Michigan State names six team captains for 2026

The Michigan State football program unveiled its six team captains for the 2026 season on Monday, following a team vote.

The Spartans named redshirt senior rush end Kenny Soares Jr., redshirt senior center Trent Fraley, redshirt senior safety Nikai Martinez, senior linebacker Jordan Hall, junior punter Rhys Dakin and redshirt sophomore quarterback Alessio Milivojevic as captains for the campaign.

Hall, Martinez and Milivojevic are all returners for MSU and represented the Spartans at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago in July.

Soares, who was voted by his teammates as “The Spartan” and will wear the No. 1 jersey, is a transfer from North Carolina State. He also previously played under current Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald at Northwestern.

Like Soares, Fraley and Dakin are transfers who are each in their first year at Michigan State. Fraley, who earned FCS All-America honors, came over from North Dakota State. He also spent time at Marshall. Dakin, who has earned All-Big ten honors in back-to-back season, followed MSU associated head coach/special teams coordinator LeVar Woods over from Iowa.

Soares, despite being a newcomer for the Spartans in 2026, has quickly emerged as a team leader. As mentioned, he is the first MSU player to earn the No. 1 jersey and the moniker of “The Spartan” under Fitzgerald. While there were eight players who earned votes to be "The Spartan,", Soares earned the most votes from his teammates. Soares has been named to the Shrine Bowl 1000 List as "one of the top NFL Draft eligible players entering the 2026 season."

Soares played three seasons at Northwestern from 2022 through 2024, including under Fitzgerald in 2022. He also played one season with North Carolina State in 2025. In 41 career collegiate games, he has amassed 137 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, five passes defended and two fumble recoveries. 

The 6-foot-1, 306-pound Fraley is in his first year in East Lansing after arriving on campus in January. In a short time, he has already locked down a starting spot at center and is looked at as a leader on the offensive line and within the team as a whole. Being voted a team captain means a lot to Fraley, and he earned the respect of his teammates through the way that he carries himself.

"It's just awesome," Fraley said about being voted a team captain despite being in his first year in the program. "I'm glad that they respect me right now, and that they put their trust in me to be a captain and to lead the team the right way ... I think (I earned the team's respect by) just coming in every day and just working. I might not be the most vocal all the time, but I do pride myself in the way I work and just having a great work ethic."

Fraley started his career at Marshall in 2022 and 2023 before suiting up for North Dakota State in 2024 and 2025. Fraley was the 2025 Rimington Award winner at the FCS level, which is awarded to the top center. He also earned first-team All-America honors in the FCS in 2025 through multiple outlets. Ahead of the 2026 season, Fraley was named as a second-team preseason All-Big Ten selection by Phil Steele and third-team selection by The Athletic. He also earned a spot on the Shrine Bowl 1000 List.

Martinez enters his third season at Michigan State in 2026 after spending two seasons at Central Florida in 2022 and 2023. He has emerged as a true leader for Michigan State's defense and for the entire squad.

Martinez started all 12 games for the Spartans at safety in 2024. He was limited to just four games in 2025 due to an injury, but it did allow him to preserve his redshirt and return in 2026. In 16 games as a Spartan, Martinez has recorded 75 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and four passes defended.

One common theme from the captains who spoke on Monday is that it takes everybody on the team to step up and lead — not just the captains.

"We always say, even if you're not a captain, you still have the opportunity to be a leader," Martinez explained. "I took that to heart the previous year, even not being a captain, I still had a voice on the team. So whoever feels like they can help us, no matter how young and how old you are, everybody's voices matter ... I'm grateful for all my brothers and everybody else who got elected captain. I feel like everybody deserved that role."

In 43 collegiate games between UCF and MSU, Martinez has tallied 150 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, one sack, five interceptions and five pass break-ups.

Being a team captain is nothing new for Hall. He was a captain for the Spartans under head coach Jonathan Smith in 2025, and was a three-year captain at IMG Academy (Florida) during his high school career.

"It's always an honor and a privilege to represent such a great group of men," Hall said. "I'm glad that my teammates view me in that way to allow me to lead them."

Hall — who has played his entire collegiate career with Michigan State — received honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition in 2025 and earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in both 2024 and 2025. Heading into his senior campaign in 2026, Hall was named as a first-team preseason All-Big Ten selection by Phil Steele and a third-team selection by Athlon Sports.

In 35 career games played with the Spartans, Hall has collected 179 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, seven sacks, one interception, five passes defended, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

Dakin, a Melbourne, Australia native, represents the specialists among MSU's group of captains. He is also well aware of the strong history of punters and specialists that MSU has produced throughout its program's history, and he plans to continue that legacy. The Iowa transfer feels grateful that his teammates voted him as a captain.

"I'm excited to be a captain," Dakin said. "It's really a great honor."

In 2024 as a true freshman at Iowa, Dakin averaged 44.1 yards per punt. He was a Freshman All-American selection by the Football Writers Association of America and was named to Pro Football Focus' All-True Freshman team. He also earned All-Big Ten second-team honors (media and Associated Press) and third-team honors (Big Ten coaches and Phil Steele).

In 2025, Dakin averaged 43.6 yards per return and earned honorable mention All-Big Ten accolades. With the 2026 season quickly approaching, Dakin is a preseason All-Big Ten second-team selection by both Phil Steele and Athlon Sports.

Dakin admitted that when Fitzgerald let him know he was going to be a captain, it was somewhat overwhelming, but it is a challenge he is ready for. He looks forward to helping lead the Spartans.

"I was sort of, you know very overwhelmed and excited and just grateful that my teammates can recognize me as a leader on the team," Dakin added. "That being said, I'm just so excited and I'm gonna embrace the role and do the best I can. And most of all, I'm just gonna be myself. I'm not gonna change anything."

While he is the youngest one in the group, it is no surprise that Milivojevic is a team captain as the Spartans' unquestioned starting quarterback. After starting four games in 2025, and playing in nine total, Milivojevic now takes the reins as MSU's full-time starting signal-caller.

Last season, Milivojevic completed 111 out of 173 passes (64%) for 1,267 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also added a rushing touchdown. He showed his toughness and ability to take hits in the pocket and keep bouncing back.

Fitzgerald has praised Milivojevic's leadership throughout the offseason. Getting to serve as a team captains for the Spartans in 2026 is not something that Milivojevic takes lightly.

"I think it's the highest honor, possibly, that you have as a teammate because it's obviously voted by the players," Milivojevic said about being named a team captain. "So (I'm) just grateful that my teammates look at me that way and happy that I can make an impact. But one thing Kenny (Soares) said when we went up here and we're announced as captains, he says, 'It still takes everyone. It's not just these six people up here. It still takes everyone on the whole team.'"

Michigan State opens its 2026 season in East Lansing on Friday, Sept. 4 against Toledo. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. Eastern Time and the game will air on FS1.