New numbers from The Athletic have put Michigan State’s football spending under the microscope, and the picture is not what plenty of Spartans fans expected after last December’s financial windfall.
According to the report published Tuesday, Michigan State ranks 11th out of 18 Big Ten schools in estimated money allocated to its football roster. The conference’s spending picture, as laid out by The Athletic, runs from roughly $27 million to $31 million overall, with Ohio State and Oregon in a class by themselves at nearly double that average. USC, Indiana and Michigan sit in the next tier, followed by Nebraska and Penn State, while Wisconsin and UCLA are right around the middle.
For Michigan State, the ranking is a reminder that new money does not always mean instant splash spending. After the school secured a historic $401 million commitment last December, with $290 million directed toward athletics, many assumed the football program would start operating like a Big Ten heavyweight overnight.
The same thing happened when the MSUFCU jersey-patch deal came through. But those resources are being spread across the department, facilities and a longer rebuild, not funneled into one roster cycle.
That shows up in the roster moves the Spartans have made. A portion of the money has gone toward strengthening the offensive line, bringing in Cam Edwards, and adding help at cornerback with Kenny Soares and Eli Coenen. Michigan State is spending, just not at the level of the conference’s biggest buyers.
There’s also a football reason for the restraint. Almost the entire staff turned over after last season, and more than half the roster changed too.
New head coach Pat Fitzgerald is still trying to build something after a 1-8 Big Ten season, and the roster is being shaped with an eye toward culture, scheme and depth before anything else. In that kind of reset, loading up on a few expensive pieces can be less useful than getting the foundation right.
Still, the gap in the Big Ten is hard to ignore. The top programs are reportedly spending around 2.5 to 3 times what the lowest-spending schools are putting on the field, and that kind of spread is going to keep fueling the same debate: whether some form of salary cap is coming, and how anyone is supposed to regulate this market going forward.
That’s part of why The Athletic’s reporting has drawn so much attention. For years, this kind of spending lived behind closed doors. Now that the numbers are out, the conversation around where Michigan State stands - and how aggressively it should be chasing the conference’s biggest spenders - is out in the open too.
In Other News...
Michigan State Has A Real Chance To Make Notre Dame Sweat
Michigan State heads into its matchup with No. 3 Notre Dame as a huge underdog on paper, with the Irish laying 29.5 points, but theres a real case to be made that the Spartans can keep this one from getting out of hand. Recent performance has made the spread look awfully aggressive, and the changes under coach Pat Fitzgerald have at least given Michigan State a different baseline than the one oddsmakers may be pricing in.
The total sits at 52.5, which says plenty about the uncertainty around how this game might actually play out. Notre Dame is the better team, of course, but if Michigan State can slow the pace, avoid the kind of early unraveling that turns a game into a runaway, and make the Irish work for every possession, this could be the kind of matchup that has bettors and fans watching the number as closely as the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan States Big Ten Draw Just Fueled Another Title Debate
The Big Ten finally unveiled its 2026-27 conference schedules, and Michigan States draw immediately stood out as one that could shape the next title race. For a program that measures itself by banners and league relevance, the path matters, and this one does the Spartans a few quiet favors on paper. The schedule leaves out road trips to Purdue and Wisconsin, two of the leagues most difficult places to survive, and that alone changes the conversation around what Michigan State might be able to build.
Even with the favorable setup, nothing in the Big Ten comes easy, and the real test will be how the Spartans handle the stretch drive once the league season gets into its more demanding rhythm. There are enough potential landmines ahead to keep expectations in check, but also enough opportunity for Michigan State to turn a manageable slate into something more ambitious. If the Spartans are going to get back into the title picture, this is the kind of schedule that gives them a chance to do it. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State May Have An Unexpected Weapon Emerging At Tight End
Michigan State has been watching a familiar developmental path at tight end, one that starts with basketball skills and ends with football utility. Offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan recently talked about the traits he values in high school basketball players making the leap to tight end, pointing to toughness and a competitive edge as much as raw athleticism. It is the sort of profile that fits Jayden Savoury, a former basketball state champion who has worked his way into a bigger role for the Spartans in his second college football season.
Savourys rise matters because Michigan State has been searching for more dependable options in the middle of the field, and his growth suggests the staff may have found one in-house. His development also speaks to the coaching on that side of the ball, with tight ends coach Brian Wozniak playing a central role in Savourys recruitment and progression. The question now is how far that chemistry can carry both player and program as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]