Michigan State football: Kristian Phillips reportedly rounds out starting OL

On Wednesday, Michigan State football reportedly settled on its starting right guard for the opener which solidifies the line.

With the announcement of the starting right guard, only a few question marks remain for first-team personnel heading into the Michigan State football season opener.

The offensive line has been the biggest concern for Michigan State leading up to the 2024 season. Lacking the required depth, it will be interesting to see how the position group changes throughout the year.

Word out of camp says redshirt sophomore Kristian Phillips will get the starting nod against FAU on Aug. 31.

I’m hearing #MichiganState RS SO Kristian Phillips will start at RG vs FAU, per source.

Phillips had 3 total offers in HS. Now, he’s a P4 starter w/ 3 years left to play.

He beat out a rising Gavin Broscious, who also projects to have a bright future.https://t.co/lcFv4DCbNg

— Justin Thind (@JustinThind) August 21, 2024

As I write this, here’s what the starting offensive line should look like for Week 1.

RT: Ashton Lepo
RG: Kristian Phillips
C: Tanner Miller
LG: Luke Newman
LT: Brandon Baldwin

It’s encouraging to see Phillips solidify a starting spot. In high school, he wasn’t heavily recruited. He only held three offers to play football at the next level Arizona State and Delaware State, outside of MSU.

Phillips earned his starting spot by beating out one of Michigan State’s top performers during offseason strength and conditioning: Gavin Broscious. He is another player member of the 2022 class who is trending up. After a season-ending knee injury last year, Broscious had a remarkable recovery and will now serve as a much-needed depth piece for the interior offensive line.

With all that being said, roles will likely change as the season progresses. Players will rise, get hurt, or underperform. We will likely see the personnel shuffle but a position battle this close should be encouraging to hear for fans as it signifies potential depth at the position.

Now for offensive tackle, that’s a whole different story.

MSU’s defense seems to be set. There are playmakers in the skill positions. This team’s success hinges on the health of the offensive line.

Let’s go show oddsmakers that the current spread against FAU is about half of what it should be.