2026 Michigan State Football Positional Preview: Interior defensive linemen
Does MSU have enough depth in the relatively young defensive tackles group to be effective this season?
Michigan State football has seen a plethora of changes since the end of the 2025 season, and the defensive tackles group is no exception.
Coming off a 2025 campaign where the Spartans tied for 15th out of 18 teams in sacks per game and ranked 14th in overall defense in the Big Ten conference, the Spartans will be looking for more production this fall.
However, the interior of the defensive line MSU has in 2026 will be relatively young and there are valid questions from fans and analysts about the quality of depth in the room.
Four of the eight defensive tackles are true freshmen or redshirt freshmen, while another two are sophomores. There a couple of veterans as well.
Despite the lack of experience at this position, with the help of head coach newly hired defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere III and returning defensive coordinator Joe Rossi, the Spartans look to make large improvements at the line of scrimmage.
Spartans Illustrated dives into the personnel in the interior of the defensive trenches.
Ben Roberts and Eli Coenen seem poised to be the starting duo
There are multiple players on the defensive line who have the potential to make big impacts in many games this year, but none more so than the returning veteran of the team who will have the most eyes on him.
Redshirt senior Ben Roberts will play a pivotal role in anchoring the defense at the line of scrimmage. In his third season with the Spartans, Roberts has played in 26 career games between MSU and Oregon. He has recorded one sack, 2.5 tackles for loss and 19 total tackles during his time in East Lansing (24 career tackles in total).
After missing five total games in 2025 —including the final four contests of the campaign — Roberts is looking to have a productive and results-driven season for 2026.
Caption: Ben Roberts. Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Not only will the 6-foot-3, 325-pound Roberts — who is nicknamed “Big Worm” —be playing a pivotal role on the field, but his presence in the locker room is felt as he is also considered as a leader for the defense and team as a whole.
Next, Illinois transfer Eli Coenen is the other defensive tackle to keep a close eye on. As things currently stand, Coenen is projected to be the other starting defensive tackle next to Roberts, although the Spartans will rotate often in the interior of the defensive line.
Coenen’s 6-foot-6, 287-pound frame makes it hard to not notice him on the field and his previous Big Ten experience will be valuable to a young defensive line core.
In terms of experience, Coenen is the only other defensive tackle on MSU’s roster that has played a significant amount of Big Ten conference snaps (222 at Illinois in 2025). Now he will have a change of scenery in play in East Lansing, Michigan in 2026.
Caption: Eli Coenen (No. 96) goes against Conner Moore (No. 58). Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Coenen is a redshirt junior out of Baldwin, Wisconsin who spent his first collegiate season at Bemidji State, a Division II university competing in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
In 2023, Coenen’s first season, he only saw two snaps allowing him to redshirt ahead of 2024. He proved to be valuable, recording 20 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks in 2024 He transferred to Illinois where he played in every game in 2025 before arriving in East Lansing in January for the upcoming 2026 season.
Being the second-most veteran player on the defensive line, Coenen will play a big role and looks to use his big frame to help put pressure on quarterbacks this season.
Redshirt freshmen pushing for larger roles in 2026
There are two redshirt freshmen on the defensive line who are returning from the 2025 roster under former head coach Jonathan Smith: Derrick Simmons and Cal Thrush. Now, they have seemingly completely bought into new head coach Pat Fitzgerald’s program.
Rossi is a familiar face for the pair as well. Rossi spent two years on Smith's staff as defensive coordinator/linebackers coach and was retained by Fitzgerald as MSU's defensive coordinator for the 2026 season. Simmons and Thrush already had a year of experience under their belts in Rossi's system, and now in year two of their college careers, will look for more playing time in 2026.
Simmons, who played in four games last season, including 44 defensive snaps, to retain his redshirt status is likely see an uptick in playing time this fall. That isn't strictly due to MSU's perceived depth issues, however, as Simmons is a former four-star recruit with a lot of potential.
Caption: Derrick Simmons. Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
The 6-foot-3, 305-pound Simmons recorded two tackles in his limited playing time in 2025. As a true freshman, he earned praise from the coaching staff throughout the spring and during fall camp practices. Now in 2026, his familiarity with Rossi’s scheme and expectations should help him take a large step forward in 2026. The Spartans will need him in the interior.
Thrush is the other returning redshirt freshman and is also familiar with Rossi’s expectations. Thrush did not see a snap last season, but was named Scout Team Player of the Week three times.
