Smith highlights a true freshman player that stood out on MSU football's first day of practice
Michigan State kicked off fall preseason camp on Tuesday, with the Spartans holding their first practice of the season. As part of the opening day of fall camp, Smith met with the media to field a number of questions on his Spartans. One of the questions was related to players standing out on the first day of practice, where he gave a somewhat surprising answer. According to Ben Schadel of Spartan Shadows, Smith noted that true freshman defensive lineman Derrick Simmons was one of the players that stood out on Tuesday.
Simmons is entering his first season with the Spartans after playing his high school ball at Frankenmuth High last year. He was a four-star prospect in the 2025 class, and ranked as the No. 27 defensive lineman in the class. So with that being said, he was expected to be a big-time player for the Spartans but I personally didn't expect him to have an impact right away -- which appears could be the case.
We will need to continue to monitor Simmons throughout fall camp and see if he is getting similar praise from other coaches and players. If he could step into the rotation as a true freshman, that would go a long way for the Spartans and his future with the program.
Michigan State opens the regular season on August 29 against Western Michigan. Kickoff from Spartan Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, with the game set to be televised on FS1.
Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
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