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Michigan State running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver, right, gets a pitch from Aidan Chiles during football practice on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Projecting the MSU RB Carry Shares

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Carter Landis | Last updated Aug 17, 2025 8:25 AM ET

The Michigan State Spartans have an intriguing running back room entering the 2025 season.

Nate Carter and Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams, the team’s top two backs from last season, are no longer on the roster, so Jonathan Smith and Keith Bhonapha need new faces to emerge.

MSU added running backs in the transfer portal and through the high school ranks, while expecting the existing talent on the roster to develop and take a step forward. This Spartan running back room will look almost completely different in 2025.

Smith has been willing to give multiple backs carries in the past, and with no clear-cut RB1, that should be the case again this season. It also does not hurt to have multiple able bodies in the backfield, including the quarterback.

So, let’s project who will earn the most carries on this MSU offense and how many.

Elijah Tau-Tolliver: 115

Tau-Tolliver, a transfer from Sacramento State, will not earn 184 carries like he did last season for the Hornets, but he will earn the most carries on the team.

The experienced running back has the size and physicality to handle the lion's share of carries. He rushed for nearly 1,000 yards last season and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

MSU has several young running backs who will not be ready to take a large number of carries, so the team will lean on Tau-Tolliver early in the season or until those players are ready.

Makhi Frazier: 76

Frazier has enjoyed a nice offseason, and he has emerged as a young player who should contribute to the Spartan offense.

He only took seven carries last season, but that number will increase as he becomes more comfortable in the system. Frazier is a big-bodied running back who is a former linebacker, so he is tough and will not be afraid of contact.

Frazier and one of his teammates will battle for more carries, but he edges out Brandon Tullis.

Brandon Tullis: 69

Speaking of Tullis, he will fall short of Frazier, but he will still play an important role for the Spartans.

Tullis also only took seven carries, but he should see more because he is much more physically ready. He impressed the staff last offseason, and with a year under his belt, he is prepared to take on a bigger role.

Frazier will top Tullis in carries, but they will essentially be equals next season. MSU has a fine stable of running backs.

Jace Clarizio: 20

Spartan fans are excited to see what the hometown recruit will look like.

He will remain behind the top three backs on the team, but this backfield will eventually be his in the next few years. He is supremely talented, but it may take some time for him to adapt to the physicality of D-I football.

However, the staff will want to get him a few carries to get his feet wet, so expect to see a little Clarizio this year and much more in the future.

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