With preseason camp beginning this week for the Michigan State football team, msuspartans.com takes a look at the position breakdown on offense for the Spartans.
Michigan State will have a new starting quarterback in 2023 as an open competition at the position in spring practice will extend into preseason camp.
Following a three-way race in the spring between two-year starter and fifth-year senior Payton Thorne, redshirt junior Noah Kim and redshirt freshman Katin Houser, Thorne transferred to Auburn in May after spring practice. Although Kim and Houser do not have any starting experience, they have both displayed versatility and athleticism during their time at Michigan State and will continue to compete for the starting role heading into the season.
In four games of action off the bench last season, Kim was very efficient, completing 74 percent of his passes (14-of-19) for 174 yards and three touchdowns. During his two Big Ten games, Kim was 6-of-7 passing for 70 yards against Minnesota, including a 27-yard touchdown, and was 6-of-10 for 82 yards and a 25-yard TD vs. Ohio State. He has also shown the ability to move the chains with his legs, bringing an added dimension to the Spartan offense. After an impressive spring competing for the starting quarterback role, Kim enters his fourth year in East Lansing prepared to take on additional leadership responsibilities for the offense.
Houser, a highly touted four-star quarterback and Elite 11 finalist who enrolled early in January 2022, has also impressed the coaching staff with his arm talent over the past year. He took reps with the offense during practices last season, but still preserved his redshirt season after making just one appearance in Week 2 in his collegiate debut vs. Akron. During the spring, Houser stepped right into the mix for the starting quarterback position as he continues to grow in his overall knowledge and concept of the offense under fourth-year offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jay Johnson.
The Spartans also welcomed in four-star quarterback Sam Leavitt, the 2022 Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year, to the program this summer after he signed a National Letter of Intent in December. Leavitt threw 82 career touchdown passes in high school and closed his prep career by passing for 36 TDs and 3,065 yards in addition to rushing for 693 yards and eight scores as a senior.
Redshirt junior Andrew Schorfhaar adds depth to the quarterback room for the Spartans.
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Jalen Berger led the Spartans in rushing yards, carries and rushing touchdowns in 2022.
â–ºRUNNING BACKS
% at UConn in 2022 | * at USF in 2022 | ^ Enrolled in January 2023
The Spartans are returning leading rusher Jalen Berger (R-Jr.), who posted career highs in rushing yards (683), carries (148) and rushing TDs (6) while starting 11 of 12 games last season after transferring from Wisconsin. Berger rushed for more than 100 yards in his first two games wearing the Green and White (career-high 120 vs. Western Michigan; 107 vs. Akron) and also had a Big Ten-best 119 yards vs. Indiana; in addition, he caught 19 passes out of the backfield for 128 yards.
Davion Primm (R-So.) and Jordon Simmons (Sr.) are also returning and will be looking to compete for carries during preseason camp.
The Spartans have also brought in two transfers, Nathan Carter (UConn) and Jaren Mangham (USF), who both joined the team in January and competed during spring practice.
Carter still has three seasons of eligibility remaining after playing in only four games last season for the Huskies before suffering a season-ending injury. He rushed for 983 yards on 190 carries with three TDs in two seasons (2021-22) at UConn, including a team-leading 578 yards as a freshman in 2021. He was averaging more than 100 yards rushing a game last year (101.3 ypg), highlighted by a career-high 190 yards in the season opener vs. Utah State, before his injury in Week 4.
Mangham, brother of current Spartan sophomore defensive back Jaden Mangham, played two years at Colorado (2019-20) and two at USF (2021-22) prior to arriving in East Lansing as a graduate transfer. He has collected 1,251 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns in 32 collegiate games (16 at Colorado; 16 at USF). Mangham had a career-high 671 yards and 15 rushing TDs as a junior at USF in 2021 to lead the Bulls.
Converted wide receiver Joseph Martinez (R-Jr.) adds depth to the position room for the Spartans.
Effrem Reed is in his second season as the running backs coach for MSU.
