Michigan State’s fall camp is already sorting out a few early answers, and the picture looks very different in a few rooms than it did when camp opened.
That’s not exactly a shock when more than half the roster is new - 62 of 111 players - and Pat Fitzgerald is running a new staff. With that much turnover, the depth chart was always going to be fluid. But a handful of players have clearly helped themselves so far, while a few others have found themselves pushed down the board.
One of the clearest early winners has been tight end Jayden Savoury. The second-year player stood out right away on the first day of practice last Thursday, and he and Brennan Parachek appear to be the top two options in the room at the moment.
Savoury brings a lot to like at 6-foot-5 and 253 pounds, with enough hands and athleticism to make him look like a real candidate to start. The Canton, Mich., native also has four years of eligibility left, which makes him a worthwhile bet for the staff.
On defense, true freshman linebacker Adam Shaw keeps building momentum. He impressed during spring ball, and that seems to be carrying right into fall camp. Fitzgerald said Shaw put on about 15 pounds over the offseason, and even if his snap count may be limited this year because Michigan State has plenty of experience at linebacker, the staff looks like it may have found something.
"As is the case when freshmen linebackers get here, they're usually 210 pounds, and they don't look like linebackers," DC Joe Rossi said of Shaw. "And then all of a sudden they start eating and lifting and training, and then they start to fill out, and he's starting to fill out."
"I would say he's a really good athlete, he's a physical kid, and he's got a high aptitude. So you get guys that are athletic, who are smart, and can run, those [traits] are the great foundation to be a really, really good linebacker, and he has it."
Up front, Rakeem Johnson looks like another player in the mix for a starting job. At one point in Monday’s practice, Michigan State rolled out a five-man offensive line that looked very much like a possible starting group, with Johnson at right tackle and Conner Moore - last year’s starter - sliding to left guard.
That would be a notable development, especially with Johnson, who has just 90 career snaps at right tackle, potentially holding off Robert Wright Jr. for the job. Wright started at right tackle for Georgia Southern last season and did not commit a penalty all year.
Another name that has made an impression is NC State transfer Kenny Soares Jr. He earned enough votes from teammates to wear No. 1, and that stood out as a bit of a surprise.
Soares already looked like he was settling into a leadership role during spring ball, and now he’s carrying “The Spartan” label this season. He was locked in as the starting rush end, but the way he’s practiced appears to have strengthened that standing even more.
Rossi praised Soares’ competitiveness on Monday, and Michigan State is counting on him to help fix a pass rush that has been searching for answers.
At wide receiver, the early shape of the room has shifted from what it looked like in winter. When Michigan State added KK Smith and Fredrick Moore from the transfer portal, they seemed like the likely outside starters.
But once camp began, that picture changed. When Courtney Hawkins called for “starters” to go up for a drill on Monday, Chrishon McCray, Charles Taplin and Rodney Bullard Jr. were the ones who stepped forward.
That doesn’t close the door on the competition. Bullard’s status still depends in part on the NCAA approving his waiver, so the final outcome is not fully in the team’s control.
Not every returnee has moved up the board. Isaac Smith, who started all 12 games last season and finished with one sack and 26 total tackles, appears to be sitting no better than third among Michigan State’s rush ends right now. Soares and Anelu Lafaele were the first two players getting reps in one drill on Monday, and third-year PWO Chris Piwowarczyk came next, with Smith following after that.
In Other News...
Jeremy Fears Just Added Fuel To Michigan States Breakout Hype
Michigan States rising optimism around its young core got a little louder this week when Jeremy Fears Jr. took issue with a recent ranking of the top 30 sophomore players in college basketball. The list left out Cam Ward and Jordan Scott, two Spartans who are expected to play major roles this season and who have already built a case as potential All-Big Ten-caliber talents heading into their second year.
Ward and Scott each showed enough as freshmen to keep the Spartans breakout buzz from sounding like empty offseason talk, and their next step could shape how high this team climbs. Fears public criticism only added another layer to the conversation around Michigan States depth and upside, especially with so much attention now turning to what those two sophomores can become in East Lansing. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State May Be Getting A Huge Brady Pretzlaff Boost
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That matters for a linebacker room still sorting out its pecking order. Jordan Hall remains a central piece, but the Spartans also have several transfers and younger players competing for roles, which makes any meaningful rise from Pretzlaff particularly important. If he can turn this progress into a reliable presence on the field, Michigan States defense could get a much-needed boost from a player who still has plenty of runway left. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Needs More From Derrick Simmons Than Hype This Year
Michigan State is counting on Derrick Simmons to be more than a former recruiting win this season, because the defensive tackle room has some real turnover and the Spartans need younger bodies to settle in fast. Simmons arrived with plenty of pedigree as a four-star prospect, but his first year was mostly about learning the jump from high school to Big Ten football and adjusting to the speed, strength and physical demands that come with it.
Now a sophomore, Simmons has already made the kind of body transformation the staff wanted to see, and the expectation is that hell finally be part of the weekly conversation up front. He is projected to fit into the tackle mix with Ben Roberts and Eli Coenen, and for Michigan State the question is no longer whether he belongs in the rotation, but how quickly he can turn promise into production. [Read more 🡒]