Michigan State defensive players prepare for their next drill during practice at the Duffy Daugherty practice fields in East Lansing, Mich., on Aug. 10, 2026.
For the first half of the 2025 season, defensive coordinator Joe Rossi and the Michigan State University defense struggled to keep anyone out of the end zone. By the season’s end, the Spartans looked like a revitalized unit, fueled by energy and effort.
The Green and White allowed 191 total points at 31.8 points per game (PPG) throughout the first six games of the season. Despite an uptick in competition that included Indiana, Michigan, Penn State and Iowa, MSU surrendered 168 points — an average of 28 PPG — over its final six games.
This major step up didn’t show up in the standings, even though Rossi’s squad took significant strides. The Spartans opened the season 3-3 before dropping five out of their last six, finishing 4-8 overall, 1-8 in Big Ten play.
Still, Rossi saw a defense heading in the right direction by the season’s finish.
“I thought we played our best ball at the end,” Rossi said at MSU’s preseason camp media day on Monday.
Now, Rossi wants last year’s progress to translate into success in 2026. He enters the season with several experienced returners who already understand the defensive scheme, including senior linebacker Jordan Hall, redshirt senior Nikai Martinez and even sixth-year cornerback Charles Brantley.
That leadership and cohesion will be valuable for a defense navigating an overhauled coaching staff and roster featuring numerous incoming transfers. Even with the roster shake-up, Rossi likes what he’s seeing from his defense through its first few practices.
“The thing that stood out to me in the first four practices is just the effort to the ball, the swarm to the ball, the physicality, and that’s always got to be your starting point,” Rossi said.
For redshirt senior edge rusher Kenny Soares Jr., those qualities come naturally.
“Toughness, technique — that’s our motto with the defense,” Soares Jr. said. “And honestly, just me being the player that I am, I know that that’s always been instilled in me.”
Soares, the first Spartan to don the No. 1 as a part of Coach Fitzgerald’s tradition, has quickly emerged as one of MSU’s most vocal leaders and hardest workers. The North Carolina State transfer has embraced Rossi’s physicality and effort-first coaching style, especially while transitioning back to the edge after spending most of last season playing weakside linebacker.
“(Rossi) said we may not outscheme a team, but no matter what, we’re going to outwork a team every single game, and that’s the kind of guy I want to be able to play for,” Soares Jr. said.
That mentality will prove crucial as MSU looks to turn last season’s late momentum into sustained defensive success. As Fitzgerald begins his first season in East Lansing, the defensive side of the ball will play a major role in determining how quickly the Spartans can turn last season’s progress into wins.
