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There are several former Michigan State Spartans alumni who will be participating in the NFL playoffs over the next few weeks and have been integral pieces to each of their team's success this season.
Minnesota Vikings third-year wide receiver Jalen Nailor is having the best year of his career so far for one of the best teams in the NFL, as the Vikings hold a 14-3 record and are the fifth seed in the NFC playoffs. Nailor has a career-high in receptions (28), receiving yards (414), and touchdown catches (6).
Nailor spent three seasons as a Spartan, finishing his career with 86 receptions, 1,454 receiving yards and 12 touchdown grabs. He would later be drafted in the sixth round by the Vikings in 2022.
Another NFC North team that has found success with a Spartan that played with Nailor in the wide receiver room is Green Bay Packers second-year receiver Jayden Reed. After a sensational rookie season, Reed has followed that up with 857 receiving yards and six touchdown grabs this year.
Reed was an integral part of the Spartans' 2021 Peach Bowl Championship season as he won offensive MVP of the Peach Bowl along with being named a first-team All-American in 2021. He was drafted by the Packers in the second round in 2023 and has been a star ever since.
The longest-tenured NFL player who played his collegiate ball for the Spartans all the way back from 2010-'12 is Tampa Bay Buccaneers veteran defensive end Will Gholston. The 12th-year pro is going back to the playoffs for the fifth straight season with 12 tackles and one sack this year.
Gholston was drafted in the fourth round back in 2013 and has been a part of the Buccaneers organization for his entire career. He has recorded 431 tackles, 20.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, and one interception through his storied career.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have found success with former Spartan tight end Connor Heyward who is in his third NFL season. With six catches for 40 yards and one touchdown through 17 games played this year, Heyward will be heading back to the playoffs for the second time in his career.
Heyward was a five-year player with the Spartans, spanning from 2017-'21, playing in 49 games and totaling over 2,000 all-purpose yards and 11 touchdown scores in his career. He was selected in the sixth round by the Steelers of the 2022 NFL Draft.
One former Spartan will not be suiting up this weekend due to injury but has helped out another one of the league's top teams. Second-year linebacker Ben Vansumeren is with the Philadelphia Eagles but is currently on injured reserve with a knee injury he suffered in November.
Vansumeren totaled 16 tackles in 11 games played this season and will be going back to the playoffs for the second straight season. He earned one tackle in last year's Wild Card loss to the Buccaneers in his rookie season with the Eagles.
Another guy who will be unlikely to see the field in his first playoff games is Baltimore Ravens backup center Nick Samac. A seventh-round back in last year's draft, the rookie saw time in the preseason but has yet to play since. Samac could find himself on the field if an injury were to occur.
Samac will be facing his former teammate in Heyward as the Ravens and Steelers will meet in the first round of the playoffs.
The final Spartan that will be featured on Wild Card weekend is Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle AJ Arcuri. The former seventh-round pick in 2022 has had to fill in due to injuries on the Rams' line but has not found a starting role. Anything is possible come playoff time as he could see some time.
Arcuri will match up with Nailor when the Rams host the Vikings in the first round of the NFC Wild Card.
An impressive amount of Spartans will be participating this weekend and several of them are going to make an impact that leads their respective teams to victory. The laundry list of Spartans that are striving for a Super Bowl speaks to the development and talent that comes from this program.
More must-reads:
- Packers starter hits back at Matt LaFleur, calls for 'bus fine'
- Analyst blasts Cowboys over contract negotiations with Micah Parsons
- The '2024-25 NFL TD catch leaders' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Former Pro Bowl RB announces retirement
After being unable to find an NFL opportunity in 2024, Latavius Murray is hanging up his cleats. The veteran running back announced on Thursday that he is retiring at the age of 35 (video link via NFL insider Jordan Schultz). A sixth-round pick of the Raiders in 2013, Murray played on a rotational basis the following year before taking on starting duties. He recorded his first and only 1,000-yard campaign in 2015 and secured a Pro Bowl nod in the process. A career-best 12 rushing touchdowns during his final Raiders season set Murray up for a strong free agent market. The UCF product landed a three-year, $15M Vikings pact on the open market. Murray ended up spending a pair of seasons in Minnesota, where he operated as part of a backfield tandem with Dalvin Cook. A similar setup was in place with New Orleans when Murray paired with Alvin Kamara for the 2019 and ’20 campaigns, during which he remained a consistent producer on the ground. Murray caught on with the Ravens in 2021 shortly after being cut. As part of a Baltimore backfield ravaged by preseason injuries, he managed to handle a notable workload before finding himself on the move once again the following season. In 2022, Murray briefly returned to the Saints before signing from the practice squad to the Broncos’ active roster midway through the campaign. That decision set up a starting role to close out the season and helped earn him a Bills pact for 2023. Logging a 32% snap share with Buffalo, Murray remained healthy but saw his yards per attempt average dip below 4.1 for the first time since 2017. That was a key factor in the Bills’ decision not to retain him, even though Murray was open to an extended stay with the team. After spending last season without a deal, today will mark the end of the line after 10 NFL seasons. In all, Murray played 158 combined regular and postseason games throughout his NFL tenure, totaling over 8,000 scrimmage yards and 61 touchdowns. He amassed more than $21M in career earnings.