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Three-year letterwinner Montorie Foster Jr. provides experience for the Spartans at wide receiver.
â–ºWIDE RECEIVERS
Players returning (10):
• #13 Sebastian Brown (R-Jr., 6-3, 196, Detroit, Mich./Cass Tech)
Michigan State has a group of talented young wide receivers that will look to have increased roles in the offense in 2023, but the unit will be led by fifth-year graduate senior Tre Mosley, who has played in 36 games, including 21 starting assignments, over the past four seasons (2019-22). Mosley has given the Spartans steady production over the course of his time in East Lansing with 98 career receptions for 1,176 yards and eight touchdowns in his career. Last season, he matched his career high with 35 receptions for 359 yards and had a career-best four touchdown catches. In addition to his play on the field, Mosley's leadership will be counted on to mentor the wide receiver room.
Senior Montorie Foster Jr. also has starting experience and will look to increase his production after battling an injury last season. A three-year letterwinner, Foster has played in 30 career games and has 19 receptions for 262 yards. He played in 13 games with three starts during the 2021 season and had a career-high 12 catches for 164 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown catch vs. Maryland.
Two-year letterwinner Christian Fitzpatrick (R-Jr.), who missed the final seven games of last season due to an injury, is back for the Spartans after competing in spring practice. After playing in a reserve role the past two seasons, Fitzpatrick, a former Louisville transfer, will look to contribute more to the offense in his third season at MSU.
Sophomore Tyrell Henry, who earned a letter as a true freshman returning kicks in 2022, will look to have an expanded role in the offense this fall, along with redshirt freshmen Antonio Gates Jr. and Jaron Glover. The young trio all showed promising signs during spring practice and will continue to work on their development in preseason camp heading into the season.
The Spartans also added transfer Alante Brown from Nebraska over the summer. Brown played three seasons (2020-22) with the Huskers, collecting 22 receptions for 262 yards in 30 games. He posted career highs in catches (16) and yards (191) last season while playing in all 12 games, including 10 starts. His speed and versatility will give the Spartans another option in the passing game in 2023.
The Spartans signed two receivers to National Letters of Intent in December: Aziah Johnson (Richmond, Va.) and Jaelen Smith (Houston, Texas). Â
Former Spartan Courtney Hawkins is in his fourth year on the offensive staff as the wide receivers coach.
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Graduate senior Nick Samac has been named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List, which is awarded annually to the nation's most outstanding center.
â–ºOFFENSIVE LINE
Players returning (16):
• #53 Brandon Baldwin (1L, R-Jr., 6-7, 315, Detroit, Mich./Independence CC, 9 games/5 starts at LT)
• #77 Ethan Boyd (1L, R-So., 6-7, 325, East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing, 10 games)
• #68 Gavin Broscious (R-Fr., 6-4, 315, Surprise, Ariz./Desert Edge)
• #58 Spencer Brown (2L, Gr.-5, 6-6, 315, Commerce Twp., Mich./Walled Lake Western, 12 games/12 starts at RT)
• #57 Evan Brunning (1L, Gr.-5, 6-5, 300, Oxford, Mich./Oxford, 11 games)
• #67 J.D. Duplain (4L, Gr.-5, 6-4, 300, Strongsville, Ohio/Strongsville, 12 games/12 starts at LG)
• #72 Dallas Fincher (1L, R-Jr., 6-4, 300, Kentwood, Mich./East Kentwood, 11 games)
• #76 Andy Hartman (R-Fr., 6-6, 265, Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc)
• #66 Ashton Lepo (R-Fr., 6-7, 310, Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven)
• #69 Jacob Merritt (R-Fr., 6-6, 270, Northville, Mich./Northville)
• #64 Braden Miller (R-Fr., 6-6, 297, Aurora, Colo./Eaglecrest)
• #75 Ben Nelson (R-Fr., 6-7, 305, Holland, Mich./Holland Christian)
• #71 Kristian Phillips (R-Fr., 6-4, 347, Conyers, Ga./Salem)
• #59 Nick Samac (4L, Gr.-5, 6-4, 300, Mentor, Ohio/Mentor, 12 games/12 starts at C)
• #74 Geno VanDeMark (1L, R-So., 6-5, 325, Lodi, N.J./St. Joseph, 10 games/2 starts at RG)
• #70 Kevin Wigenton II (1L, R-So., 6-5, 315, Colts Neck, N.J./The Hun School, 4 games)
Letterwinners lost (3):
• Matt Carrick (5L, 9 games/9 starts at RG)
• Brian Greene (1L, 10 games/1 start at RG)
• Jarrett Horst (2L, 8 games/7 starts at LT)
^ Enrolled in January 2023
Michigan State returns five players with starting experience on the offensive line, led by multi-year fifth-year senior starters J.D. Duplain and Nick Samac, who are both using their extra year of eligibility in 2023.
