A lot of the stability Michigan State has heading into fall camp lives on the defensive side of the ball.
Pat Fitzgerald kept defensive coordinator Joe Rossi and safeties coach James Adams in place, and one of his more well-received offseason decisions was bringing in Max Bullough as linebackers coach. Add in a decent number of returning starters, and the Spartans at least have a few defensive constants to lean on. But there are still some major questions looming, and three stand out above the rest.
The biggest name to watch might be Charles Brantley, who could be the most intriguing transfer portal addition MSU made this offseason. Brantley already showed he can be a difference-maker in the Spartans’ secondary and within Rossi’s system during the 2024 season. Even though he missed the final 3.5 games or so, he still earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors.
If everything clicks, he should slide right back in as Michigan State’s top cornerback. Brantley transferred to Miami (FL) after the 2024 season, but for whatever reason, he never really found a role there. He only played in three games for the Hurricanes, which allowed him to keep his final year of eligibility and return to East Lansing.
The catch is that Brantley was limited for much of spring practice and sat out the Spartans’ spring scrimmage in April. The key question now is whether he can get back to the level he showed last fall, and that’s probably a question for Rossi, who watched it unfold up close in 2024.
Health is the other issue that hangs over Brantley all season long. He hasn’t played a full college season in five years, and with Michigan State’s defensive depth fairly thin, the Spartans can’t afford many injuries on that side of the ball. Houston Christian transfer Tyran Chappell looks like a reasonable option at CB3, but there isn’t a lot of margin for error behind him.
Michigan State’s pass rush is another major storyline, and it’s easy to see why. The Spartans finished with 22 sacks last season, tied for the third-fewest in the Big Ten, and the pressure is on the rush ends and defensive ends to produce a more dangerous front.
The transfer class brought in bodies, but not a proven sack artist in the classic sense. Buffalo transfer Dion Crawford is probably the most notable name, though his role matters here: he had 8.5 sacks in 2024, then moved into a more traditional linebacker spot last fall and finished with 3.5 in 2025. He’ll be at linebacker for MSU, too.
There are some other newcomers worth watching. Weber State transfer Keahnist Thompson posted 4.0 sacks in nine games last year, including 1.5 against Big 12 opponent Arizona. SEMO transfer Trey Lisle added 4.5 TFLs and a half sack last year, while Winona State transfer Aidan Boehle had 2.0 sacks in 2025.
NC State transfer Kenny Soares Jr. could wind up being a real X-factor after switching from linebacker to rush end. He had just half a sack last season and 3.0 for his career.
On the returnee side, Anelu Lafaele and Isaac Smith are expected to factor in as well. Lafaele started fast last season before a season-ending injury, while Smith finished with one sack.
Then there’s defensive tackle, a spot that could quietly decide a lot for this defense. Michigan State doesn’t have much proven production there, and the health piece matters just as much as the talent.
Ben Roberts has been productive when available, but injuries have limited him in both 2024 and 2025 in East Lansing. Illinois transfer Eli Coenen emerged late last season for the Fighting Illini, but MSU is asking him to take on a much bigger job now.
After that, it gets pretty untested. Most teams use three defensive tackles in rotation, and the third spot is likely to go to second-year player Derrick Simmons. He has breakout potential and came to MSU as a former 4-star recruit, but he logged only 44 defensive snaps as a true freshman.
The next options are Toledo transfer Carlos Hazelwood or Mikeshun Beeler. Hazelwood played just 83 snaps in his redshirt freshman season with the Rockets, and Beeler saw only six snaps with the Spartans. Three-star true freshman Hudson Aultman and freshman preferred walk-on Jackson Pahl round out the room.
That’s a notable shift from last season, when defensive tackle was actually one of Michigan State’s strengths. Alex VanSumeren, now at USC, was an above-average player at the position, and Grady Kelly was solid. This year, that group looks a lot shakier, especially if injuries start to pile up.
In Other News...
Tom Izzos Plan For Michigan States Future Is Starting To Show
Tom Izzos long view for Michigan State is becoming easier to see, and it starts with how aggressively the Spartans are working the 2027 class. The latest move was a scholarship offer to Kamsi Awaka, a 6-foot-10 center from New Jersey who already has a growing list of major suitors, including Arizona, UConn and Florida. He is one of several high-end targets Michigan State has identified early, as Izzo continues to put real emphasis on building the next wave rather than waiting for the cycle to come to him.
The Spartans have now extended nine scholarships for 2027, a sign that this is not a token effort but a true priority for the programs future. Awaka is part of a broader board that includes players like Jaydn Jenkins, and the competition is already thick enough to show how ambitious Michigan States approach is. The next step is obvious enough, even if the finish line is not, because the Spartans are trying to turn early offers into actual momentum before other bluebloods can close the gap. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Camp Opens With Key Roles Still Up For Grabs
Michigan State is opening official training camp with plenty of the lineup still in motion, and the first real days of practice figure to matter as much as any preseason projection. Pat Fitzgerald and his staff have a handful of decisions to sort through before the opener against Toledo, with starting jobs still unsettled at wide receiver, linebacker, tight end and punt returner.
The most crowded discussion is at receiver, where Chrishon McCray is part of a group trying to claim spots and establish some early separation. Jordan Hall is among the other players in the mix at different positions, while the staff is also waiting on NCAA eligibility confirmation for Rodney Bullard Jr., a wrinkle that could affect how the room settles once camp gets moving in earnest. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Faces Fall Camp Battles That Could Define Its Season
Michigan State opens training camp with a roster that looks a lot different from the one that finished last season, and the turnover is already shaping the most important conversations in East Lansing. There are more new faces than familiar ones, which means the Spartans are still sorting out where several players fit, especially on offense, where lineup changes and position uncertainty are part of the daily backdrop. Add in a handful of injuries and the presence of transfers and freshmen pushing for snaps, and camp is less about fine-tuning a known product than figuring out what the starting group will even look like.
Some of the biggest battles are tied to situations that have yet to settle, which keeps the offensive line and a few skill spots in flux as practice gets underway. Michigan State has players competing for starting roles at multiple positions, and the staff may need to make temporary adjustments while it waits on health updates and eligibility matters to clear. For a team trying to stabilize after so much roster change, the next few weeks could determine not just who starts, but how far this group can go once the season begins. [Read more 🡒]