Despite a tough season, Spartan specialists Eckley and Gulbin shine, earning invites to the NFL Combine and showcasing Punter U's enduring talent.
It’s no secret the Spartans underachieved this season. It was a grueling fall to witness and even worse to write about week after week. Michigan State finished 4–8 with a single conference win — and that lone Big Ten victory came in the final week just to avoid an even uglier place in the history books.
They were staring down the barrel of nine conference losses for the first time ever. Instead, they “settled” for tying their worst Big Ten season with eight. Not exactly frame-it-and-hang-it material.
The Jonathan Smith era fizzled out like a sparkler in a rainstorm, and now Pat Fitzgerald steps in with a completely different blueprint for East Lansing. The experiment of trying to be an outside-the-hashes, mobile-QB, fireworks-on-every-drive offense never got off the runway. Now? The vibe shift is clear. Smash-mouth football. Win with defense. Win with special teams. Make the other team miserable for three hours.
Speaking of special teams — that was about the only thing worth hanging a helmet on last year.
Ryan Eckley wasn’t just good. He was a lifeline.
The Big Ten’s Punter of the Year routinely flipped fields and bailed out an offense that struggled to string together first downs. When the Spartans needed oxygen, Eckley was the one pumping it into the stadium. He earned a Senior Bowl invite — the lone Spartan there — and now he’s headed to Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine.
And if recent history tells us anything, that’s a pretty good runway.
The man Eckley replaced at MSU? Bryce Baringer. The same Bryce Baringer who just punted for the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Michigan State might not have been elite last year, but the Punter U pipeline is alive and well.
Eckley projects as a likely Day 3 pick, but punters can climb boards quickly with a big week in Indy. He’ll get the chance to prove he’s not just the best in the Big Ten — but the best leg in the entire draft class.
He won’t be alone.
Joining Eckley at the Combine is center Matt Gulbin, one of the more quietly impressive transfers MSU has had in recent years. Gulbin played 52 career games across five seasons — 41 at Wake Forest and 11 at Michigan State — with 34 starts split between guard and center before anchoring the Spartans’ line in 2025.
He was voted team captain. Named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List. Started and played every snap of the first 11 games at center (727 snaps) before missing the finale with an injury.
The production backs up the résumé.
According to Pro Football Focus, Gulbin graded as the No. 2 center in the FBS (82.1 overall) during the regular season. His run-blocking grade (80.3) ranked No. 1 nationally among centers, and his pass-blocking grade (87.2) ranked seventh.
In a year where offensive consistency was hard to find, Gulbin was steady. Reliable. NFL-ready.
He’s currently projected as a late Day 2 to early Day 3 selection, ranked 107th overall and the fifth-best center in the class by Pro Football Network’s draft simulator. For a team needing interior line help, he could be one of those picks analysts call a “steal” by Year 2.
Michigan State didn’t have much to celebrate on Saturdays last fall.
But come March in Indianapolis, the green and white will be represented by two players who did their jobs at a high level — even when the season around them was wobbling.
And sometimes, that’s how rebuilds quietly begin.