Why To Buy Stock in MSU's New-Look Offensive Line
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There was certainly a lot of work for Pat Fitzgerald to do in his first offseason as Michigan State's head coach.
The offensive line may have been his top priority. MSU appeared to place a pretty intentional emphasis on the trenches in the transfer portal, and the Spartans are hoping to finally improve there this fall.
Struggles at O-Line Last Year
Michigan State statistically had one of the worst offensive lines in the Power Four last year. The Spartans' 37 sacks allowed last year were one behind Rutgers for the most in the Big Ten and were the ninth-most allowed by a Power Four team. MSU's 3.78 yards per rush last year also ranked 52nd out of the 68 teams in the Big Ten, SEC, ACC, and Big 12.
What didn't help were some of the injuries Michigan State suffered. Left tackle Stanton Ramil only appeared in five games, right guard Kristian Phillips only appeared in six games, and guard Luka Vincic only appeared in two games last year. All three of them could've been or were starters on MSU's offensive line last year.
Why Things Can Be Different
Even if last year's struggles were due to a couple of injuries, it's clear a reset was needed. Ramil, Phillips, and Gavin Broscious all entered the portal and found new homes in the Power Four: Ramil at Auburn, Phillips at Boston College, and Broscious at Iowa State.
Nick Tabacca got busy to replace the production the team lost. UConn transfer Ben Murawski was the very first transfer portal commitment of the winter. He finished with an 86.4 run-blocking grade on PFF last year, the fifth-highest mark among all FBS offensive tackles. Running back Cam Edwards, another UConn transfer, averaged 8.0 yards per carry while running to the left B and C gaps adjacent to Murawski.
South Carolina transfer Nick Sharpe and North Dakota State transfer Trent Fraley will be two other starters. It's worth noting that Sharpe is under police investigation in Bath Township for sexual misconduct (Connor Earegood of the Detroit News reported it on Friday), but no charges have been filed at the time of this article's publication.
Sharpe has starting experience from his time at Wake Forest, where he was also coached by Tabacca. He also started five games across eight appearances for South Carolina last year. Unless a suspension is handed down by Fitzgerald, Sharpe will be a big part of Michigan State's offense right away.
Fraley was another big addition. He won the FCS Rimington Award last year, making him the subdivision's best center. The year before that, he helped lead North Dakota State to another FCS National Championship.
Conner Moore is the only returning starter from last season, but he's about to shift to left guard after being the starting right tackle last season. Having him next to Murawski will give Michigan State a pretty formidable run-blocking duo on the left side of its offensive line.
One reason why the decision to move Moore makes sense is that there actually is some nice depth at offensive tackle. Rakeem Johnson is the expected starting right tackle right now, but probably won't have a very long leash with Robert Wright Jr. right behind him.
Wright was the starting RT at Georgia Southern last year and went the whole season without a penalty. Some other options at LT are Rustin Young, who started five games last year, and Collin Campbell, a 4-star freshman.
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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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