The first signs of Pat Fitzgerald’s Michigan State overhaul are showing up where plenty of seasons get decided: in the trenches and on special teams.
With the Spartans a little more than a week from their Sept. 4 opener against Toledo, the new coach is still shaping the roster and the identity around it. And while there’s plenty of curiosity about how fast this can turn, the clearest early themes from training camp point to three areas that could define Year 1.
Start up front. Michigan State’s offensive line has been rebuilt with a hard reset in mind after last season’s struggles.
The Spartans allowed the second-most sacks in the Big Ten and finished fourth-fewest in the conference in yards per carry on the ground. Fitzgerald and offensive line coach Nick Tabacca made it clear that wasn’t going to be carried over.
Conner Moore is the lone returning starter, and even he is changing spots, moving from right tackle to left guard. The rest of the group is new.
UConn transfer Ben Murawski is set to start at left tackle after posting one of the best run-blocking grades among offensive tackles on PFF last season. Trent Fraley, who won the FCS Rimington Award at North Dakota State, is expected to handle center.
Nick Sharpe, a South Carolina transfer with starting experience at Wake Forest and in the SEC with the Gamecocks, should be the right guard.
The pass rush is harder to pin down, but it may end up being one of the more fascinating parts of this team. Michigan State hasn’t been consistent enough in the sack department over the last couple of years, though it did finish 10th in the Big Ten in sacks during conference play in 2025.
One of the most intriguing moves is the shift of NC State transfer Kenny Soares Jr. from linebacker to rush end. Soares has played linebacker throughout his career, but the Spartans are betting on his ability to create pressure off the edge. Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi said Soares was supposed to move to EDGE last year at NC State before injuries at linebacker pushed him back.
Behind him, Anelu Lafaele is another name to watch. He flashed big-time potential in limited action last season and picked up a pair of early-season sacks. Had he not been hurt in the fifth game against Nebraska, he almost certainly would have led Michigan State in sacks.
The linebacker room also has real weight to it. Jordan Hall tied for the team lead with 2.5 sacks last season. Caleb Wheatland brought a proven résumé with 4.0 sacks at Maryland in 2024, while Dion Crawford posted 8.5 sacks at Buffalo in 2024 before that number dropped to 3.5 after moving into a more traditional linebacker role.
Then there’s the part of the game Fitzgerald may be most intent on squeezing every last edge from: special teams. If Michigan State is going to chart a path back to a bowl game in 2026, the model might look a little like Iowa. The Hawkeyes have built consistency under Kirk Ferentz without living near the top of the talent or recruiting rankings, and they’ve had just one losing season since 2007.
Special teams are a big part of why. They were a difference-maker in Michigan State’s loss in Iowa City last fall, and Fitzgerald was there to see it. He also spent plenty of time around the Iowa program while away from college coaching, and his son, Ryan, is a quarterback for the Hawkeyes.
That familiarity gave Fitzgerald a close look at what LeVar Woods has built. Woods has been Iowa’s special teams coordinator since 2018, after assisting on special teams beginning in 2012, and he’s been on the staff since 2008. With Woods running the unit, Iowa has stayed among the nation’s best.
That’s the standard now at Michigan State. Fitzgerald wants starters on offense and defense contributing there, and that approach carries some risk. But if the Spartans make a major leap in his first season, special teams may be where it shows up first.
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Michigan State is heading into its first season under Pat Fitzgerald with a defense that looks far more established than it did a year ago. As the Spartans prepare for the opener against Toledo, the staff has pieced together a unit built around returning veterans and transfers, with experience across the defensive line, at linebacker and in the secondary. There is more proven leadership in place now, and that alone gives this group a different feel entering the fall.
The concern, though, is hard to miss: depth still looks thin enough to matter. Michigan State can lean on veteran starters to begin the year, but the real test may come if injuries start to hit and the Spartans have to go beyond the top layer of the roster. For a defense that was rebuilt around experience, the ability to survive those inevitable stretches could end up shaping how reliable this team is over the course of the season. [Read more 🡒]
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Even so, there are still a few places where camp is likely to decide more than reputation or early buzz. The offensive line and receiver group both have some uncertainty attached to them, and those battles matter because Fitzgeralds first offense in East Lansing will need enough stability to function from the start. The depth chart may look clearer by the day, but a handful of key jobs still feel very much up for grabs. [Read more 🡒]
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Up front, the offensive line remains the biggest point of emphasis after last seasons struggles, and several transfers are expected to compete for starting jobs right away. The receiver room is also set for a more active rotation, with younger players in line for snaps, while cornerback stands out as another area where Michigan State has talent with future eligibility still in the program. [Read more 🡒]