Michigan State football: 3 freshmen who could see their first snaps vs. CMU

When Michigan State football takes the field tonight, these freshmen could step up and see their first career snaps.

Freshmen don’t always immediately play in college sports. The transition from high school to college is always tough, and it can take even the highest-profile recruits time to adjust. That said, I think Michigan State football boasts a few young guys who are ready to see their first game action tonight against Central Michigan.

How well each player will do is a whole different beast, to be fair, but these are three guys I think are primed to see some snaps and potentially make an impact

DE Bai Jobe

Bai Jobe, the crown jewel of the Spartans’ 2023 recruiting class, seems likely to fight his way onto the field early this season. The former top-60 recruit and No. 1 player out of Oklahoma has everything you want in an edge rusher. He has all the size, speed, and explosiveness one could ask for, and his future is bright.

That future will probably start tonight against Central Michigan.

Michigan State has a good defensive line room, so it’s feasible to think that underclassmen might not get much playing time. In Jobe’s case, though, I think he’s just too talented to keep off the field. He’s a super exciting prospect, and I think with a little time, he’ll be wreaking havoc on opponents. Watch for the true freshman to get a reasonable number of snaps off the edge against CMU.

LB Jordan Hall

Jordan Hall was another big addition to the most recent recruiting cycle, checking in as a top-200 recruit in 2023. He hails from IMG Academy in Florida, which has produced a long list of NFL players. It’s too early to tell, but Hall’s chances of joining that list are looking up already.

Hall has reportedly been very impressive in practice and camp so far, despite the gauntlet faced by all freshmen having to make the high school-to-college transition. That bodes very well, but given the Spartans’ loaded linebacker room, it still seems unlikely that Hall will land a starting spot this year. However, it does seem nearly inevitable that he’ll assume a large role in the defense in the near future — he’s already flashing his abilities and looks like he’s 110 percent prepared to do his job.

All that being said, I still think he’ll find his way onto the field for some snaps against CMU. Darius Snow is still injured, and with the coaches rotating guys in and out, it seems likely that Hall will get at least a few snaps.

DE Ken Talley

Ken Talley is a redshirt freshman, but regardless, he’s never taken a snap in college. The former four-star edge rusher was originally enrolled at Penn State but transferred to MSU before the 2022 season began. He then took a redshirt and is now in a good spot to get some playing time this year.

We know Talley has the necessary talent; his four-star ranking shows that. Now that he’s taken a year to settle in and get his feet under him, I think he’ll be ready to make an impact in 2023.

Michigan State’s defensive line is loaded but there’s still room for depth pieces to play, so watch for the coaches to rotate the players on the field. Talley should firmly be in that rotation, so watch for him to get his first opportunity tonight.

Final thoughts

Aside from the aforementioned players, if the Spartans put the Chippewas away early, look for plenty of young guys to get extended playing time. That’s the ideal scenario here — not only would Michigan State football earn a resounding win, but the coaches would get a great look at the freshman talent on the team.

Practice helps coaches gauge how good a player is, but actual college football games are a whole different story — the real test. Keep an eye on the young guns in tonight’s MSU football game, because there are a lot of exciting players ready to step up.

See y’all tonight.