Michigan State’s biggest roster worry may not be the spots everybody is already talking about.
The quarterback battle, the offensive line, the wide receivers, the secondary, the pass rush - those are the usual flash points. But the quieter problem for the Spartans sits in the middle of the defensive line, where the depth chart looks thin enough to turn into a real issue fast.
At the top, Michigan State should be fine. Ben Roberts and Illinois transfer Eli Coenen are the expected starters at defensive tackle, with redshirt freshman Derrick Simmons projected as the third man in the rotation. That trio gives MSU a workable core, at least on paper.
The problem is what happens after that.
Roberts has already missed multiple games in each of his two seasons with the program after arriving from Oregon. Simmons is still a relative unknown because he simply hasn’t played enough college football yet. Coenen has stayed available so far, but that kind of durability is never something a team can bank on.
And Michigan State already had to rebuild this group. Last season’s starters, Alex VanSumeren and Grady Kelly, are both gone - VanSumeren transferred to USC and Kelly exhausted his eligibility. Ru'Quan Buckley and Jalen Satchell also moved on after running out of NCAA eligibility.
That matters because the Spartans were at least able to survive last season with some numbers in the room. Michigan State gave up 147.3 rushing yards per game, which ranked 65th in the FBS, and that came while the team was often playing from behind in a 4-8 season. One reason the run defense held up as well as it did was simple: there were bodies.
MSU had five or six defensive tackles who could be used last year. This season, that number looks much smaller, and it may not really go beyond the top three.
The fourth defensive tackle is probably Toledo transfer Carlos Hazelwood. He arrives with only 93 defensive snaps of experience, and 83 of those came in 2025, when he ranked fourth among Toledo’s interior defensive linemen in playing time, according to PFF. That’s not much evidence to lean on as he makes the jump to the Power Four, and he may end up logging more snaps at Michigan State this year than he did for the Rockets last season.
After Hazelwood, the options get even thinner. Mikeshun Beeler enters his redshirt sophomore year with only nine total defensive snaps on his résumé. For him, 2026 is about trying to carve out a real role in Year 3.
The last name in the group is true freshman Hudson Aultman. He flipped to Michigan State from Miami (OH) in November, signed early despite uncertainty around Jonathan Smith’s future, then enrolled early and took part in spring practice. Aultman was ranked 1,262nd overall in the class of 2026 by the 247Sports Composite.
Michigan State did spend the offseason trying to strengthen the edge rush spots, and that makes sense given how much the pass rush has struggled. But the tradeoff is clear: the Spartans may have addressed one problem while leaving another one exposed.
Right now, there just isn’t much proven production behind the starters at defensive tackle. Simmons still has to show it.
Hazelwood is stepping up a level. Beeler has barely played.
Aultman is a freshman.
That leaves Michigan State with a defensive line that can look manageable at full strength, but starts to feel shaky the moment injuries enter the picture.
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