Sports

Projecting MSU's week 1 starting lineup before camp begins

Michigan State Spartans On SI · Jul 22, 2026 13:00 · 7 min read

Projecting MSU's Week 1 Starting Lineup Before Camp Begins — Michigan State's Alessio Milivojevic takes the snap on a play against Penn State during the first quarter on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

These Spartans are in the driver's seat to start things off in Week 1 against Toledo.

Football is closer than you might think.

Michigan State is just 44 days away from kickoff against Toledo in its 2026 season opener. Plenty of new faces will be included in the Spartans' starting lineup that Friday night to start the Pat Fitzgerald era. Let's go through every single one of them:

Offense

QB - Alessio Milivojevic (R-So.)

The new QB1 in town is Alessio Milivojevic. He started four games for MSU last season, totaling 954 yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions while completing 65.4% of his passes during those games. Being QB1 from the start brings a new set of challenges for Milivojevic, though.

April 18, 2026; East Lansing, Mich.; Michigan State running back Cam Edwards (0) tries to avoid defensive back Michael Richard (7) during MSU's "Spring Showcase" at Spartan Stadium. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

RB - Cam Edwards (R-Sr.)

Michigan State's new top ball-carrier will be UConn transfer Cam Edwards. He's one of the most exciting new additions to the team. Edwards ran for 1,240 yards with 15 touchdowns for the Huskies last season. Both of those stats were in the top 15 in the FBS.

WR-X - Charles Taplin (R-Fr.)

One of the surprises of the spring was Charles Taplin. He was getting some real first-team reps during the Spartans' spring game, putting him in a good spot for a starting role ahead of the fall. Taplin made just one catch for eight yards during the 2025 season.

WR-Z - KK Smith (R-Jr.)

On the other side should be Notre Dame transfer, KK Smith. He was limited during the spring a bit due to injury, but I still think Smith should be one of Michigan State's two main outside receivers. Smith has 11 career catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns so far.

WR-Slot - Chrishon McCray (R-Sr.)

The easiest part of the starting group of wide receivers to guess is Chrishon McCray. He actually was in the portal for a few days this offseason before reversing course and deciding to return to MSU. McCray caught 24 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns in 2025 and should be getting more targets this fall.

TE - Carson Gulker (Sixth)

Tight end is another spot that is very much up for grabs. My guess right now is Ferris State transfer Carson Gulker, though. He'll be the Taysom Hill-like "Swiss Army Knife" in the Spartans' back pocket. Gulker can throw, run, and catch, and he did all of it a lot at Ferris State. He caught 34 passes for 548 yards and seven touchdowns at FSU in 2025.

LT - Ben Murawski (R-Sr.)

Ben Murawski was another one of Michigan State's splash portal additions. He received a stellar 86.4 run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus last season, one of the best in the country. His role as Milivojevic's blindside protector will be absolutely vital, too.

LG - Nick Sharpe (Sixth)

MSU will be turning to South Carolina transfer Nick Sharpe at left guard. He started five of his eight appearances for the Gamecocks last season. Before that, Sharpe played for new Michigan State offensive line coach Nick Tabacca at Wake Forest for four seasons.

C - Trent Fraley (R-Sr.)

North Dakota State transfer Trent Fraley will be the centerpiece of MSU's offensive line. He was the FCS Rimington Award winner for the Bison in 2025 and is also the son of Detroit Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley.

RG - Luka Vincic (R-Sr.)

One returning player in an interesting spot is Luka Vincic. He only appeared in two games for Michigan State last season before suffering a season-ending injury. How well Vincic has recovered from that injury by August and September will help shape the right side of MSU's offensive line.

RT - Conner Moore (R-Sr.)

The only returning starter from last season is Conner Moore. He led the team in offensive snaps last year and was the only o-lineman to start all 12 of Michigan State's games. Moore was also repping at right guard during the spring, so look out for that.

Defense

DT - Ben Roberts (R-Sr.)

Michigan State's top interior defensive lineman looks to be Ben Roberts this season. Roberts started six of his seven appearances in 2025 for a relatively deep defensive tackle room. The question is whether Roberts can stay healthy. He's missed time in 2024 and 2025 after transferring from Oregon to MSU.

April 18, 2026; East Lansing, Mich.; Michigan State Spartans linebacker Kenny Soares Jr. (23) and defensive lineman Eli Coenen (96) walk together during MSU's "Spring Showcase" at Spartan Stadium. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

DT - Eli Coenen (R-Jr.)

