Secondary Overview: A Reset With Defined Roles

Michigan State’s secondary experienced near-total turnover this offseason. Between graduation, the portal, and role changes, the Spartans lost the bulk of last year’s snaps at both corner and safety. Rather than attempting a one-for-one replacement, the staff rebuilt the back end with a clear structural vision: defined outside corners, interchangeable safeties, and flexibility to play nickel-heavy looks.

Secondary Departures

Cornerbacks lost: Malcolm Bell, Joshua Eaton, Nijay Burt, Chance Rucker, Ade Willie, Anthony Pinnace III, Jeremiah Hughes, Dontavius Nash, Khalil Majeed

Safeties lost: Malik Spencer (graduation), Aveon Grose (graduation), Justin Denson Jr. (portal), Armorion Smith (graduation)

In total, MSU lost the majority of its DB snaps — particularly at safety, where experience evaporated almost entirely.

Cornerback Foundation: Set at the Top

The cornerback room is no longer about sorting out depth, it’s about how high the ceiling can go.

• Tyran Chappell gives MSU a true CB1 with length, coverage instincts, and three years of eligibility. His 2025 PFF profile (84.8 overall, 83.5 coverage) establishes a reliable floor for the unit.

• Tre Bell adds veteran stability, physical run defense, and positional versatility. He’s the corner most likely to be trusted in matchup-specific or boundary-heavy assignments.

• Charles Brantley rounds out the trio as a known quantity. While his 2025 Miami stint was quiet, his prior MSU production (five INTs, 18 PBUs) makes him a logical CB3 rather than a projection.

This trio gives Michigan State something it lacked a year ago: clarity. Roles are defined, expectations are set, and younger corners no longer need to be rushed into high-leverage snaps.

Safety Reset: New Blood, Real Production

If cornerback was rebuilt with upside, safety was rebuilt with production.

Key Additions

Devin Vaught arrives as one of the most productive additions on the defense. Over the last two seasons, he recorded:

• 60 tackles and 3 interceptions in 2025

• 43 tackles and 3 interceptions in 2024

Even accounting for level of competition, that kind of ball production translates. Vaught brings range, instincts, and — critically — two years of eligibility, making him both an immediate contributor and a multi-year piece.

Michael Richard adds experience and flexibility. Across his career, he totaled 104 tackles and 14 pass breakups, earning a reputation as a reliable coverage defender. PFF graded him at 69.6 overall with 365 coverage snaps, plus a strong 77.0 run defense grade. His résumé includes C-USA Freshman of the Year honors and an All-Conference selection, and his ability to play safety or nickel is especially valuable in a defense trending toward sub-packages.

The X-Factor: A Healthy Nikai Martinez

The biggest internal variable in the secondary is Nikai Martinez.

Martinez enters 2026 coming off injury, but his career arc matters. When healthy, he’s shown the ability to play:

• Free safety

• Slot/nickel

• Box safety in run support

His 2024 season (71.8 PFF grade) hinted at a breakout before injury slowed momentum in 2025. If Martinez returns to form, he gives the defense a chess piece — someone who allows the staff to disguise coverages, rotate post-snap, and protect younger players by shifting responsibilities.

Nickel & Hybrid Looks: Where It Comes Together

One of the quiet strengths of this rebuilt secondary is interchangeability.

• Richard can slide down into nickel

• Martinez can rotate between deep and box roles

• Stodghill, while expected to play more linebacker, gives the staff an option in big-nickel or hybrid packages against spread teams

This matters because MSU doesn’t need to live in base defense. With this personnel, the Spartans can comfortably play five-DB looks, mix coverages, and lean on versatility rather than specialization.

Strengths vs. Questions

Strengths

• Clear CB1–CB3 hierarchy

• Safeties with real interception production

• Flexibility to play nickel-heavy sets

• Multiple players capable of rotating roles

Questions

• Depth behind the top corners

• How quickly the new safeties acclimate to Power-4 speed

• Martinez’s durability and consistency post-injury

Bottom Line

This secondary isn’t built on name recognition; it’s built on role definition and production. The top of the cornerback room is settled. The safety room trades last year’s experience for ball skills and flexibility. If Martinez is healthy and one young DB emerges as reliable depth, Michigan State’s secondary projects as more adaptable and structurally sound than the unit it replaces.