Reinforcements arrive in Madison as the Spartans regain key defensive depth, leaning on freshman standout Brady Pretzlaff to anchor the linebacking corps despite devastating injuries to two stars.
The Spartans have dropped their final availability report ahead of Saturday’s Week 5 matchup against the Wisconsin Badgers.
The report initially looked more like a Christmas laundry list — or Santa’s list that he checks twice. However, by game day, it has been trimmed down enough to provide a little extra confidence heading into Madison.
Let’s start with the players who will be missing. Michigan State has listed eight players as out:
- CB No. 0 – Nijhay Burt
- RB No. 0 – Cam Edwards
- LB No. 5 – Jordan Hall
- CB No. 20 – Keshawn Williams
- CB No. 22 – Tyran Chappell
- FB No. 44 – Jay Coyne
- OL No. 79 – Tristan Comer
- TE No. 87 – Joe Caudil
The two biggest names are the stars of the offense and defense.
Offensively, star running back Cam Edwards was already ruled out for the season Monday following Michigan State’s loss to Nebraska last week. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald announced the news with a heavy heart but wasted no time getting the next man up ready.
Still, it’s heartbreaking to see Edwards’ season come to an end after the expectations he carried into 2026.
On the defensive side, linebacker Jordan Hall will miss Saturday’s showdown after suffering a leg injury early in the second half against Nebraska.
Hall had already missed a game because of an elbow injury he battled through the first three weeks of the season. Now, a lower-body injury has sidelined him for the second consecutive game.
Those are two monster losses for the Spartans.
Along with Edwards and Hall, backup cornerback Tyran Chappell will miss his second straight game, while fullback Jay Coyne is also out.
But now let’s get to the good news.
Several players who appeared on the injury report heading into the week are set to suit up against Wisconsin.
Most importantly, linebacker Brady Pretzlaff is back after missing last week’s contest. With Hall sidelined, having Pretzlaff available could be huge for the Spartans. He was a day-one starter and has shown plenty of talent early in the season.
The rest of the linebacker group that was listed as questionable, Cam Stodghill and Dion Crawford, is also active alongside Pretzlaff, giving Michigan State most of its linebacker corps back on the field.
Cornerback Tre Bell is also back in action after missing last week’s game because of an injury suffered during warmups against Nebraska.
Michigan State’s injury situation isn’t nearly as daunting as the list initially suggested.
Losing two of the team's biggest stars is never easy, but getting Pretzlaff, Stodghill, Crawford and Bell back gives the Spartans some much-needed reinforcements.
With most of its linebacking corps available and a key cornerback returning, Michigan State’s defense could be a little more stingy than Wisconsin fans are expecting when the Spartans take the field Saturday.