Caption: Cal Thrush. Credit: Marvin Hall/Spartans Illustrated
While Thrush was previously listed as an EDGE after playing as a strong-side defensive end, Michigan State decided to move him to a "DL (defensive line)" designation on the roster ahead of fall camp, likely due to the lack of bodies at the defensive tackle position. Sources have indicated to Spartans Illustrated that Thrush has spent the majority of his time during fall camp in the interior. However, the fact that Thrush also had experience at the defensive end position gives him the sort of versatility that will help to get him on the field more often.
His 6-foot-5, and 263-pound frame gives Thrush a long wing-span with the nimbleness and speed to get around other offensive lineman. He looks to get reps in this season to gain experience within the competitive defensive line room. It seems likely Thrush will find his way into the playing rotation in some capacity, but his exact role is to be determined.
Mikeshun Beeler and Carlos Hazelwood looking to make impacts
Mikeshun Beeler is the fourth returnee from the 2025 roster following the firing of Smith we have mentioned. He is a redshirt sophomore out of Chicago who has played two career games: one in 2024 and one in 2025.
Now, the opportunity is there for Beeler to earn a role in the regular rotation at defensive tackle.
Caption: Mikeshun Beeler. Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
As a three-star prospect and a top-30-ranked recruit in the state of Illinois coming out of high school, Beeler is looking to show off what he can do in 2026.
The 6-foot-2, 290-pound Beeler recorded an assisted tackle against Prairie View A&M in 2024. In 2025, he earned Academic All-Big honors and was named MSU's Scout Team Players of the Week twice: (Nebraska and Boston College weeks).
Another Chicago native, Carlos Hazelwood is a transfer out of the University of Toledo. He spent two seasons with the Rockets, redshirting his freshman year and playing in eight games his second year.
Hazelwood came to East Lansing in January and went through spring ball with the Spartans. Now as he goes through his first fall camp with Michigan State, Hazelwood is looking to carve out a role.
Caption: Carlos Hazelwood (No. 25) Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
During his second season at Toledo, Hazelwood recorded seven tackles (including a half-tackle-for-loss) and a fumble recovery in a total of 83 defensive snaps over the entirety of the season. He appeared in two games in 2024 in order to preserve his redshirt.
The 6-foot-4, 290-pound Hazelwood is a likely candidate to see a fair amount of snaps throughout the 2026 season. The competition is wide open and Hazelwood's previous experience at Toledo will work in his advantage. As mentioned, MSU is expected to rotate its defensive tackles often.
That is where the collegiate experience comes to a halt for the Spartans defensive tackles. The other two players listed on the roster are both true freshman, with one who remained committed after Smith’s firing and the other who was a late preferred walk-on addition. More on them below.
Can the true freshmen break into the rotation?
Hudson Aultman was a three-star defensive lineman coming out of high school who was first scouted and committed under the Smith’s coaching staff. He was originally committed to Miami (OH) before flipping to Michigan State.
After Smith’s firing, Aultman opened up his recruitment for communication from other programs while remaining committed to MSU. Ultimately, Aultman decided to sign with the Spartans and arrived in East Lansing in January.
Caption: Hudson Aultman. Credit: Marvin Hall/Spartans Illustrated
We could see a multitude of lineups and rotations during the first few games of the season, but the 6-foot-4, 312-pound Aultman’s snaps may be limited as a true freshman.
On the other hand, because the defensive line room is fairly young and the depth is limited, and because of the new eligibility rules that essentially allows players five years to play five seasons (thus eliminating redshirts for the most part), Aultman can prove to be a valuable young asset throughout the season. He won't be limited to four games before burning a redshirt in game five like it was previously.
Lastly, Jackson Pahl is a true freshman walk-on out of Howell Michigan. He did not have to travel far to find a home in East Lansing, but was a late addition to the 2026 class.
Caption: Jackson Pahl (No. 91) goes against Eli Coenen (No. 96). Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Previously committed to Air Force, Pahl reversed his decision and signed with Michigan State on Dec, 8, 2025. Again, due to the new eligibility rules, Pahl could receive some snaps this season, but expect his contributions to be limited with multiple players ahead of him on the depth chart.
Pahl enters his true freshman year listed at 6-foot-2 and 282 pounds.
As the 2026 season quickly approaches with Michigan State's first game being in two weeks against Toledo, this young defensive line core will be tested throughout the competitive Big Ten schedule.
The room will be competing for snaps in the first couple of non-conference games as DeLattiboudere figures out which decisions to make on who will be valuable pieces within the rotation.
The lack of Big Ten football experience and lack of overall bodies may prove to be a challenge for the young Spartan defensive tackles, but with a new and energetic defensive line coach, returning defensive coordinator and new direction from head coach Fitzgerald, the Spartans will look to compete and prove the doubters wrong.
