Inside Michigan State's Offense: What Notre Dame Fans Need to Know
The Battle for the Megaphone is back.
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
A pair of 2-0 teams meet up in South Bend on Saturday evening to renew a rivalry last played in 2017. The number-three-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish host the Michigan State (MSU) Spartans led by Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald in his first year back in the college coaching ranks after serving as Northwestern’s HC from 2006-2023.
Michigan State Results (2-0)
30-20 Win vs Toledo
35-7 Win vs Eastern Michigan (EMU)
This offseason, Fitzgerald brought in Nick Sheridan to lead the Spartans' offense as the team’s Offensive Coordinator. Sheridan most recently served as OC and QB Coach at Alabama in 2024 and 2025, playing a key developmental role in NFL Draft selections Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson.
While this will be Sheridan’s first season wearing green and white, he is not unfamiliar with the state of Michigan and has ties to current Notre Dame QB CJ Carr. Sheridan played QB at Saline High School, just like Carr, before walking on at Michigan under Head Coach Lloyd Carr, CJ’s grandfather.
Under Sheridan, and given the Spartans' personnel, Michigan State has relied heavily on the run in their first two games. It has worked thus far, averaging 204 rushing yards per game and 4.3 yards per carry. This sets up a battle of strength on strength for Saturday as Notre Dame’s run defense looks like one of the best in the country through two weeks. The Irish are holding opponents to two yards per carry and have not allowed a rushing touchdown this season. This could be where the game is won or lost this week.
Through the air, Michigan State and QB Alessio Milivojevic have been efficient, despite not ‘lighting it up.’ The Spartans are averaging 230.5 passing yards per game and 10.5 yards per catch with no turnovers in the air game. Overall, the Spartans are averaging 5.6 total yards per play and 434.5 total yards per game.
The Notre Dame secondary was not tested much last week as the Irish have yet to allow a red zone touchdown. Some defensive players to highlight through two games include LB Jaiden Ausberry with a team-leading 12 tackles, one TFL, and one fumble recovery. DL Bryce Young has been strong with seven tackles, 3.5 TFLs, and one sack. DL Boubacar Traore has contributed three tackles, two TFLs, one sack, and one fumble recovery. Lastly, we saw the return of LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa from an ACL injury against Rice with a standout performance featuring five tackles, 1.5 TFLs, and one fumble recovery.
Now, we take a look at Spartans’ personnel by position group below:
Quarterback
Alessio Milivojevic
One of the most important pieces that Fitzgerald was able to retain from the 2025 Spartans was QB Alessio Milivojevic. The former consensus number-one-ranked QB in the state of Illinois in the class of 2024 is in his third year at MSU.
Last season, Milivojevic completed 64.2% of his passes for 1,267 yards and 10 touchdowns with three interceptions across nine games played, including four starts.
Through two games in his first year as the full-time starter, the 6-3, 223-pound signal-caller has completed 38 of 54 pass attempts for 417 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Milivojevic’s biggest improvements from last year have been his pocket presence and composure, albeit he has only faced MAC opponents in 2026. He has not faced the type of pressure Notre Dame will apply on Saturday, and Milivojevic struggled heavily under duress in 2025.
His numbers don’t say it, but Milivojevic does have sneaky athleticism and is able to pick up solid gains with his legs. Some things to keep an eye on Saturday are Milivojevic’s tendency to hold the ball a bit too long and whether he is consistently hitting his intermediate and deep throws.
Running Backs
Cam Edwards
The MSU offense will go as far as Cam Edwards can take them. The 5-11, 206-pound redshirt senior out of Norwalk, CT, is in his first year with the Spartans following four years at UConn.
At UConn, Edwards was the Huskies’ leading rusher in 2023, ‘24, and ‘25, making 23 starts across 36 games played. During this time, the UConn RB rushed for 2,690 yards and 27 touchdowns on 480 carries, averaging an impressive 5.6 yards per carry. He also added 47 catches for 467 yards and four touchdowns as a receiving option.
Through his first two games at MSU, Edwards has rushed for 250 yards and three touchdowns across 48 carries. Although he lost a fumble last week against EMU, he still impressed with 152 yards and two scores on 21 carries. He has also contributed three receptions for 12 yards this season.
Edwards has proven FBS production, but how he performs against Notre Dame and Big Ten opponents will be something to monitor with the expected jump in competition. Regardless, he is a physical runner, as evidenced by his 2025 season when he finished with the 18th-most rushing yards after contact in the FBS. He also has explosive potential, as shown by his 28 carries of 10 or more yards in 2025. It will be interesting to see if MSU gets Edwards more involved in the pass game this week, given he is capable but has not seen many looks through two games.
