Observations From Michigan State Football Spring Practice No. 10

On Tuesday, Michigan State football returned for their tenth spring practice under Pat Fitzgerald. The Spartans look to return to their winning ways with the former Northwestern head coach and a high amount of roster turnover for the first season.

With the Spartans returning indoors due to the below freezing temperatures in East Lansing on Tuesday morning, here are a few takeaways from the Greg and Dawn Williams Indoor Practice facility.

Charles Taplin II standing out

The main takeaway I had through the segment of practice where local media was allowed was that Charles Taplin II looked impressive. The Red Oak product had crisp routes and is in position to compete for solid playing time this year.

Taplin and Bryson Williams each have gotten quite a few compliments and had catches highlighted by the social media team, and it was clear that those two have taken the step. The Texas native had one catch for eight yards last season while redshirting, and he is on pace to surpass that by the end of week one in the fall.

Ball security and turnover emphasis

During the initial periods of practice, the safeties were focused on punching the ball out under the tutelage of James Adams. Last season, the Spartans struggled to force many takeaways last season, and only had the defensive backs combine for a single forced fumble in 2025.

Outside of Jordan Hall, there is only one player to force a takeaway returning on the 2026 roster, that being Aveon Grose’s game-sealing interception against Maryland. Additionally, EDGE Anelu Lafaele is the only other non-Hall returning player with a forced fumble for the Spartans last year.

On the offensive side, ball security with the running backs was a heavy emphasis. Nick Sheridan had a heavy emphasis on holding onto the ball during his media session and in the most recent “mic’d up” clip from MSU Football’s social media. That has been a theme that the Spartans have preached during their time on the podium answering questions, too.

With a brand new backfield (outside of Brandon Tullis) and a heavy emphasis on defensive turnovers, this is something to monitor for MSU.

Emphasis on execution

During the section of practice open to media, there were quite a few reps that the coaches forced the players to redo, with an emphasis on executing the drill right. The staff has been harping on this since the opening practice of the spring season, and the energy is being demanded out of the team.

The energy remained high despite it being the tenth practice of the semester, with the newness of spring ball completely worn out. It was a stark contrast from 2025’s practice sessions, as noted by Spartan Shadows’ photographer Nolan Gerou to me during the first period of practice.

Standouts from spring practice no. 10

As always, for people looking to get hyped up about players practicing drills during the spring season, here are some players that caught my eye during the sections of practice open to media.

Charles Taplin II was the main standout, as noted in the opening paragraph. Fredrick Moore joined Taplin with a strong opening stint of practice, and Chrishon McCray added his own highlight catch in drills.

Tyran Chappell brings a ton of length to the corner room, as I saw when walking over to the defensive backs during practice. Trevaughn Martinez had a very solid forced fumble during the safety drills, and his older brother Nikai Martinez had a strong opening period as expected.

Jordan Hall was a player I could hear across the field, and incoming transfer Caleb Wheatland appears to be a good pairing with Hall as both were adept at guiding players around.

Robert Wright Jr. looked strong among the tackles during drills, with him and Carson Gulker each pushing players around.