Michigan State takes the field before the football game against Western Michigan on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

New Spartan Defender makes PFF's National Team of the Week

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Jacob Cotsonika | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 11:30 AM ET

One of Michigan State's transfer portal additions on the defensive side of the ball received some national recognition this week for his stellar play in the Spartans' 23-6 victory over Western Michigan. MSU's defense did not allow any points during the Friday night win.

Each week, Pro Football Focus releases its "Team of the Week" that recognizes the top players at each position at both the conference and national level. One Spartan made the cut to top both the Big Ten and the entire college football scene: defensive tackle Grady Kelly.

Grady Kelly's Week 1 Performance

Kelly only played 27 out of 58 possible snaps against Western Michigan, but he really made them count.

WMU was passing the majority of the time that Kelly entered the game, and he was able to wreck some havoc in the pass game despite being an interior defensive lineman. PFF credited Kelly with two pressures, a hurry, and a hit on the quarterback. He also had a share of a tackle for loss and broke up one pass at the line of scrimmage.

Overall, Kelly received a sparkling overall grade of 92.4 from Pro Football Focus. The next-best mark on the entire team after him was the other Kelly --- that being Omari Kelly, who had seven receptions for 75 yards and an eight-yard rush attempt.

Grady Kelly was only one of only eight players from the Big Ten to make PFF's National Team. Only two interior defensive linemen make it each week, with the Week 1 honors going to him and Mississippi State's Will Whitson.

Kelly's Path to MSU

Before arriving in East Lansing for his final year of collegiate eligibility, Kelly had previously been at two other schools.

Kelly began his collegiate career in the Mountain West for Colorado State. After redshirting as a true freshman, he became a big-time contributor for the Rams in 2022 and 2023, earning second-team all-conference honors from Phil Steele in the latter half of those two years.

As a result of his stellar play in a quality Group of Five conference, the opportunity for Kelly to move to the Group of Five level opened up. He chose Florida State, who was coming off of the season where it went 13-0 and still missed the College Football Playoff.

Instead of FSU continuing the winning ways (which it might be back to now), the Seminoles went 2-10. Kelly received just over 200 snaps but didn't start a game and ended up in the transfer portal again and committed to Michigan State on Dec. 19, 2024.

Kelly didn't start in his Spartan debut either, but it will be hard to keep him off the field if he continues to play at the level he did against Western Michigan in the future.