Michigan State football freshman tracker: Week 4 at USC

Michigan State football participated in its fourth contest of the year, travelling out to sunny Los Angeles to take on the USC Trojans. Unfortunately for the Spartans, they fell behind after USC’s second drive, and never could even the game out. USC emerged victorious, 45-31 over MSU.

The Spartans are now 3-1 (0-1 Big Ten) on the year, and have a bye week to heal up.

That said, how did the freshmen do this week?

Before listing who played, the following freshmen made the first travel roster of the year:

• QB Leo Hannan
• RB/WR Bryson Williams (he is a listed wide receiver, but warmed up with the running backs on Saturday night)
• WR Braylon Collier
• WR Charles Taplin
• TE Jayden Savoury
• DL Derrick Simmons
• DB Aydan West
• LS Jack Wills

Now, only three Spartans saw game action on Saturday night, a downgrade from the normal quartet MSU trotted out the last two games.

Jack Wills, LS

Wills was called upon again with senior Kaden Schickel still out with an ACL injury. If Schickel is not cleared for the Nebraska game, or if he suffers another injury or setback during the remaining season, Wills will burn his redshirt opportunity in 2025.

Once again, full marks for Wills. On a slippery USC field that led to multiple Matt Gulbin low snaps, Wills was spot on for his snaps. Ryan Eckley proceeded to send Wills’s snaps 55 yards through the air, too. Martin Connington badly missed a 56-yard kick, but I do not believe that fell on Wills.

Aydan West, DB

West is another player who has played his fourth game of the season, putting him as a player that can lose his redshirt with another game played. West was arguably the top defensive commit in his class, so this is no surprise.

The main surprise here was that the staff only trotted the freshman out on special teams. While playing him against USC star Makai Lemon would be ambitious, anyone other than the USC pass-catcher did not loom as large. That said, I’m not upset, with West already showing his worth on defense. He was never going to redshirt in the first place.

Jayden Savoury, TE

Savoury, much like West, only saw the field on special teams. The Orchard Lake St. Mary’s alum played on kickoff coverage and punt return during his time on field, with the tight end taking the place of fellow freshman Derrick Simmons on punt return.

Yet again, I find myself moderately frustrated with Savoury’s usage. The Spartans had Brennan Parachek on field for seven snaps, and the junior was by far the lowest graded Spartan on offense, via PFF. If the staff is dead set on burning his redshirt, my philosophy is to cut him loose. Give the freshman coachable moments alongside his special teams snaps.

Did not play: Derrick Simmons, DL

Simmons did not play against the USC front, which was a small surprise to me. The freshman was one of the first of the 2025 class on the field this year, but was held out of his first road game. This is a surprise, especially with the staff electing to bring him on the travel roster over redshirt freshman Mikeshun Beeler.

With the relative struggles against the USC run game, I do understand relying on veterans to stuff the run. That said, the other argument can be “well, he cannot be worse, right?”

Regardless, I expect this as a blip on the radar for Simmons, as opposed to a new normal. The freshman is one that is unlikely to redshirt. He’s already played in three games.

The redshirt tracker now gets a week off, with the Spartans next taking the field on Oct. 4, where they again travel. Nebraska is on the clock.