Michigan State’s 2026 opener against Toledo arrives with a roster that looks nothing like the one Spartans fans saw a year ago. With kickoff set for 8:00 pm ET Friday night on FS1, MSU rolls into the season with 62 new players - 32 transfers and 30 freshmen - and a handful of those newcomers could shape the tone right away.
The headliner is UConn running back transfer Cam Edwards, who looks like the most dangerous portal addition in the group. He piled up 1,240 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns for the Huskies last season, and he often had help from left tackle Ben Murawski, another UConn-to-MSU transfer.
Edwards has also carved up MAC opponents throughout his career, producing 49 carries for 348 yards - a 7.1-yard average - and four touchdowns against the conference. The expectation around him is obvious: Michigan State believes he can be its best running back since Kenneth Walker III, and Friday gives him a chance to introduce himself to the fan base in a hurry.
Carson Gulker brings a completely different kind of intrigue. The Ferris State transfer isn’t being sold as a pure star in the Edwards mold, but he might be the most fascinating piece on the board.
Gulker played quarterback, H-back, and tight end at different points for the Division II powerhouse, and his production backs up the versatility. Over his Ferris State career, he was responsible for 73 touchdowns - 50 rushing, 16 passing, and seven receiving - while also posting 2,228 rushing yards, 1,591 passing yards, and 548 receiving yards.
How Michigan State chooses to use him in Week 1 should offer the first real clue about his role.
On the defensive side, Iowa State transfer Tre Bell is another name to keep close. Bell’s path has been a long one, starting at Lindenwood, where he originally planned to play both football and basketball.
He spent three years there without ever locking down more than a handful of starts, then entered the portal after his redshirt sophomore season and landed with the Cyclones through cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat. Bell wasn’t initially in Iowa State’s starting lineup in 2025, but injuries pushed him into the role, and he made enough of that chance to transfer again and follow Poteat to East Lansing.
Michigan State also views NC State transfer Kenny Soares Jr. as one of the emotional anchors of the team. His teammates gave him the No. 1 jersey, a tradition Pat Fitzgerald used at Northwestern that Michigan State is now beginning to adopt.
Soares is also one of the biggest variables on the roster because he’s expected to help spark a pass rush that has been searching for answers for a couple of seasons. He’s slated to start at rush end, even though he hasn’t played EDGE before.
Joe Rossi said during camp that NC State planned to move him there, but injuries forced the Wolfpack to slide him back to linebacker, where he finished with 80 tackles. MSU likes what it sees on film from him as a pass rusher, but the bet is still a sizable one for a Big Ten team to make on a player with only 3.0 career sacks.
Then there’s Kenneth Williams, a Detroit native who arrived from Nebraska as one of the more quietly important additions. He made his mark as the Cornhuskers’ kick returner last season and was one of the best in the Big Ten at it, averaging 32.9 yards per return on 12 chances and taking one 95 yards for a touchdown against Nebraska.
That production earned him Second Team All-Big Ten honors from the media and Third Team all-conference recognition from the coaches. Williams can also line up at running back, and he flashed that side of his game with a 60+-yard touchdown run during MSU’s spring scrimmage in April, though he’s likely buried on the depth chart there.
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Michigan State soccer left South Bend with a draw that felt a lot bigger than one point, rallying for a 2-2 finish against Notre Dame in a match packed with pressure at both ends. Kayla Briggs and Reese Canada both found the net for the Spartans, and the game had the kind of back-and-forth stretches that kept both defenses busy and both attacks on alert.
Ella Janz delivered the moment Michigan State will remember, scoring the tying goal in the final seconds to salvage the result. Notre Dame still had a chance to steal it late, but Izzy Engle missed a penalty kick, leaving the Spartans with a hard-earned escape after a night that swung on just a few decisive plays. [Read more 🡒]
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Ex-Spartan Nick Marsh Is Suddenly Worth Watching Even More
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For Spartan fans, it is another reminder of how quickly a talented player can change the conversation by changing uniforms. Marsh already has enough college production to show he belongs on draft radars, and analyst Nate Tice currently lists him No. 24 on a 2027 NFL Draft big board, but Indiana offers the kind of national visibility that can make a good profile even more interesting. The next step is obvious, even if the exact ceiling is not. [Read more 🡒]