Photo Gallery: Michigan State's First 2023 Spring Practice

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State took the field Tuesday morning for their first spring practice of the 2023 season. Heading into Mel Tucker’s fourth season in charge, the Spartans will look to move past a disappointing 5-7 record last year.

Michigan State’s roster and staff underwent a significant overhaul this offseason. Tuesday marked the media’s first opportunity to get their eyes on the new additions and those returning from last year’s team.

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Payton Thorne

Payton Thorne spoke to the media following practice, discussing the ensuing quarterback competition, having a ‘chip’ on his shoulder, and more. The senior quarterback threw for 2,679 yards, 19 touchdowns, and had 11 interceptions during his junior campaign. Thorne will look to emulate his production from the Spartans’ 11-2 campaign in 2021.

Mel Tucker

Fourth-year head coach Mel Tucker maintained his usual commanding, yet tepid presence during Tuesday’s practice. Michigan State’s staff and recruiting coordinator Jensen Gebhardt hosted multiple recruits for the opening practice session. Among those in attendance were a pair of 2024 in-state three-stars, Mt. Pleasant (MI) High School OL Andrew Dennis and Southfield (MI) A&T DB Jalen Todd. Four-star defensive line target Xadavien Sims was also at practice with his trainer, C4 Sports Performance’s Sean Cooper.

Hank Pepper

After starting the Spartans’ first five games in 2022, Hank Pepper saw his season cut short with an undisclosed injury. Michigan State saw a significant decrease at long snapper during his absence, eventually resulting in walk-on LB Sam Edwards stepping into the role. Former back-up and walk-on LS Michael Donovan transferred to Miami after the season. MSU brought in Ohio State transfer Mason Arnold as insurance, starting six games for the Buckeyes in 2022.

J.D. Duplain

J.D. Duplain earned unanimous Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors last season, starting all 12 games at left guard for the Spartans. Duplain has started 30 consecutive games and returns for a fifth season despite potential NFL interest following his performance last season.

Nick Samac

The second of the two veteran interior offensive lineman, Nick Samac will pair nicely with Duplain for the Spartans this season. Similar to his guard counterpart, Samac started all 12 games in 2022 and decided to return to Michigan State for another season.

Brandon Baldwin & J.D. Duplain

6-foot-7, 315-pound OT Brandon Baldwin played in nine games last season logging just over 400 snaps. Despite starting five games, Baldwin mostly saw time in a reserve role behind former Spartan OT Jarrett Horst, who was drafted No. 1 overall in the USFL Draft. Baldwin will likely slide in next to Duplain as the Spartans’ starting left tackle, but will be challenged by both familiar faces and newcomers.

Jordan Simmons

Jordan Simmons was Michigan State’s lead tailback in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound running back ran for 219 yards in five games. Simmons has seen a significantly diminished role since his freshman season. The senior played in all 12 games during his junior campaign, but mostly on special teams, totaling just 9 yards on the ground.

Malik Spencer

Malik Spencer will likely see a significant uptick in snaps during his sophomore season after missing the first 7 games last season due to injury. The former Buford (GA) High School standout played in Michigan State’s final five games and was unable to retain his redshirt status.

Christian Banks

Walk-on Christian Banks worked with the running backs during his freshman season in East Lansing. When Michigan State released its 2023 Spring Roster, many were surprised to see the now redshirt-freshman listed as a quarterback. It remains to be seen whether this is a temporary move until 2023 four-star QB signee Sam Leavitt arrives on campus. However, Banks was a raw, but talented quarterback during his high school career.

Keyshawn Blackstock

Four-star junior college transfer Keyshawn Blackstock was involved in his first Michigan State practice on Tuesday after signing in December. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound lineman provides some major versatility for assistant head coach/run game coordinator/o-line coach Chris Kapilovic. Blackstock, who played left tackle at Coffeyville Community College, will likely challenge both Brandon Baldwin and Spencer Brown at both tackle positions.

Diron Reynolds

Michigan State lost both coaches that worked with the defensive line unit in 2022. D-line coach Marco Coleman returned to his alma mater Georgia Tech after just one season in East Lansing. Pass rush specialist Brandon ‘B.T.’ Jordan accepted a similar role with the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL in early-March. The Spartans and Mel Tucker filled Coleman’s vacancy with former Stanford d-line coach Diron Reynolds, who will look to bring some much-needed continuity to the d-line room.

Defensive analyst T.J. Hollowell, who had been working with the linebackers, aided Reynolds with the d-line during the Spartans’ first spring practice. Newly-hired graduate assistant Antjuan Simmons was seen working with the linebackers, presumably filling Hollowell’s role from last year. Hollowell came to MSU after working with the d-line, defensive ends, and outside linebackers at Coastal Carolina the two previous seasons.

