Dec 2, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State head football coach Pat Fitzgerald watches the Spartans defeat the Iowa Hawkeyes at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images Dale Young-Imagn Images

One Position Group MSU Must Desperately Improve

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Carter Landis | Last updated Dec 21, 2025 1:00 PM ET

Michigan State is in the process of improving its roster this offseason, hoping to have a stronger one for the 2026 season.

New head coach Pat Fitzgerald has received a major financial donation from Acrisure’s Greg and Dawn Williams, which will endow the university's athletics department with nearly $300 million.

The Spartans can now be competitive in the NIL landscape, something they could not do over the last few years. Athletic Director J Batt has done an excellent job raising money for the football program.

One of the position groups Fitzgerald and his staff must improve is the safeties. MSU is losing lots of experience on the back end.

Improving the Michigan State safeties

The Spartans have had Malik Spencer and Nikai Martinez as their starting safeties over the last few seasons, but Spencer is now out of eligibility. Tracy Revels, who did not see any action in 2025, has entered the transfer portal, and Devynn Cromwell is also no longer eligible.

Armorion Smith, who has been with the program for the last three seasons, has one remaining season of eligibility, and he figures to be a starter entering the 2026 season. According to Pro Football Focus, Smith played the second-most snaps at safety, filling in for the injured Martinez.

Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Smith and Martinez will be the team’s starting safeties next season if Fitzgerald and his staff do not add any immediate competition. However, given how the defense has looked over the last few seasons, it would not hurt to add players at that position.

MSU struggled to defend the pass in 2025, so finding more talented defensive backs would be a good investment for this defensive staff. Fitzgerald retained safeties coach James Adams for his staff, a coach whom he believes in to recruit and develop talent.

Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It will be up to Adams to find talent through the portal to help this team prevent opposing quarterbacks from finding wide-open receivers downfield, which happened far too often in the 2025 season.

There is plenty of safety talent in the portal, including Florida State’s Edwin Joseph and Colorado’s Tawfiq Byard. The Spartans have the financial means to make competitive offers to these players and improve the roster.

Martinez is a good player when he is healthy, and he was one of MSU’s most consistent players in 2024. He has one year of eligibility remaining, and Fitzgerald hopes he can return to form for one last ride.