Michigan State’s offense is heading into fall camp with a completely new feel, and the biggest questions are spread across the line, the receiver room and tight end.
The Spartans are bringing back only two offensive starters from last season: wide receiver Chrishon McCray and offensive lineman Conner Moore. Pat Fitzgerald also brought in Nick Sheridan as the new offensive coordinator, so this group is not just replacing pieces - it’s learning a new system at the same time. That makes these first fall practices in East Lansing especially important.
Up front, four of the five spots on the offensive line appear to be mostly settled. UConn transfer Ben Murawski is expected to start at left tackle, North Dakota State transfer Trent Fraley is in line to handle center, and South Carolina transfer Nick Sharpe and Moore should both be in the mix somewhere. The real question is where Sharpe and Moore ultimately line up.
Sharpe has experience on both sides at guard. Most of his time came at right guard during his Wake Forest days, where MSU offensive line coach Nick Tabacca coached him, but he moved to the left side at South Carolina last season and started five games there. During April’s spring game, Sharpe was working at left guard.
Moore started at right tackle last season, but he also has left tackle experience from Montana State. In spring, he was getting reps at right guard.
One possible reason is the recovery timeline for Luka Vincic, who likely would have been Michigan State’s starting right tackle if not for the Week 3 injury. Fitzgerald said last week that Vincic’s status for Week 1 is still uncertain.
That uncertainty could make Moore’s move inside more of a short-term fix than a permanent change. The Spartans seem to have more depth at right tackle than at guard, with Rakeem Johnson taking Moore’s place during the spring game and Robert Wright Jr. arriving after starting at right tackle for Georgia Southern last year.
The bigger spotlight, though, is on the wide receivers. Michigan State has a long list of players trying to earn starting jobs, and Courtney Hawkins has not usually leaned heavily on backups in the past. That means the difference between first-team and second-team work could matter a lot.
McCray is back as the starting slot receiver, but the X and Z spots are wide open. The main contenders appear to be Charles Taplin, Fredrick Moore, KK Smith, Samson Gash and Rodney Bullard Jr., if the NCAA grants his waiver.
Bryson Williams and Braylon Collier could also work their way into the conversation. Taplin and Bullard opened the spring game as starters, though Smith was unavailable.
There’s no proven Power Four production in that group, and that’s the issue. Smith and Moore were backups at Notre Dame and Michigan, respectively.
Bullard had only five catches for MSU last season, while Taplin managed just one. Gash may be the fastest player on the roster, but he is still a true freshman.
That makes this room a much different challenge than last season’s group with Nick Marsh and Omari Kelly. Marsh was returning after leading the Spartans as a freshman, and Kelly arrived after a productive year at Middle Tennessee State.
Tight end is another spot with plenty to sort out. Ferris State transfer Carson Gulker, Brennan Parachek, Kai Rios and Jayden Savoury are all competing for snaps after Michigan State lost Jack Velling to eligibility and Michael Masunas to Texas. Tight ends coach Brian Wozniak is counting on the players already in the building to make up the difference.
Like the receivers, the tight ends bring plenty of questions at the Big Ten level. Gulker had an accomplished run at Ferris State, but that came against Division II competition, and he only switched to tight end last season.
Savoury and Rios each had one catch last year. Parachek didn’t catch any passes, though he does have 14 receptions for 118 yards.
Freshman Eddie Whiting is another name to watch after drawing strong reviews in spring. He was a 3-star recruit, but he also had a strong list of other offers, which keeps him in the mix as camp opens.
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