Michigan State Fall Camp Begins: Swinging for the Fences with 3 Bold Predictions for the 2026 Season
· Yahoo Sports
It's been 249 days since the world last saw Michigan State football.
For those who remember, it was an electric 38-28 victory for the Green and White, giving them their first conference win of the season as time expired.
Visit biznow.biz for more information.
A season to forget is now in the past.
The future is here.
Change at the top trickled throughout the entire program. From athletic directors to coaches to players, everything changed. There was nowhere to go but up for Michigan State, and now the question becomes: where can the Spartans go from here?
Fall camp officially kicked off Wednesday with players reporting and an invigorating speech from Pat Fitzgerald. Thursday brings the first practice of training camp, exactly 250 days after Michigan State's last game. Fitting, considering it's also the 250th anniversary of our country.
But 250 is already in the past.
Now it's less than 30 days until kickoff.
Less than 30 days to unite a roster full of players chomping at the bit to prove just how good they can be on a team that finally gives them the opportunity to showcase their talent against top-tier competition.
To do that, Fitzgerald will have to bring everything he's got to get everything his players have in every single game, and it all starts with training camp. This is the time of year where players separate themselves, showing who truly wants it just a little bit more than the guy lining up beside them.
As outsiders, you'd think every player has the same drive, the same "why," and the same motivation to give everything they have every second they're on the field. But training camp has a way of exposing who lives that mentality and who is simply going through the motions.
It'll be fascinating to watch every position battle unfold and see who rises to the top. Sometimes those players begin camp as nothing more than bold predictions, and by the end of camp, everyone who believed gets to take a victory lap.
Speaking of bold predictions, I've got three of them. They're bold enough to turn heads but realistic enough that I can hopefully take a victory lap myself in a few months.
Bold Prediction No. 1: Michigan State Wins Eight Games
If you read my ceiling-and-floor prediction article for Michigan State's season, then you already know I believe there's a universe where the Spartans win 10 games.
But today, I'm sticking to the universe—or simulation, depending on who you ask—that we're all living in.
With that in mind, simply predicting Michigan State to make or even win a bowl game felt like low-hanging fruit.
Some people would absolutely consider that bold, considering the Spartans have won more than five games just once in the past six seasons. But honestly, that didn't feel bold enough because that's how confident I am in this football team.
So let's go bigger.
Eight wins.
And to really call my shot? Five of those wins will come in Big Ten play.
Bold Prediction No. 2: Michigan State Will Have a First-Team All-Big Ten Player
For the first time since Michigan State Alum Kenneth Walker Wins Super Bowl MVP earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors in 2021, Michigan State will have another offensive or defensive player make the conference's first team.
Since then, the Spartans have had Second-Team and Third-Team selections like Jayden Reed and Keon Coleman. They've also had First-Team All-Big Ten punters in Bryce Baringer (2022) and Ryan Eckley (2025).
But for a non-special teams player, it's been five years.
That changes this season.
Michigan State has no shortage of candidates capable of earning the honor. Whether it's linebacker Jordan Hall, cornerback Charles Brantley, running back Cam Edwards, offensive tackle Ben Murawski, or several others, this roster has legitimate top-tier talent.
I also wouldn't be surprised if punter Rhys Dakin earns First-Team All-Big Ten honors this season.
But that's not my prediction.
My prediction is that an offensive or defensive player breaks the drought.
Bold Prediction No. 3: Michigan State Produces a First-Round NFL Draft Pick
For the first time since Jack Conklin was selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Michigan State will once again produce a first-round pick.
Could it be one of the players I just mentioned?
Absolutely.
But projecting someone like Cam Edwards into the first round requires a massive season, and running back isn't exactly a position NFL teams prioritize early anymore.
That's why I'm narrowing my prediction even further.
Not only will Michigan State have a first-round draft pick, but that player will be offensive tackle Ben Murawski.
Murawski was recently named to the Outland Trophy Watch List, an award presented annually to the nation's top interior offensive lineman.
Playing on the offensive line already gives Murawski a better chance of hearing his name called early in the draft.
Now all that's left is for him to put together the season he's capable of having.
If he does, don't be surprised if Michigan State's first first-round pick in a decade is protecting quarterbacks on Sundays.