Michigan State may have found one of its next defensive breakout stories in Brady Pretzlaff, and defensive coordinator Joe Rossi isn’t hiding his excitement.
After camp on Monday, Rossi made it clear the sophomore linebacker has come a long way since the injury that slowed him down. His message was direct: Pretzlaff is healthy, he’s ahead of schedule, and he’s going to be on the field plenty this season.
Joe Rossi: "Pretzlaff has not missed a beat. He's super far ahead of where he was when he was injured.
He will play a lot of ball for us. What position on the depth chart?
That will be sorted out for us during summer ball."
That kind of praise matters, especially for a player who arrived with plenty of buzz as a former four-star linebacker but then got pushed out of the spotlight by injuries. Even when EA Sports College Football 27 rolled out early player ratings, Pretzlaff stood out for all the wrong reasons as one of the lowest-rated players on the Spartans’ roster. Rossi’s comments suggest that number doesn’t reflect where he is now.
The timing is notable, too. Michigan State has added defensive help through the transfer portal, so Pretzlaff may not be locked into a traditional every-down role right away. Still, Rossi’s comments point to a player who has already earned real trust in camp, whether that ends up meaning a starting job or a heavy rotation spot with the first group.
That makes Pretzlaff a much stronger breakout bet than he already was. He showed real promise before the injury, and now, by Rossi’s own description, he’s well beyond that point.
The linebacker room looks loaded again
Pretzlaff and Jordan Hall give Michigan State a strong foundation at linebacker, and that position appears set to be a clear strength for the Spartans again in 2026. For a program that has often leaned on linebacker play as one of its calling cards, that’s a familiar and welcome setup.
Pretzlaff’s production has been efficient in limited work: 11 tackles and two pass breakups over seven games. Rossi believes there’s more coming.
Beyond the top two, the room has plenty of names in the mix. DiMari Malone is heading into his redshirt freshman season and looking to compete.
Cam Stodghill, Dion Crawford, and Caleb Wheatland arrive via the transfer portal. Adam Shaw and DeJae White are also in the picture as younger players who can push for snaps.
The group was reshaped some this offseason, and there’s a better blend of experience and youth than people may realize. For Michigan State, that makes the linebacker room look deeper, more competitive, and still very much a strength.
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 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 🡒]