said. "When he's a position coach and the DC, it's kind of hard for him to get around, and we had kind of had that conversation after the season.
I kind of told him that I liked when he was around, just moving around, and he was telling me that was the plan, moving forward. So it's been a blessing since."
Fitzgerald also invested heavily in the defensive staff over the winter. Rossi is the highest-paid coordinator or assistant on the staff, and the defensive position coaches will collectively make more than half a million dollars more than the offensive position coaches. Bullough and defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere III are the top-paid position coaches on the staff, while safeties coach James Adams is tied for third.
On the field, Thursday’s first practice gave an early look at the cornerback picture. There doesn’t appear to be much suspense at the top. Brantley, now wearing No. 4, should be back in line as Michigan State’s top cornerback, and Iowa State transfer Tre Bell looks safely settled into a starting role after following cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat from Ames to East Lansing.
The more interesting questions are behind them. Houston Christian transfer Tyran Chappell looked like the CB3 after starting the spring game in April while Brantley was unavailable. Keshawn Williams and Andrew Brinson IV both stood out on Thursday, and fifth-year senior NiJhay Burt adds another experienced option.
If the Spartans can keep those starters healthy, the secondary has a chance to be solid. Not elite, not “No Fly Zone” territory, but solid. That would matter after Michigan State gave up 231.3 passing yards per game last season, the second-most in the Big Ten and only behind Purdue’s 2-10 team.
Poteat’s arrival was another move that makes sense on paper. He has a track record of uncovering underrated talent, and he helped build an Iowa State secondary that ranked No. 1 in pass defense during the 2024 season. Even with early injuries last year, that unit still finished 65th in the FBS.
Linebacker may be the strongest spot on the roster. Hall, Caleb Wheatland and Dion Crawford form a proven group with different kinds of production and experience. Hall remains the centerpiece and the defense’s quarterback, Wheatland brings Big Ten starting experience from Maryland, and Crawford was highly productive at Buffalo.
There are also younger names making noise. Fitzgerald said true freshman Adam Shaw and Albany transfer Cam Stodghill each added about 15 pounds over the offseason, changing their bodies as much as anyone on the roster. He also pointed to running back Marvis Parrish in that same conversation.
Shaw has become one of the freshmen who could push for snaps right away, while Stodghill is one of the more intriguing portal additions. At Albany, he played in a hybrid linebacker-defensive back role and piled up 65 tackles in only seven games last season.
In Other News...
Former Spartan Tre Hollomans Next Move Could Haunt Michigan State
A Colorado judges ruling has reopened the door for a small group of college seniors from the 2022 recruiting class, and the ripple effect has already reached East Lansing. Former Michigan State guard Tre Holloman, along with Jaxon Kohler, entered the transfer portal after the decision, giving both players a path to chase another season of college basketball and forcing the Spartans to watch one more layer of roster movement tied to a class that seemed finished just weeks ago.
For Michigan State, the timing is awkward because Hollomans departure had already taken him to NC State, and now he is officially in the portal again while exploring fifth-year options. The ruling creates a new kind of uncertainty for everyone involved, including programs that thought they had a clean read on their roster future, and it leaves open the possibility that a familiar face could end up somewhere else in the 2026-27 season. [Read more 🡒]
Kenneth Walker IIIs Viral Chiefs Moment Felt Very Familiar To Spartans Fans
Kenneth Walker IIIs first summer with the Chiefs already has a little edge to it, and Spartans fans know that part of his game well. During a public training camp session, Walker got into a physical altercation with teammate Alohi Gilman after being shoved near the sideline, a scene that instantly felt familiar to anyone who watched him at Michigan State, where his response to contact and his competitiveness were never far from the surface.
For Walker, the moment was less about a brief camp scuffle than about the same push-and-pull that has followed him throughout his career: he has long had to prove himself, and now he is trying to do it again in Kansas City after questions about the value of his contract. The Chiefs signed him with the expectation that he can help them, but as this camp moment showed, he is still carrying the intensity that has defined him for years, even if the bigger question is how that fire translates when the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Enters Camp With Key Starting Battles Still Unsettled
Michigan State has opened its first full week of fall camp under Pat Fitzgerald with several of the biggest jobs still up for grabs, and that gives the early practices a little more weight than usual. The Spartans are sorting through competition at wide receiver, linebacker and running back, with a mix of returning players and new faces all trying to carve out roles before the depth chart starts to settle.
At linebacker, the early buzz has centered on Adam Shaw, who has already made a strong impression after adding about 15 pounds since arriving on campus. The same kind of uncertainty hangs over the offensive side, where the receiver and backfield rotations are still being evaluated, and there is at least one more wrinkle in the mix as Rodney Bullard Jr. continues to wait on NCAA eligibility clearance. [Read more 🡒]