Michigan State left guard J.D. Duplain announces return for 2023

Michigan State starting left guard J.D. Duplain has some "unfinished business" in East Lansing. Duplain will return to the Spartans for his final year of eligibility in 2023. Of course, Duplain had an extra year of eligibility remaining due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The guard's return was expected since Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker said during his Early Signing Day press conference on Dec. 21 that Duplain, center Nick Samac and defensive end Khris Bogle were all planning to return to MSU next season. Samac announced his return to the Spartans on Sunday.

On Tuesday, Duplain took to Twitter to publicly announce his decision to return to Michigan State.

Duplain, who arrived at Michigan State in 2019, started all 12 games for the Spartans in 2022. He played 742 snaps and recorded an offensive grade of 75.4 and a pass-blocking grade of 83.0, according to Pro Football Focus, which both ranked as the second-highest among MSU's offensive linemen.

Duplain has played in 42 career games with 35 starts. In 2022, he was named as an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and media. In 2021, Duplain earned second-team All-Big Ten honors by Pro Football Focus and was an honorable mention selection by the media.

Additionally, Duplain earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2020 and 2021.

With Duplain, Samac, Brandon Baldwin, Geno VanDeMark and Spencer Brown all expected to come back to Michigan State, and with the additions of Keyshawn Blackstock, Cole Dellinger and Stanton Ramil as part of its 2023 signing class, MSU returns a strong mix of starting experience for next season and a solid foundation for the future.