Others to watch: Jaziun Patterson, Marvis Parrish
Receivers
Chrishon McCray
The first receiver to highlight is this redshirt senior in his second year at MSU. McCray, a 5-10 and 180-pound weapon, spent his first three years of college at Kent State before transferring to MSU in 2025.
At Kent State, the Avon, Indiana native was a two-time All-MAC selection in 2023 and ‘24. Last season, his first as a Spartan, McCray hauled in 24 catches for 330 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games played, including five starts.
This season, McCray has 10 catches for 79 yards but really stood out in week one when he brought in eight receptions for 69 yards in the win over Toledo. He has also contributed on special teams with four punt returns for 61 yards.
McCray has a solid base of production and experience but needs to build consistency in terms of being a downfield threat to take his game to the next level.
Fredrick Moore
The almost forbidden Wolverine-to-Spartan transfer. Fredrick Moore made the rare move this offseason. A 6-1 and 187-pound redshirt junior out of Cardinal Ritter College Prep in Saint Louis, Moore originally committed to Michigan as a three-star recruit.
Moore spent 2 and ¼ seasons in Ann Arbor. He first flashed in 2024, recording 11 catches for 128 yards and a touchdown across 13 games played, including three starts. However, after seeing his role reduced in 2025 and playing just 18 offensive snaps through the team’s first four games, Moore decided to preserve his redshirt and entered the transfer portal.
In his first two games as a Spartan, Moore has four catches for 43 yards and one touchdown. He has looked the part of a featured WR so far, and he possesses the experience and upside to continue playing this role. Moore will need to continue to prove he can consistently produce and create separation to help the Spartans get back on track under Fitzgerald.
18-yard touchdown vs EMU
Rodney Bullard Jr
Another receiver in his second year with the Spartans is Rodney Bullard Jr. The 5-11, 188-pound senior and former Valdosta State (DII) transfer hails from Albany, Georgia, where he attended Westover High School.
Bullard starred at Valdosta State, raking in 85 catches for 1,567 yards and 19 touchdowns across 28 games played during his two years there.
Last season, his first at MSU, Bullard recorded five catches for 119 yards and one touchdown, and also added another score on one of his two carries across 12 games played, including one start.
The senior receiver is on pace to crush these numbers in 2026, with 10 catches for 116 yards and one touchdown on his scorecard already this season. He stood out against Toledo, recording seven catches for 90 yards and one touchdown in the week one win.
Touchdown vs Toledo
Bullard possesses big play potential and solid experience, but the question will be whether he sustains this early production against Notre Dame and Big Ten competition. He does need to prove he can consistently produce and win downfield against better opposition.
Others to watch: Bryson Williams
Tight Ends
Brennan Parachek
One of the more underwhelming aspects of the start of this season for the MSU offense has been Brennan Parachek. The 6-5, 249-pound TE entered this year as the clear-cut favorite to win the majority of the team’s snaps at the position. However, his inconsistencies, mixed with the emergence of Jayden Savoury, have put a dent in his stock to begin the 2026 season.
Parachek, a redshirt junior, is in his fourth year at MSU after committing to the Spartans as a four-star recruit out of Dexter High School in Michigan. Prior to this season, he had appeared in 24 games, with three starts; however, he redshirted in 2025 after appearing in just four games. During this span, Parachek has brought in 14 catches for 118 yards.
Parachek’s potential breakout campaign is off to a slow start, with just one ten-yard reception being his lone catch of the year. He was unable to record any stats last week against EMU and had an even rougher performance as a blocker.
The Michigan native has the physical tools to be a skilled receiving threat, including the size and hands, but has been unable to put it all together this year.
Jayden Savoury
Another TE with great size, Savoury has emerged and basically taken Parachek’s starting role in just two weeks. The 6-5, 253-pound redshirt freshman is in his second year at MSU after committing to the Spartans as the consensus number-one-ranked TE in Michigan in the class of 2025 out of Orchard Lake St. Mary’s High School.
Savoury redshirted last season after appearing in four games and making one 16-yard reception. Through two games this year, the receiving threat has brought in eight catches for 99 yards. He has four catches in each game and went for a career-high 63 receiving yards last week against EMU.
Savoury has big-play ability, as seen by his 46-yard catch-and-run against EMU and his 12.4 yards per reception. With limited experience coming into 2026, the early season success of Savoury is a good sign for the MSU offense. How he holds up in the blocking game will be something to monitor as he continues developing.
Offensive Line
LT Ben Murawski
MSU’s second offensive transfer from UConn is OT Ben Murawski. The 6-7, 340-pound redshirt senior out of St. Thomas More High School is in his first season with the Spartans.
