5 Potential Hidden Gems for Michigan State Football This Season
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Michigan State has to rely on a few players to catch the country off guard to succeed this season.
The shadow of low expectations makes it a bit easier to be a surprise, though. It's hard to figure out a football team with 62 new players that still has an interesting group of rising returnees. These five players feel like they've got the best shot to surprise people this season:
QB Alessio Milivojevic
Alessio Milivojevic, who was set to go to Ball State before MSU scooped him up, isn't widely considered the savior quarterback who will get the Spartans out of the trench they've dug themselves into over the last few years. Sports Illustrated's Zach Koons ranked Milivojevic 62nd out of 68 starting quarterbacks in the Power Four conferences.
I feel confident in saying Milivojevic is going to surprise people this fall. He surprised me last season when he got handed the keys with four games to go in the 2025 season, averaging nearly 250 yards per start with seven touchdowns to just two interceptions. Pat Fitzgerald was there for his third start at Iowa and was impressed with Milivojevic's toughness.
Two reasons I think Milivojevic is in a great position to succeed are Nick Sheridan and Michigan State's new-look offensive line. Sheridan has a pretty successful track record with quarterbacks. The list of guys he's coached or recruited who have reached the NFL includes Ty Simpson, Jalen Milroe, Michael Penix Jr., Joshua Dobbs, and Mike White.
It also feels like MSU's offensive line is finally ready to return to a serviceable form. The Spartans built up a pretty experienced group via the transfer portal, and I think they have some more depth up front this year than last.
TE Jayden Savoury
Second-year tight end Jayden Savoury also appears ready to rise up the ranks. He's stood out a bunch during fall camp up to this point, and he and Brennan Parachek seem to be taking the top two spots in Michigan State's tight end room. Savoury had just one catch for 16 yards last year, but it was a pretty impressive one against Boston College.
I already dubbed Savoury an early winner in camp because of his catch radius and his hands, but Sheridan also recently raved about Savoury's growth as a blocker. It's easy to see why: Savoury is up 13 pounds from last year on MSU's roster (240 pounds to 253), and he's even grown an inch from 6'4" to 6'5". All that has made Savoury one of the program's most promising young players.
WR Charles Taplin
Another "sleeper" is second-year wideout Charles Taplin. He was hardly projected to become a significant contributor for the Spartans so quickly, but Taplin currently seems positioned to be a starter for Michigan State this year. That's despite the fact that he was the second-lowest-rated scholarship recruit in MSU's 2025 class.
Taplin had just one catch for eight yards during his true freshman season, making the sudden rise that much more surprising. Wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins considers him to be one of the fastest players on the team, so look for Taplin to be one of the Spartans' primary deep threats this coming year.
CB Tre Bell
One of the biggest breakout seasons this year could be from Tre Bell. He transferred from Iowa State to East Lansing this past winter, following cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat. Bell had previously spent his first three collegiate seasons at Lindenwood, competing at the FCS level.
This season will be the first in Bell's college career where he'll be the starter right away. He only started five of his 20 games while he was at Lindenwood. Bell began as a rotational corner for the Cyclones last year, but then started the final eight games of the season after a few injuries in front of him, and he played pretty well. Poteat seemed to unlock something with Bell, and he seems ready to take another big step in his first and only season at Michigan State.
CB Tyran Chappell
Houston Christian transfer Tyran Chappell is another portal addition who should contribute right away for the Spartans. I have him as the third cornerback on the depth chart right now, meaning he won't necessarily be a starter for MSU off the bat, but Chappell, who is still just a redshirt sophomore, should get a nice dose of snaps.
Chappell had four interceptions last year at the FCS level, earning himself First Team All-Southland honors. He's also got a ton of length for a cornerback, standing at 6'3". Somehow, he was outside the top 2,000 on 247Sports' portal rankings this past cycle -- he's not going to play like it.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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