Michigan State’s second-year co-special teams coordinator/rush ends coach Chad Wilt will have his work cut out this upcoming fall replacing some key pieces from last season. Wilt has the task of coaching two very different units, but the approach for preparing both remains consistent.
EDGE
On defense, the Spartans' struggles to create pressure once conference season began were well documented. The team ranked 16th in the new 18-member Big Ten in sacks, though MSU was more near the middle of the conference in tackles for loss and total defense. Overall, the unit played well at times but struggled in getting to the quarterback - something Wilt is looking to improve upon in 2025.
“We’re certainly seeing a lot of young guys working to build in and develop, you know, we've got a couple new faces,” Wilt said about the rush ends room this year. “Really pleased with those guys and their progress this spring.”
Wilt returns some talented players, but also will be welcoming some new faces that should create some healthy competition. The depth chart at the top appears to be mostly unknown, which Wilt sees as a positive in how the unit has competed this spring.
“We don't have a clear-cut starter, right? But also for them, they're going against our (first-team) tackles,” Wilt said. “So that they're all getting reps and evaluated, but developed going against the best offensive linemen we have in our program.”
With Anthony Jones entering the spring transfer portal on Wednesday, the Spartans could possibly only be returning one player at the position with moderate experience from last year's team in Jalen Thompson. Thompson worked as a rush end in the spring of 2024, and mentioned that he has been practicing at multiple positions (including rush end) this spring as well, but played primarily as a traditional defensive end last fall. Thompson started all 12 games in 2024, tallying 17 tackles with two tackles for loss and one pass break-up. Tyler Gillison returns from injury after missing all of 2024 and will be in the mix as well.
Transfers Anelu Lafaele and David Santiago both should be heavily competitive in the battle for a starting role as well. Lafaele redshirted last season at Wisconsin, but was one of the top overall players in Hawaii in the class of 2024 and brings a "juice" at the edge rusher positions Wilt enjoys.
“You saw some real edge, dynamic ability (with Lafaele),” Wilt said. “As we looked at him, both from the high school, and some of the stuff he had there, he could really raise the pass rush level of the room, which is something we know we've got to do better.”
It seems that Wilt has been especially impressed with Santiago this spring. The transfer arrived in East Lansing from Air Force, where he led the team in sacks (3.5) and finished with a strong end to the season, recording 4.5 tackles for loss and and 3.5 sacks of his sacks in four of the last five games.
“He's smart, he's tough, he's reliable, dependable," Wilt praised of Santiago. "He played 500 snaps of Division One football last year. The other thing is, he doesn't make many mistakes twice … really like his approach and his demeanor.”
With Jones’ possible departure, head coach Jonathan Smith and company will likely need to grab another player from the transfer portal to supplement and add some depth at the rush end spot. The Spartans are targeting the position during the spring window. It will be something to watch to see who MSU adds and who separates themselves at the position going into the fall.
Special Teams
Special teams can oftentimes be overlooked in the spring when evaluating a newer roster and how it will translate to the outlook of the upcoming season. For a program like Michigan State — which has produced some of the most memorable moments in its history as a result of special teams play — it’s important.
The elephant in the room will be how the Spartans replace Jonathan Kim at kicker. The two-year starter transfer from North Carolina finished his career ranked No. 1 in field-goal percentage (82.1%) at MSU. Wilt seems to be confident in what he has at the position with Tarik Ahmetbasic and Martin Connington, who are competing for the starting role. Both have little to no experience yet in game experience at MSU.
“We didn't bring anybody in at that position." Wilt said about kicker. "That tells you something about what we knew they could be. Tarik’s got a big leg … Martin has good process. He's continued to grow … good news is we got two guys that are going to be competing all the way through preseason camp, probably, but they both have the talent and ability to go perform at a high level for us.”
Ryan Eckley returns at punter for the Spartans, providing a level of consistency in changing field position that MSU loves. Eckley led the Big Ten with his 47.9-yard punting average, earning a second-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches in 2024. He adds to a rich history at the position in East Lansing.
The Spartans also bring in a couple transfers who could contribute as return specialists, or at least have the ability to. Both Omari Kelly and Chrishon McCray will be well embedded in the mix at the wide receiver position. Both may also certainly be asked to help the Spartans try to pick up some more steam as returners on special teams —something they’ve lacked production in the last few years.
Wilt wasn’t asked too much about the special teams unit, but appears to be confident in what he has positionally so far this spring. We’ll see how the holes fill out moving forward.
- QB
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