Reuniting with his elite lead blocker behind a revamped offensive line, the UConn transfer brings a bruising downhill style poised to dominate East Lansing and the Big Ten.
The Spartans brought in one of the best running backs from this year's transfer portal, Cam Edwards, to help guide Michigan State's offense.
Pat Fitzgerald will look to lean on Edwards early and often as the identity of the Spartans offense is starting to become crystal clear before a single game has even been played.
The rushing attack, paired with a revamped and improved offensive line, is going to have to be the bread and butter of the offense if Michigan State wants to accomplish everything Fitzgerald appears to be building toward.
Win the time of possession battle. Control the clock. Keep opposing offenses off the field.
That seems to be the blueprint for the Spartans this season, with some magical Alessio Milivojevic throws sprinkled in along the way.
Last year, the Spartans couldn't seem to get much of anything going in the running game, whether it was Milivojevic or Aidan Chiles under center. Statistically, the rushing attack looked better with Chiles because of what he could create with his legs, but when you isolate the running back production, the room struggled from beginning to end.
When Fitzgerald took over late last season, he was immediately thrown into a chaotic situation in East Lansing. Between assembling his coaching staff, evaluating the roster, and navigating the short transfer portal window, there wasn't much time to waste rebuilding the team.
It seemed like there were two must-haves on Fitzgerald's Christmas wish list, and both resided in the halls of the University of Connecticut.
The first was towering left tackle Ben Murawski, who finished as one of the nation's top run-blocking offensive linemen and quickly became a priority for Fitzgerald and his staff.
Once Murawski was locked into coming to East Lansing, the focus shifted to the man he was paving the way for: Cam Edwards.
Edwards is a true downhill runner who combines outstanding balance with excellent vision, allowing him to take full advantage of the running lanes created by Murawski and the rest of the offensive line.
Fitzgerald didn't stop there.
Along with Murawski, he aggressively attacked the transfer portal to bring in seniors Trent Fraley, Robert Wright Jr., and Nick Sharpe to strengthen the offensive line even further. It's a group expected to help Edwards not only live up to the hype surrounding him but exceed it.
Last season, Edwards rushed for 1,240 yards and 15 touchdowns, numbers that ranked him among the nation's most productive running backs. Now, he'll look to build off that impressive junior campaign and position himself to hear his name called during next year's NFL Draft.
According to PFF, Edwards enters the season with the eighth-highest grade among returning Big Ten running backs. While that's certainly respectable, the expectation in East Lansing is that he'll climb even higher.
PFF's Top-Graded Returning Big Ten Running Backs
- Leddon Phillips Jr., Iowa — 92.8
- Dierre Hill Jr., Oregon — 90.8
- Khobie Martin, Indiana — 89.6
- Jordon Davison, Oregon — 89.1
- Antwan Raymond, Rutgers — 89.0
- Jordan Marshall, Michigan — 87.8
- Bo Jackson, Ohio State — 86.6
- Cam Edwards, Michigan State — 86.0
- Kamari Moulton, Iowa — 82.3
- Waymond Jordan, USC — 81.6
Can Edwards finish inside the top five?
I certainly think he has the talent to do it.
The offensive line should be significantly improved, the Spartans appear committed to establishing the run, and Edwards has already proven he can carry the workload.
While comparisons to Kenneth Walker III shouldn't be made lightly, Edwards possesses the vision, balance, and explosiveness to become one of the conference's premier backs if everything around him comes together.
He'll need to trust Fitzgerald's play-calling, rely on the offensive line in front of him, and continue taking advantage of every opportunity that comes his way.
Just like Michigan State fans, everyone is waiting to see exactly what this offense looks like once the season kicks off.
If it's anything close to what I'm expecting, Spartans fans should get used to seeing Cam Edwards ripping off chunk runs as he helps push both himself and Michigan State toward a successful 2026 season.
