Michigan State Football: 2022 spring roster notes

Tuesday marks the opening day of spring practice for the Michigan State football program. The Spartans will have morning practices every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from now until the third week of April. The spring practice sessions will be capped off by the annual spring game on April 16.

As with every new season, there are new names added to the team and some familiar, older ones, which are no longer on the roster. Here are some notes and observations from the initial spring roster, which was released on Monday:

• Offensive guard Matt Carrick, tight end Tyler Hunt and punter Bryce Baringer will all be returning for their sixth season at MSU. As expected, safety Xavier Henderson is also back for a fifth year.
• Offensive lineman Blake Bueter is not listed on the roster and is not expected back for his sixth year of eligibility.
• Linebacker Ben VanSumeren has entered the transfer portal. He is the brother of early enrollee defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren. Ben transferred to Michigan State from the University of Michigan in 2021.
• However, Ben VanSumeren was seen practicing with Michigan State on Tuesday:

• Defensive end Zach Slade is graduating and will not play football this season. Zach is the twin brother of defensive tackle Jacob Slade. In 2019, Zach suffered a significant knee injury, which forced him to miss an entire season.
• Linebacker Samih Beydoun is not listed on the roster. He was a transfer from Army who was a walk-on with the program last year.
• All nine early enrollee freshmen reported for practice — wide receiver Germie Bernard, defensive end Chase Carter, cornerback Caleb Coley, quarterback Katin Houser, safety Jaden Mangham, tight end Jack Nickel, defensive back Dillon Tatum, defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren and cornerback Ade Willie.
• All five transfers who are available to participate in the spring are also present — running back Jalen Berger, defensive end Khris Bogle, linebacker Aaron Brule, cornerback Ameer Speed and linebacker Jacoby Windmon.
• Be mindful many of the player measurements have not changed from the last roster listing and little credence should be given to that information at the moment.

Of note that is not on the roster, several sources have reported defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton will now be coaching linebackers. Ross Els previously coached linebackers, and he will now be overseeing the nickel position, and shall continue with his special teams duties.

The full 2022 spring roster for Michigan State can be viewed on msuspartans.com.

Do you notice anything else interesting about the new roster? Let us know in the comments.