Carlos Correa Reunites With the Houston Astros In Blockbuster Move
Carlos Correa is returning to the team where he made his name in Major League Baseball. The star infielder was traded to the Houston Astros from the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. There was speculation surrounding a reunion, but talks reportedly stalled. One day later, he waived his no-trade clause to return to Houston. How will his return play out on the field? Correa Hopes To Reproduce Success Following Trade The shortstop was not at his best with the Minnesota Twins in 2025. He is hitting .267 with 7 home runs and 31 RBI. The star infielder helped the Astros win the 2017 World Series. He will return to a new-look Astros infield. He will play alongside the newly-acquired Ramon Urias and franchise cornerstone Jeremy Pena. The team moved off Correa to set the stage for Pena. Now, they will play alongside one another on the left side of the infield during what the ballclub hopes ends in another championship. Final Thoughts Correa returning to Houston is a great story. Only time will tell if he will be able to get back on track with a franchise he is extremely familiar with.
Clippers Announce Multiple Roster Moves After Chris Paul Press Conference
The LA Clippers are putting the final touches on a roster that looks to be a great one, on paper. They've had a busy offseason when many expected them to mostly stand pat, adding Chris Paul, Brook Lopez, and Bradley Beal in free agency while trading Norman Powell away in a three-team deal that netted them John Collins. To make the Bradley Beal move, the Clippers had to waive Jordan Miller, a young prospect they have a lot of belief in. He stayed with the team for the NBA Summer League, made the All-Summer League First Team, but still couldn't find any other opportunities, so it was believed the Clippers could bring him back in some capacity. The Clippers announced on Tuesday that they re-signed Jordan Miller, bringing the former Miami Hurricane back on a two-way contract. They had three two-way players signed already, so they also announced who they waived. "The LA Clippers have signed Jordan Miller to a two-way contract," they announced. "In a corresponding move, the Clippers have waived Patrick Baldwin Jr." Miller averaged 4.1 PPG in his 37 appearances for the Clippers last season, and a staggering 24.5 PPG in his infrequent appearances in the G-League. He was the 48th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and has made a lasting impression on the organization in his time. Baldwin, a former first-round pick by the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Draft, wasn't signed to his two-way contract by the Clippers until March, and he only appeared in two games for them. He was traded after his rookie season for Chris Paul, spent a year and a half with the Wizards, then who traded to the San Antonio Spurs in a four-team deal last year before being waived.
Fight! Steelers Address Altercations Between Stars
Training camp practice got a little chippy for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday from Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., but that's just the name of the game at this time of the year. Tight end Jonnu Smith, who got into a bit of a prolonged scuffle with safety Juan Thornhill, stated that the team understands they can't carry those sorts of antics into the regular season and are rather using training camp to let those emotions out. "We want to win and just bring certain characteristics out," Smith said. "We understand that we can't take this to Sunday, so we can let it out here at training camp, you know what I mean, and kind of bottle it up." Smith and Thornhill's "fight" stemmed from a leaping catch that the former made, after which he threw the ball at the latter. Thornhill proceeded to rip Smith's helmet off before Jalen Ramsey broke up the altercation. Afterwards, Thornhill shoved the ball in Smith's chest following a one-on-one-rep in which the pass fell incomplete. The pair of newcomers grabbed each other's facemasks, and that was the end of the spat. “It’s extremely fun," Smith said. "It gets kinda quiet, we got to wake the stands up a little bit. It’s training camp, we are out here competing and having fun.” Another pair of first-year Steelers in wide receiver DK Metcalf and Chuck Clark, the latter of whom signed a one-year deal with the team last week, also exchanged words. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Brian Batko reported that Clark threw punches in Metcalf's direction, though that situation didn't reach the same level that Smith and Thornhill's did. Pittsburgh's offense got the better of the team's defense on Thursday after those roles have been reversed throughout the entirety of camp up to this point, and Metcalf stated that both units live for the competition that has arisen thus far. "It's always fun when you've got a competitive group on the other side lining up across from you," Metcalf said. "Both sides are talking and backing it up. I just think it brings out the best competiton in people. As you saw today, the offense really kicked their [expletive] today." Scuffles are a constant in camps across the league, which includes the Steelers, but they typically aren't a sign of any locker room issues and rather just the nature of the beast.
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