Michigan State’s trip to Notre Dame offered a pretty clear look at how the Spartans are sorting out the bottom of the roster early in the season.
Because road teams can only take 80 players, head coachs have to trim down a group that is otherwise much larger. Michigan State has 110 players on its roster this year, so somebody is always going to be left behind when the team boards the plane. That made Saturday’s travel list in South Bend worth a closer look.
The most eye-catching part: a healthy batch of true freshmen made the trip. That usually is not the default choice when a staff starts making cuts, but Michigan State had several first-year players among the 80. The group included wide receiver Samson Gash, quarterback Kayd Coffman, linebacker Adam Shaw, safety Jonathan Granby, defensive back KJ Deriso, long snapper Trey Serauskis, offensive lineman Collin Campbell, offensive lineman Eli Bickel, tight end Eddie Whiting, kicker Stephen Gonzales, and defensive lineman Jackson Pahl.
Some of those names were easy to explain. Gash, Granby, Shaw, and Campbell have already played, while Serauskis and Gonzales have obvious roster value because the Spartans need backup options at long snapper and kicker. Even so, the fact that the rest of that freshman group made the trip is a positive sign for where they stand right now.
Pahl stood out the most among the newcomers. As a walk-on, he was a little more surprising to see on the list. His inclusion may have been helped by an apparent injury to Carlos Hazelwood, though it also could have meant he edged out scholarship freshman Hudson Aultman for the spot.
The biggest omission was running back Jace Clarizio. His path at Michigan State has already taken a few twists, and it got a little stranger here.
Clarizio came in as a highly touted member of the 2025 class out of East Lansing High School, after flipping from MSU to Alabama and then back to Michigan State late in the process. He finished 487th overall on the 247Sports Composite, which was the second-best finish among Spartan recruits in that class.
Even now, he still has not played in a game through Week 3 of his second year with the program, and he was not among the 80 players on the trip. Zion Gist, a former high 2-star, low-3-star recruit who flipped from Western Michigan, got carries against Eastern Michigan last week instead of Clarizio. Walk-on running back Darrin Jones Jr. was also included on the travel roster.
In Other News...
Jayden Reed Injury Had Michigan State Fans Fearing The Worst
Jayden Reeds injury in a Week 2 game had the kind of immediate impact that makes former Michigan State fans hold their breath. When the Green Bay Packers wide receiver was carted off the field, the scene quickly turned from concern to full-blown alarm, especially with how serious it looked in real time.
The initial fear eased a bit after the Packers said Reed had feeling and movement in all extremities and would remain under observation. Reed later added a social media update of his own, saying he is doing better and appreciative of the support, a reassuring sign for everyone who has followed his journey from East Lansing to the NFL. [Read more 🡒]
Former Spartans Made Jim Harbaughs NFL Debut Even Sweeter
Jim Harbaughs first game in charge of the Chargers had an unfamiliar feel for a coach who spent so many years around Michigan football, and it got even more familiar in the wrong way once the Raiders started making plays with help from some former Spartans. Quarterback Kirk Cousins found receiver Cody White for two touchdown catches in the Week 2 matchup, giving Michigan State fans a little extra reason to track a game that already carried plenty of history.
White was hardly alone in leaving a mark on the result. Jalen Nailor and Connor Heyward were also part of the Raiders contribution in the win over Harbaughs Chargers, adding another layer to a result that connected the NFL back to East Lansing in a hurry. For Michigan State followers, it was the kind of pro-football reminder that former Spartans keep showing up in meaningful spots, especially when the spotlight is on a familiar opponent. [Read more 🡒]
No. 1 Michigan State Let This Rivalry Match Slip Away
Michigan States unbeaten start came to an abrupt end in Ann Arbor, where the No. 1 Spartans fell 3-1 to Michigan in a rivalry match that changed in a hurry after halftime. Emerson Sargeant gave the Spartans the opening goal, but they could not add to it, and Michigans defense got enough help from goalkeeper Malia Zillman, who finished with eight saves, to keep the pressure from turning into an answer.
The bigger concern for Michigan State was how quickly the game got away from it once the momentum shifted. Michigan found a way to break through and then kept the Spartans on their heels the rest of the way, handing Michigan State its first loss of the season and underscoring how thin the margin can be in a rivalry game, even for a top-ranked team. [Read more 🡒]