Michigan State’s offense is getting a full makeover, and the early days of fall camp are already offering a few clues about how Nick Sheridan’s group might come together.
The biggest headline is that the Spartans are far from settled up front. Conner Moore and Chrishon McCray are the only full-time starters back from last season, but almost everything else on offense is being reworked. Michigan State has a new starting quarterback, multiple new running backs, a rebuilt offensive line, several fresh faces at wide receiver and a new coordinator in Sheridan.
One of the clearest early signs has been Moore’s position. During the first day of camp, he was working on the left side of the line, which is a notable shift for a player who started at right tackle last season. Moore was also taking reps at right guard during the spring game, and a move to left guard would not be a surprise either.
Part of that appears to be tied to the other options Michigan State has at right tackle. The Spartans brought in Georgia Southern transfer Robert Wright Jr., who started there last season and went the entire year without drawing a flag.
According to PFF, Wright allowed five catches with 20 pressures. Moore, by contrast, was flagged six times, gave up six sacks and allowed 30 pressures.
He also isn’t an option at left tackle, where Ben Murawski is set.
Rakeem Johnson could be in the mix there as well. The returning junior was working at right tackle during the spring game, even though most of his snaps last season came at right guard.
Nick Sharpe adds another layer to the puzzle. He played left guard at South Carolina last season, but during his four years at Wake Forest he was strictly a right guard.
Sharpe was coached there by offensive line coach Nick Tabacca, and the two are back together at Michigan State.
Tight end usage also offered a better sense of the pecking order. On Thursday, the first two players getting reps in a drill with the quarterbacks were Jayden Savoury and Brennan Parachek.
It was only one drill, but Savoury stood out. True freshman Eddie Whiting, who was in the second group with Kai Rios, also looked solid for a young player.
Savoury probably could have been Michigan State’s third tight end a year ago, or at least seen a few more snaps. He showed up in some early-season games, then sat out the back half of the season to preserve his redshirt. His best moment came against Boston College, when he hauled in a 16-yard high-point catch.
Parachek also redshirted after appearing in four early-season games without recording a catch. He was listed as “out” on availability reports, but he later earned Scout Team Player of the Week honors once, which suggests he was at least in decent shape. Now entering his fourth season with the program, he has 14 career receptions for 118 yards.
Carson Gulker is another name worth watching in that room. He looked like the fifth tight end on Thursday, but his ability to contribute as a passer, rusher and receiver makes him a useful piece this season.
At quarterback, the camera setup may have revealed the current order behind the top two. Alessio Milivojevic is the starter, and Pat Fitzgerald has already named UCF transfer Cam Fancher the primary backup.
Michigan State has cameras on the quarterbacks’ helmets to capture a first-person view of the film, and only three helmets had cameras attached. The third belonged to second-year player Leo Hannan.
That points to 4-star true freshman Kayd Coffman being QB4 for now. Freshman walk-on Peyton Babbit is the fifth quarterback in the room, and he is wearing No. 23.
Hannan did not appear in a game last season and spent most of the year as the QB3. Later in the season, he became the primary backup for a couple of games while Milivojevic was starting and Aidan Chiles was out with a foot injury.
Coffman is one of the more intriguing additions in Michigan State’s recruiting class. The 247Sports Composite ranked him as the No. 19 quarterback in the class of 2026 and the No. 6 overall prospect in Michigan. His offer list probably would have been stronger if he had not committed to the Spartans so quickly.
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