Forget preseason rankings, Michigan State will have nation’s most improved RB room

Spartan Avenue · Jul 21, 2026 19:20 · 3 min read

Forget preseason rankings, Michigan State will have nation’s most improved RB room — Michigan State's Cam Edwards runs the ball during the football Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Forget the preseason rankings, Michigan State is going to have one of the most improved running back rooms in college football in 2026.

The middle of the summer calls for previews, predictions, and rankings lists and that’s what a lot of us are indulging in these days. The rankings lists can get a little ridiculous because how are we really supposed to know which teams will have the best position groups in the Big Ten? We’re supposed to know on July 20 that Michigan State’s running back room is one of the worst in the Big Ten after a complete rehaul?

I guess so.

So that’s where we are right now. I learned on a recent LockedOn Spartans podcast with Matt Sheehan that Pick Six Previews has Michigan State’s offensive line ranked almost dead-last in the Big Ten for the upcoming season. Obviously that shocked me because I’m very high on this unit heading into the season, but I also learned where the running backs were ranked.

Pick Six Previews has Michigan State’s running back room ranked No. 15 in the Big Ten.

That’s crazy to me.

While the rest of their rankings were fair, although I think the receivers and linebackers are being undervalued just slightly, hearing that arguably the deepest position group on the 2026 roster is ranked No. 15 in the Big Ten shook me to my core.

This is going to be a top five unit in the conference by the end of the season and one of the 15-20 best in the entire country. I believe that Michigan State’s running back room will improve as drastically as the offensive line. Surely it’s just a coincidence that when the offensive line improves, the running backs improve.

Michigan State has a top 5 RB room in the Big Ten

I don’t need to look at other teams and which backs are returning for the 2026 season because Michigan State has a top-five group of backs, on paper.

To start, the Spartans landed UConn transfer Cam Edwards in the portal and he rushed for over 2,600 yards and 27 touchdowns in 36 career games. He’s going to be a star. Behind him, last year’s star freshman for Western Kentucky, Marvis Parrish, has transferred in to be RB2. He rushed for 576 yards and 5.4 yards per carry in 2025 and he figures to feast in this offense.

As if those two weren’t enough to show vast improvement from last year, Michigan State brings in Jaziun Patterson from Iowa who’s rushed for over 850 yards and four touchdowns in his four-year Hawkeye career. He’s going to provide some really good, experienced depth.

Brandon Tullis is back as the top returning rusher from last year’s team. He had 301 yards and four touchdowns on 4.4 yards per carry and he’s joined by Zion Gist and former four-star East Lansing product Jace Clarizio.

Three returning backs who all look like they could give some solid reps this season as well as three incoming transfers who will all have huge impacts. I’m really high on an Edwards-Parrish-Tullis combination on a weekly basis with Clarizio and Patterson sprinkled in.

This is easily a top-five running back room in the conference.