Michigan State is entering the 2024 college football season with both optimism and uncertainty.
The hope for the Spartans comes with the promise of a fresh start ushered in by new head coach Jonathan Smith, who’s hiring last November was widely praised in the sport. After turning a languishing Oregon State program into a conference title contender, he’ll look to do the same thing at Michigan State.
With that, though, is the unknown of how the experiment will transpire. For all Smith has accomplished in his career, can a man who has never coached east of Missoula, Montana replicate those feats in the Big Ten?
REQUIRED READING: Meet USA TODAY Sports Network 2024 Preseason All-Big Ten football team, top player, coach
In his first season, the answers to those questions will be determined by a roster he pieced together through the transfer portal and with a reconstructed 2024 recruiting class, a haul highlighted by quarterback Aidan Chiles, a top-60 national recruit in the 2023 class who’s following Smith from Corvallis to East Lansing.
How does Smith’s first collection of players with the Spartans compare to the rest of the Big Ten?
Here are the 2024 preseason all-Big Ten teams, as determined by the USA TODAY Sports Network, and where Michigan State players fit in them:
What Michigan players are on the preseason all-Big Ten team?
Michigan State has one player, punter Ryan Eckley, on the all-Big Ten team.
Eckley is coming off a superb 2023 season, one in which he averaged 46.7 yards per punt. Of his 56 punts last season, 24 went for at least 50 yards.
Though he didn’t make the all-Big Ten team, the Spartans had one other player, linebacker Cal Haladay, who received votes for the distinction.
The 2024 preseason all-Big Ten team was determined based on ballots submitted by 14 writers who cover the Big Ten for outlets in the USA TODAY Sports Network.
Ohio State led all programs with seven players on the all-conference team, followed by Michigan with four.
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Preseason all-Big Ten football team 2024
Here’s a look at the full 2024 preseason all-Big Ten football team, along with players who didn’t make the cut, but received votes:
Offense
- Quarterback: Dillon Gabriel, Oregon*
- Running back: TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
- Running back: Kyle Monangai, Rutgers
- Wide receiver: Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State*
- Wide receiver: Tez Johnson, Oregon
- Tight end: Colston Loveland, Michigan
- Offensive line: Logan Jones, Iowa
- Offensive line: Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
- Offensive line: Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota
- Offensive line: Josh Priebe, Michigan
- Offensive line: Sal Wormley, Penn State
- Also receiving votes: RB: Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State; Donovan Edwards, Michigan; Nick Singleton, Penn State; Darius Taylor, Minnesota; WR: Evan Stewart, Oregon; Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State; TE: Luke Lachey, Iowa; Terrance Ferguson, Oregon; Tyler Warren, Penn State; OL: Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon; Ajani Cornelius, Oregon; Jonah Monheim, USC, Matthew Bedford, Oregon; Josh Fryar, Ohio State; Connor Colby, Iowa; Seth McLaughlin, Ohio State
Defense
- Defensive line: Mason Graham, Michigan
- Defensive line: J.T. Tuimoloau, Ohio State
- Defensive line: Tyleik Williams, Ohio State
- Defensive line: Abdul Carter, Penn State
- Linebacker: Jay Higgins, Iowa
- Linebacker: Nick Jackson, Iowa
- Linebacker: Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon
- Defensive back: Will Johnson, Michigan
- Defensive back: Denzel Burke, Ohio State
- Defensive back: Caleb Downs, Ohio State
- Defensive back: Dillon Thieneman, Purdue
Also receiving votes: DL: Jack Sawyer, Ohio State; Kenneth Grant, Michigan; Bear Alexander, USC; Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State; LB: Jaishawn Barhman, Michigan; Xander Mueller, Northwestern, Mohamed Toure, Rutgers, Carson Bruenner, Washington; Cal Haladay, Michigan State; Kydran Jenkins, Purdue; Jaheim Thomas, Wisconsin; DB: Sebastian Castro, Iowa; Jabbar Muhammad, Oregon; Hunter Wohler, Wisconsin; Ricardo Hallman, Wisconsin; Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State; Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State
Special teams
- Kicker: Dragan Kesich, Minnesota
- Punter: Ryan Eckley, Michigan State
- All-purpose: Zachariah Branch, USC
- Also receiving votes: K: Drew Stevens, Iowa; P: James Evans, Indiana; ALL-PURPOSE: Donaven McCulley, Indiana; Nick Singleton, Penn State; Braeden Wisloski, Maryland
Awards
- Coach of the Year: Ryan Day, Ohio State
- Player of the Year: Dillon Gabriel, Oregon*
- Newcomer of the Year: Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
- Newcomer of the Year (non-Dillon Gabriel category): Caleb Downs, Ohio State