Murawski spent four years at UConn, where he made 19 starts across 30 games played. Last season, the former Husky finished with the 28th-highest overall PFF grade among FBS OTs.
The UConn transfer is a good, physical run blocker who plays through the whistle. However, his pass protection has drawn some questions in the past. He was solid against EMU last week, but quicker edge rushers, like Notre Dame’s Boubacar Traore or Bryce Young, can cause issues. Murawski does offer the versatility of being able to slide inside at guard if needed. Also, he does have a solid, durable frame. Like Edwards, monitoring the adjustment from UConn to MSU will be something to watch for starting this week.
LG Conner Moore
One of two MSU offensive linemen to have rough starts to their 2026 campaign is OG Conner Moore. The former FCS Montana State transfer, now in his second season as a Spartan, had a tough week one that included a clutch-time, drive-killing penalty that resulted in him being called out by some MSU fans.
Moore, a 6-6 and 311-pound redshirt senior, dominated at Montana State across a three-year stretch that saw him make 28 starts in 31 games played. In 2024, he helped lead his team to the FCS National Championship, earning selections to the All-Big Sky First Team and AP FCS All-American Second Team. Moore allowed just one sack across 16 games in ‘24 before transferring to MSU in 2025.
Last season, Moore started all 12 games for the Spartans; however, he mostly played tackle, alternating between left and right. He has not gotten off to the best start in his move to the interior, as previously mentioned. Moore has been inconsistent against the pass rush, specifically struggling against athletic interior rushers, like Notre Dame’s Francis Brewu or Armel Mukam. The Millbury, Ohio native has produced as a run blocker and plays with good size and physicality. It will be interesting to see if the MSU staff opts to move this redshirt senior back to tackle, or if his role is reduced if he continues to not perform up to expectations.
C Trent Fraley
One of the more impressive pieces of this line through two games is the man in the middle, Trent Fraley. The 6-1, 306-pound redshirt senior is in his first season with MSU following stints at Marshall and North Dakota State (NDSU). Fraley’s father, Hank, played 10 seasons in the NFL and now serves as the Detroit Lions OL Coach.
Fraley committed to Marshall out of Moon Area High School in Pennsylvania. After appearing in just four games across two seasons with the Thundering Herd, the center transferred to, at the time FCS NDSU in 2024.
Fraley started all 29 games played at NDSU across his two-year stint with the Bison. He started all 16 games for FCS National Champions in 2024, and then was named the Rimington Award Winner (top center in FCS) and voted AP FCS All-American First Team in 2025.
As mentioned, Fraley has impressed in his first two games as a Spartan. He is a good pass protector, pitching a zero-pressure-allowed performance in week one against Toledo. The redshirt senior is smart, has solid athleticism, and has held his own in the run game. Notre Dame could take advantage of Fraley’s limited size and length with its big interior defenders.
RG Nick Sharpe
Holding it down on the right side is expected to be sixth-year Nick Sharpe, who is in his first season with the Spartans. A former Wake Forest and South Carolina transfer, Sharpe originally committed to the Demon Deacons out of Hunter Huss High School in North Carolina.
At Wake Forest, the 6-2 and 351-pound lineman appeared in 26 games across four years, making 12 starts during this time. Notably, Sharpe did suffer a season-ending injury in the second week of the 2023 season.
Sharpe spent last season at South Carolina, where he made five starts across eight games played. This season, he has reunited with his former Wake Forest OL Coach, Nick Tabacca, at MSU.
The sixth-year lineman is a good pass blocker, with solid size and strength. However, Sharpe’s run blocking has been inconsistent throughout his career.
RT Rakeem Johnson
One of the biggest questions facing the MSU offense is who should be starting at right tackle. Spartans fans entered this season excited for Rakeem Johnson entering his third year at MSU after a somewhat disappointing 2025. The early returns in 2026 are not good, and it would not shock me if Robert Wright Jr. is promoted to starter as soon as this Saturday against the Irish.
Regardless, Johnson is a 6-4, 296-pound redshirt sophomore out of Boise, Idaho. The Idaho native was named the state’s 2023 MaxPreps Player of the Year out of Bishop Kelly High School.
Johnson entered the 2026 season with 16 games played, including five starts, under his belt. After redshirting and appearing in four games in 2024, the developmental piece struggled to find consistent success in 2025.
The tackle’s pass protection has been the main point of struggle, continually getting beat in week one against Toledo. Johnson offers the versatility to move to the inside, and he possesses a good, physical frame. His run-blocking has been solid, at best, through the team’s first two games.
Others to watch: OT Robert Wright Jr
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