Next to Roberts will be Illinois transfer Eli Coenen. He was a regular part of the Fighting Illini's rotation last year and could've potentially been a starter there this year. Coenen has risen quickly after starting his college career at Division II Bemidji State.

Rush End - Kenny Soares Jr. (R-Sr.)

Kenny Soares Jr. is the only player on the roster who has played for Fitzgerald before. He started at Northwestern in 2022, Fitz's last year there. Soares has forged out a nice career as a linebacker there and at NC State, but the Spartans will use Soares as a rush end, which is a hybrid between a linebacker and a defensive end.

DE - Keahnist Thompson (R-Sr.)

Michigan State will be looking to Weber State transfer Keahnist Thompson to be an effective pass rusher. Thompson led his team with 4.0 sacks last season, with 1.5 of those coming during a game against Arizona. He also had a tackle for loss the week before against future CFP team James Madison.

MIKE - Jordan Hall (Sr.)

MSU's quarterback on defense will still be Jordan Hall. He was the best player the Spartans had on that side of the ball last season. His 88 tackles were the most on the team, but those also came with 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, an interception, a fumble recovery, and three forced fumbles.

WILL - Dion Crawford (Sr.)

Next to Hall will be Buffalo transfer Dion Crawford. He was a Third Team All-MAC selection in 2024 and has a good history as a pass rusher, entering his first year with the program with 12.0 career sacks. Crawford also had 81 tackles for Buffalo last season.

CB - Charles Brantley (Sixth)

Another huge move Michigan State made during the offseason was bringing back Charles Brantley. He hardly played last year at Miami (FL), but Brantley was MSU's top corner in 2024, showing he can thrive under Joe Rossi's system.

CB - Tre Bell (R-Sr.)

MSU's other starting corner should be Tre Bell. He transferred in from Iowa State, following cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat. Bell started the last eight games of the season for the Cyclones last season and did relatively well. He had two interceptions in 2025, with one each coming against Arkansas State and TCU.

Nickel - Michael Richard (Sr.)

Louisiana Tech transfer Michael Richard will be another key defensive back for the Spartans. He had 39 tackles and 5.0 tackles for loss last fall. Richard, more importantly, nabbed three interceptions; one was against LSU, another was against UTEP, and the third came against Liberty.

FS - Nikai Martinez (R-Sr.)

One key returner is Nikai Martinez. Last season was supposed to be his final college season, but injuries held him to just four appearances. That allowed him to redshirt, and Martinez opted to stay at MSU. He led the Spartans in defensive snaps during 2024, playing 724 out of 773 possible plays.

April 18, 2026; East Lansing, Mich.; Michigan State running back Marvis Parrish (21) carries the ball as safety Devin Vaught (2) chases during MSU's "Spring Showcase" inside Spartan Stadium. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

SS - Devin Vaught (R-Jr.)

The other primary safety in the lineup should be Maine transfer Devin Vaught. He was a Second Team All-CAA honoree last season and has intercepted six passes during his career thus far, with three coming in each of the last two seasons.

Special Teams

K - Liam Boyd (R-Sr.)

The Spartans' new kicker comes via the transfer portal. Liam Boyd has had different stops at Clemson, North Carolina, and Charlotte. He's gone 10-for-13 (76.9%) on field goals during his career and a perfect 22-of-22 on extra points. Boyd's career-long in college thus far is 42 yards.

P - Rhys Dakin (Jr.)

MSU also brought in Iowa transfer Rhys Dakin from the portal to be the team's new punter. He followed special teams coordinator LeVar Woods to East Lansing, much to Michigan State's benefit. Dakin has solidly been an above-average Big Ten punter during both of his collegiate seasons thus far, and he now comes to MSU with three years of eligibility left.

LS - Nick Duzansky (R-Jr.)

Michigan State's new long snapper is Oregon transfer Nick Duzansky. He actually attended the same high school as Milivojevic. This should end up being his first real chance to play after he only appeared in eight games in three years with the Ducks.

Kick Returner - Kenneth Williams (R-Jr.)

Nebraska transfer Kenneth Williams is another interesting addition for the Spartans. He was a Second Team All-Big Ten honoree last year for the Cornhuskers, taking one kickoff 95 yards back against Northwestern.

Punt Returner - Samson Gash (Fr.)

A few different players could end up being Michigan State's punt returner, but true freshman Samson Gash would make the most sense to me. He's a 4-star wide receiver and should instantly be the quickest player on the roster. Gash ran the 100-meter dash in just 10.41 seconds as a junior in high school, making punt returns a great chance for MSU to get him the ball in space.