Michigan State linebacker Darius Snow (23) is carried off the field during the first half against Western Michigan at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022. Junfu Han/Detroit Free Press / USA TODAY NETWORK

MSU's Darius Snow: 'Full Circle' Playing WMU Again

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Carter Landis | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 8:00 AM ET

For many Michigan State players, this Friday night’s Week 1 showdown against the Western Michigan Broncos will be just another game.

Those Spartans will get on the field and take on the MAC opponent that the program has never lost to, and that night will come and go, as they prepare for the next game against Boston College.

But for linebacker Darius Snow, this game carries much more weight.

MSU last faced WMU on Sept. 2, 2022, emerging victorious, 35-13.

But Snow felt anything but a victory that night.

Just before the end of the first half, Snow collided with teammate Chester Kimbrough after a turnover and suffered a season-ending right leg injury. He did not return to play until Week 3 of the following season.

Three years removed from that injury, Snow will take on the Broncos again. Fully healed, the sixth-year senior who gutted out constant program turnover is looking to make an impact.

“Ironically, on Sept. 2, 2022, we played Western Michigan in the same stadium,” Snow told reporters earlier this month. “So, for me, it’s kind of like full circle. It’s a chance to get out there and do what I can do, a new opportunity, and I can never take it for granted.”

Snow's Spartan journey

While Snow has played in plenty of games since the injury (he appeared in four games in 2023 and all 12 in 2024), this game carries significant weight. He wants to put the injury behind him and start the Spartans’ season off on the right note.

He had put together an impressive sophomore season and was looking to build on that as the team’s top defender before the injury in 2022.

Snow joined MSU in 2020, originally committing to Mark Dantonio and playing for Mel Tucker for four seasons. He entered the transfer portal when Jonathan Smith took the job, but Smith convinced him to stay in East Lansing.

Over five seasons, Snow has totaled 127 tackles, seven for loss, two passes defended, an interception, and a sack. He will start the year as the team’s third linebacker next to Jordan Hall and Wayne Matthews III.

Recovering from a career and life-changing injury is not easy, physically or mentally. It has been a long journey for Snow, and it would mean a lot to him if he can help MSU take down the Broncos on Friday evening.

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