Michigan State's Rodney Bullard Jr. runs with the ball during football practice on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Biggest Questions on Game Day for Michigan State

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Jacob Cotsonika | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The day's finally here. Michigan State is about to kick off its 2025 season against Western Michigan, with the game set to begin at 7 p.m. on FS1.

It's been 272 days since MSU lost to Rutgers to end last year on a bitter note. A lot has changed since then; the Spartans brought over 25 transfers over the offseason and welcome 23 true freshmen to the roster.

Even with all the comings and goings, there are still several questions that will be answered during Friday's Week 1 contest.

Who will start on the offensive line and how will they play?

One of the keys to success all season long for Michigan State will be about the offensive line's level of play. The unit struggled plenty last season, and improving the O-line was a point of emphasis for the coaching staff this offseason.

The tackles and the center are likely set --- Stanton Ramil and Conner Moore (Montana State transfer) will likely play left and right tackle, respectively, and captain Matt Gulbin (Wake Forest transfer) should be the one delivering the ball to Aidan Chiles.

Those two guard spots is where the real question marks are. There will likely be some form of a rotation there between Kristian Phillips, Gavin Broscious, Caleb Carter (Western Carolina transfer) and Luka Vincic (Oregon State transfer).

Who will be the starting kicker?

This is an issue that might not be resolved for a couple weeks. The winner of the job will eventually be either Martin Connington or Tarik Ahmetbasic.

Under normal circumstances, they would've battled for it in camp, but both Connington and Ahmetbasic have been battling injuries.

Connington won't be available against WMU, while Jonathan Smith said that Ahmetbasic will be a game-time decision.

If Ahmetbasic can't play, Michigan State will roll with third-string kicker Blake Sislo, who first joined the team during preseason camp. Sislo is a Dexter, Michigan native that was at Division II Davenport for three seasons, but never reached the field there.

How will the pass rush look?

This is another portion where Michigan State is going to need vast improvement. The Spartans once went six consecutive games without a sack last season, which certainly cannot be allowed to happen again.

MSU returns pass rusher Jalen Thompson, who many are looking to for a breakout season. The Spartans also used the portal to add David Santiago (Air Force), Isaac Smith (Texas Tech) and Anelu Lafaele (Wisconsin) and Cam Williams (Georgia State) to the team's pass rush.

On the interior, the Spartans also return starter Alex VanSumeren to the mix and will also likely turn to Florida State transfer Grady Kelly a good bit.