Michigan State football: Offensive depth chart projection for 2024

The Michigan State football offensive depth chart is starting to take shape and here’s what it will could look like to start 2024.

We’re only two weeks away from the start of football season in East Lansing. In his first season with Michigan State football, head coach Jonathan Smith will lead the Spartans into the new, 18-team Big Ten. With the new coaching staff, the roster suffered significant turnover from last season. It can be challenging to keep up with all the changes in today’s version of college football.

But don’t worry. You’ve come to the right place to get back into the action.

After a thorough review of Michigan State’s roster, I’m ready to take my shot at projecting the starters on Aug. 30 against Florida Atlantic. We’ll start with offense and try the defensive starters next week.

Again, I’m not an inside source. I’m reading the same reports and stories as everyone else. Some positions are less obvious than others. So, take this with a grain of salt. At the very least, this should be a good list of names to watch for in Week 1.

Let’s get to it.

Quarterback

Starter: Aidan Chiles
Key reserves: Tommy Schuster

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past eight months, I’m guessing Aidan Chiles is one of the names on this MSU football roster that you do know. Chiles followed Jonathan Smith from Oregon State this offseason and has three years of eligibility remaining. A true sophomore, Chiles attempted 35 passes in his freshman season while playing behind starter D.J. Uiagalelei. He comes to Michigan State as the second highest-rated quarterback in this offseason’s transfer portal cycle.

Chiles is one of the most anticipated prospects at the quarterback position in Michigan State’s history as a program in the modern era. While most of the excitement is around who he projects to be, make no mistake; there is no competition here. Jonathan Smith named Chiles the starter in the spring. His NIL package indicates he’s QB1. After sitting for a year, there’s nothing left for him to learn on the bench. He needs to get on the field.

Aside from winning games, Chiles’ development is the most important aspect of Michigan State’s season. He’s going to play as much as possible, regardless of the score or the team’s record. Getting Chiles integrated into this program can set the foundation for a quick rebuild in the coming seasons.

The only other name to watch here is Tommy Schuster. After losing Sam Leavitt and Katin Houser to the transfer portal, Jonathan Smith brought in the sixth-year senior from North Dakota. With 42 starts under his belt, Schuster brings a ton of game experience to MSU’s quarterback room. He’s the ideal backup quarterback in this situation because he understands his role but has enough game experience to step in if needed. With the state of Michigan State’s offensive line, and Chiles’ knack for running, it’s more than likely that we see Schuster taking meaningful snaps at some point this season. He will certainly be prepared, but it remains to be seen how his game translates from the FCS level.

Running back

Starter: Nate Carter
Key reserves: Kay’ron Lynch-Adams , Brandon Tullis

The best player from Michigan State’s offense in 2023 returns to lead the backfield in 2024. Nate Carter set career-highs in yards, carries, and touchdowns in his first year with the Spartans. Those totals were good enough to earn him honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. Carter is an elusive runner with good hands and should fit nicely in Jonathan Smith’s run-heavy offense. There is an all-conference upside in this scheme for Carter if the Michigan State football offense can find its footing.

New to the room is Kay’ron Lynch-Adams. The UMass transfer rushed for over 1,100 yards last season while handling a heavy workload. At 5-foot-10 and 214 pounds, Lynch-Adams is a downhill runner that might offer a little more oomph than Carter. He’s not much of a receiver, so he’ll likely play exclusively in an early down or goal line role. His effectiveness will be key, because MSU needs to be mindful of the workload they put on Carter.

The sleeper to watch in this group is true freshman Brandon Tullis. Behind Carter and Lynch-Adams, the Spartans have a staple of unproven backs. To get through 12 games in the new Big Ten, you’ll need more than two running backs. To me, Tullis is the next guy up. The three-star recruit from Dallas has great size for his age to go with speed that he showcased as a track athlete in high school. After enrolling early in January, Tullis may have built up enough trust with the coaching staff to get onto the field frequently in 2024

Wide receivers

Starters: Montorie Foster Jr., Nick Marsh, Jaron Glover
Key reserves: Antonio Gates Jr., Alante Brown

Historically, wide receiver has always been a position that Michigan State has fielded well. This year’s roster presents more questions than answers. The good news is that Michigan State returns its leading receiver from a year ago in Montorie Foster. The bad news is that his 43 catches and 576 yards were good enough to lead the team. Foster will undoubtedly play a large part in this offense. His athleticism and big playmaking ability were on display at several points last season. But I remain skeptical that he has the tools to be a true alpha wide receiver. He’s going to need help.

Could that assistance come in the form of a true freshman? Nick Marsh, a consensus four-star recruit from River Rouge, should play early and often. At 6-foot-3, his size is unique relative to the rest of the receivers on this roster. He enrolled early in January and seems to be turning a lot of heads in training camp.

