MSU Safety Battle To Watch Following Spring Ball

Strong safety doesn't have as clear an answer, though. The main battle seems to be between Maine transfer Devin Vaught and returning redshirt senior Aveon Grose. Redshirt freshman Deuce Edwards could also hover around as a bit of a "sleeper" pick.

Chances are that either Vaught or Grose will be starting next season, though. Here's a short "tale of the tape."

Devin Vaught

Vaught played a lot of football last season. He played 708 defensive snaps in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus, which was the most on Maine last season. He's missed only one game in each of the last two seasons, showing he also has decent durability.

The big thing Vaught has going his way is his ability to take the ball away. He's intercepted three passes in each of the last two seasons and broken up nine other passes. That is in comparison to four touchdowns allowed, according to PFF as well.

What remains to be seen is how that translates to the Big Ten. Vaught had an interception last season against FBS Georgia Southern, but that's still a few steps below what he'll be seeing every week at quarterback and wide receiver.

Aveon Grose

Grose was once in a similar situation to Vaught. He started his college career at Charlotte at the Group of Five level before dropping down to FCS Southern Illinois for a year. This coming season will be Grose's third with the program, though. The adjustment period has been over for a bit.

Much of his playing time has been at special teams, though. He had more snaps last season on those units (219) than he did on defense (159). Of those defensive snaps, 119 were in the final two weeks of the season against Iowa and Maryland. Grose had his first career interception at the end of the game against the Terrapins that sealed the Spartans' only Big Ten victory in 2025.

It doesn't count towards his total, but it's also worth noting that Grose intercepted starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic last month during Michigan State's "Spring Showcase." Grose was right there with a receiver on an underthrown deep ball, picking it off pretty easily.