Who Will Be MSU's Top Defensive Second-Year Player?

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated Aug 24, 2025 7:40 PM ET

Michigan State has a plethora of second-year players on both sides of the ball who can take a leap this season.

The obvious candidate to be best offensively is sophomore wide receiver Nick Marsh, but on defense, there are several who fans need to be watching for going into this season.

But which of them is going to have the best season?

Redshirt linebacker Brady Pretzlaff is a player who has taken a significant step this offseason. The former four-star prospect played in just four games his first year, the majority of his reps coming on special teams as he saw just 21 defensive snaps.

What was being said about Brady Pretzlaff in fall camp

Pretzlaff's name came up a number of times in fall camp.

"I think Brady's going to be a great player for us," said defensive coordinator Joe Rossi. "Obviously, we've got a deep room there, but he's really talented."

Fellow linebacker Wayne Matthews III also mentioned Pretzlaff's name when asked about who had stood out defensively.

"Lot of guys, lot of young guys is making a big impact," Matthews said. "Brady Pretzlaff, just to name one. He's going to be a guy."

Pretzlaff was a star at Gaylord High School. 247Sports national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu had the following to say about him in his evaluation from 2023:

"Physical and also a strong blocker on offense during his career. Good size already and will get stronger in college. Shows good ability to run to the ball and pursues hard. That helps with the lack of a verified speed measureable currently.

"Did play some offense and caught the ball some so we have evidence of ability to in space and ball skills. Should be a solid coverage linebacker and is a good all around athlete. Approach to the game and intangibles make him a very high floor prospect. We see multi-year starter, potential captain type and a player who should be near the top of his team's tackles stats throughout his college career

Expect Pretzlaff to have a much bigger role in his second season. He should be a crucial piece for this Spartan defense.

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