His biggest competition for reps likely comes from Jaron Glover and Antonio Gates Jr. Glover flashed at a few points last season but ended the year with just 14 receptions across eight games. It’s a similar story for Gates, who played all 12 games last year after redshirting in 2022. He had less of an impact, catching just five balls across 175 snaps on offense. Both players are going to see a lot more action this season. But they’ll have to grow up in a hurry to help carry this passing offense. Alante Brown, a fifth-year senior, will be a depth option with most of his contributions coming on special teams.

Tight end

Starter: Jack Velling
Key reserves: Brennan Parachek, Michael Masunas, Tyneil Hopper

This is the group I’m most excited to watch on offense. Jonathan Smith’s offensive scheme relies heavily on tight ends for receiving and blocking. Bringing Jack Velling with him from Oregon State is a heck of a place to start. After garnering second team all-conference honors last season, Velling enters the year as the unquestioned leader at the position. The 6-foot-5 junior set a school record for touchdown catches for tight ends at Oregon State and has a shot to be the Spartans most effective offensive weapon. Get to know his name.

Behind him, there is quite a bit of uncertainty. Michigan State football will use two, and possibly even three tight end sets at points this season. The trouble is trying to predict how those snaps will shake out. The battle for TE2 feels like it’s between true sophomore Brennan Parachek and redshirt sophomore Michael Masunas. Parachek had the better offensive season but only played 93 snaps. Masunas was used exclusively on special teams. It is noteworthy that both players were able to get onto the field this early in their careers.

The forgotten man in this bunch is Tyneil Hopper. He was granted a seventh season of eligibility after suffering a season-ending injury early last season. He brings a ton of experience to the position and has a good chance to finish second behind Velling in snap counts due to his work as a blocker. If MSU can improve his skills as a receiver, we could be looking at a nice surprise at this position.

Offensive line

Starters: Tanner Miller (C), Kristian Phillips (G), Dallas Fincher (G), Brandon Baldwin (T), Luke Newman (T)
Key Reserves: Ashton Lepo, Gavin Broscious, Stanton Ramil, Cole Dellinger, Andrew Dennis

The biggest unknown on the roster, on either side of the ball, is right here. For what feels like the 87th year in a row, Michigan State football enters the season with a lot of uncertainty along the offensive line. This season brings a renewed sense of hope with revered offensive line coach Jim Michalczik joining the staff. While it’s unlikely that this group will develop into a strength for this team, I’m curious to see what kind of improvements (if any) can be made in one off-season.

One of the reasons to be optimistic is Tanner Miller. Simply put, Miller is a stud. In 2023, he was named first-team all-conference and second-team All-American by ESPN. Even though Miller is a sixth-year player, he’s still relatively young in football terms. After redshirting in 2019, he played sparingly in 2020 and 2021 before playing just 180 snaps in 2022. Last season was his first as a full-time starter. Is there possibly another level that he can get to in 2024?

Aside from Miller, the rest is difficult to project. Offensive lineman move around to different positions frequently. With a new coaching staff, we can’t be sure that what we saw last year will carry over. Nonetheless, I’m projecting Dallas Fincher to slide over from center to guard. The redshirt senior has played in 20 games at MSU and should have the opportunity to prove himself in his final year. Kristian Phillips played 33 snaps at guard last season as a redshirt freshman. His massive frame (6-foot-4, 319 pounds) is enticing. But it’s no guarantee he wins the job over the likes of the reserves listed.

At tackle, I feel pretty good about projecting Luke Newman as a starter. The Holy Cross transfer was a second-team FCS All-American last year. He has the size to play in the Big Ten and offers much more stability than anyone else on this list. A left tackle for his entire career, it remains to be seen if he can stick there. Michigan State’s starting left tackle from last season, Brandon Baldwin, returns for one more season. When healthy, Baldwin was the guy last year, amassing over 500 snaps on offense. While his 6-foot-7 frame is desirable for the position, he’s going to have to hold off Newman. Either way, it feels like these are the two best options at tackle. MSU will find a way to keep them both on the field.

Whether it’s via injury, formation specific sets, or rotations, the rest of these reserves are going to play. Of this group, I’d guess Ashton Lepo is the next man up. Lepo stepped in at left tackle last fall when Baldwin missed time with an injury. The Newman addition probably leaves him as the odd man out for now. Gavin Broscious, once a promising prospect, is returning from a season-ending injury but will likely make his debut as a Spartan early this season. Cole Dellinger and Stanton Ramil are in similar situations after redshirting during their freshman seasons.

The wild card in the room is Andrew Dennis. The true freshman flipped his commitment in the spring from Illinois to Michigan State football. Rated as a top 150 recruit nationally, Dennis has loads of talent. But the jump from high school to the Big Ten is substantial. I’d be surprised if he cracks the rotation on a consistent basis. But for a unit that is looking for difference makers, there’s an opportunity for him to play earlier than expected.