Ashton Lepo

Ashton Lepo was an intriguing in-state recruit in Michigan State’s 2022 recruiting class. The 6-foot-7, 310-pound tackle has all the intangibles to be a Big Ten lineman. Lepo, who redshirted his freshman season, added some solid weight, but will need to continue his development heading into his second season.

Noah Kim & Jay Johnson

Redshirt junior QB Noah Kim will look to challenge Payton Thorne for the starting role in 2023. Known for his arm-strength, Kim has the talent, but will have the tough task of overcoming experience that the two-year starter Thorne holds.

Ethan Boyd & Spencer Brown

At 6-foot-7, 325-pounds, Ethan Boyd is on a similar trajectory as Lepo, but has one year of additional experience at the college level. The redshirt-sophomore from East Lansing will likely hold a reserve role while continuing to fine-tune his play. Redshirt senior OT Spencer Brown has started 13 consecutive games for the Spartans. Despite this, Brown will have more challengers this season and will need to improve for Michigan State’s o-line to make a real jump in the 2023 season.

Katin Houser

Katin Houser is the wildcard on Michigan State’s 2023 roster. The highly-touted four-star recruit in the Spartans’ 2022 class redshirted his freshman season in East Lansing. Despite Thorne and Kim having repped ahead of the talented underclassman last fall, Houser will contend for a bigger role in 2023 as part of what Tucker calls an open competition.

The former Louisville transfer has dealt with injury troubles since he joined Michigan State prior to the 2021 season. Marqui Lowery has flashed at times, but, when healthy, has mostly seen time as a back-up, playing in 12 games with the Spartans. He showed some promise as a hard hitter in 2021, but missed most of last season with an undisclosed injury.

Chris Kapilovic

Kapilovic flexed his recruiting muscle, landing three 2023 On3 Industry Ranking four-stars for the Spartans first major o-line recruiting haul of the Tucker era. Now, Kapilovic will need to improve the offensive line play, which was statistically average during the 2022 season. Improved talent, depth, and experience should serve the Spartans well. Twelve months ago, Michigan State had only six scholarship offensive linemen available for spring practice. That limited growth and development. This spring, Michigan State has 19 offensive linemen, counting walk-ons.

Diron Reynolds & Zion Young

Zion Young was forced into early action after injuries along the defensive line piled up for the Spartans in 2022. The late-rising 2022 three-star recruit showed well for his age on the field last fall. Young logged 21 tackles and one sack in eight games, earning two starts and burning his redshirt. At 6-foot-6, 260-pounds, Young will likely factor heavily into Michigan State’s future at defensive end.

Dr. Lorenzo Guess

Dr. Lorenzo Guess has been with the Michigan State program since 2012. Guess was an assistant strength coach at Notre Dame from 2010-11. The former Spartan dual-sport athlete is an important part of the off-field staff. Guess, who is the associate head strength and conditioning coach, added the role of Director of Athletic Performance during the 2022 offseason.

Noah Kim

Scottie Hazelton

Scottie Hazelton enters his fourth year as the Spartans’ defensive coordinator. The veteran coach also took over the linebackers room last offseason, relegating Ross Els to special teams coordinator and defensive assistant, aiding with the secondary. Like offensive coordinator Jay Johnson, Hazelton is in the final year of his contract and will need to improve the defense from last year’s performance.

Tunmise Adeleye

A former four-star recruit in the 2021 class for Texas A&M, Tunmise Adeleye is going to compete for a role at defensive end. At 6-foot-4, 290-pounds, the Texas A&M transfer redshirted his freshman season in 2021 after his high school’s senior season was cancelled in 2020. Adeleye tallied six tackles for the Aggies in his sophomore season before entering the portal. He saw brief playing time at DT and DE for Texas A&M last year before being sidelined in September by a lower body injury. He missed the remainder of the season.

Caleb Coley, Aubrey Dawkins, & Harold Joiner

Caleb Coley, who redshirted his freshman season, could challenge for a role at cornerback for the Spartans in 2023. The former three-star recruit played in just three games to maintain his redshirt status while dealing with some injuries last season. Former running back Harold Joiner will remain at safety where the former Auburn Tiger finished the 2022 season. Transferring to Michigan State after the 2020 season, Joiner saw limited action backing up Kenneth Walker, Jalen Berger, Elijah Collins, and Jordan Simmons. Joiner, a standout athlete, could potentially find a role at safety if he can get up-to-speed with the position quickly.

After starting his college career with Mel Tucker at Colorado, the former Detroit Cass Tech recruit returns home for his final two seasons of eligibility after transferring to USF in 2021. Jaren Mangham, brother of sophomore safety Jaden Mangham, earned All-AAC Honorable Mention in 2021, rushing for 671 yards and 15 touchdowns. Mangham played in just four games for USF last season before an injury ended his season.

Christian Banks & Joseph Martinez