Duplain has been an anchor at left guard for the Spartans, starting 30 consecutive games at the position, and the four-year letterwinner has a started a total of 35 games in his career while playing in 42 overall. He has earned honorable mention All-Big Ten accolades the past two seasons and returns for another year as a leader on the offensive line in 2023.
Samac, who was named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List, started all 12 games at center last fall and has 22 starts overall in his career while playing in a total 38 games the past four seasons. He played a career-high 803 snaps in 2022, most on the Spartan offense, and earned honorable mention All-Big Ten by the coaches and media.
Graduate fifth-year senior Spencer Brown also started all 12 games last season at right tackle and has a streak of 13 consecutive starts at the position heading into the fall.
Redshirt junior Brandon Baldwin took over the starting role at left tackle the final four games of the 2022 season and gained valuable experience while playing a total of 405 offensive snaps. It was Baldwin's first season playing at the FBS level after redshirting in 2021 following two years at Independence Community College.
Redshirt sophomore Geno VanDeMark earned starting assignments at right guard the last two games of the season and will look to have an increased role on the offensive line heading into his third season in East Lansing. Redshirt sophomores Ethan Boyd and Kevin Wigenton II also earned their first letters as Spartans last year.
Keyshawn Blackstock, who was ranked the top junior college interior offensive lineman in the nation, arrived to campus in January along with highly touted incoming freshmen Cole Dellinger and Stanton Ramil.
Assistant head coach Chris Kapilovic is in his fourth season as MSU's offensive line coach and run game coordinator.
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Maliq Carr is looking to have a breakout season at tight end for the Spartans in 2023.
â–ºTIGHT ENDS
Michigan State has a full tight end room under fourth-year coach Ted Gilmore with nine players at the position heading into preseason camp, including redshirt junior Maliq Carr, who is looking to have a breakout season in 2023 after showing his potential the past two seasons. Carr ranked second among the Spartan tight ends last season with career highs in receptions (16) and receiving yards (206) to go along with two touchdowns. After playing basketball during the winter of 2021-22, Carr had a full offseason with the team and should see his production increase following the graduated departures of last year's starters Daniel Barker and Tyler Hunt.
MSU also brought in three transfers at tight end in January who competed during spring practice: Ademola Faleye (Jr., Norfolk State), Jaylan Franklin (Gr.-6, Wisconsin) and Tyneil Hopper (Gr.-6, Boise State). Faleye has two seasons of eligibility remaining after playing in 20 games for Norfolk State in 2021-22, while Franklin and Hopper are graduate transfers in their final season of eligibility. Hopper's experience at the line of scrimmage (more than 1,100 snaps on offense in 45 games with the Broncos) should help the Spartans in the running game, and he also caught 22 passes for 259 yards and two TDs with the Broncos.
In addition, four players return from last year's team at tight end: Michael Masunas (R-Fr.), Evan Morris (R-Jr.), Jackson Morse (R-Sr.) and Jack Nickel (R-Fr.).
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The Spartans signed one tight end, Brennan Parachek, to a National Letter of Intent in the Class of 2023 and the four-star prospect enrolled in January.
