2026 Position Group Preview Series: Running Backs

We are inching closer to football in East Lansing, and we are getting close to the end of the position group previews. In today’s edition, we are looking at what could be one of the deepest position groups on the team, the running backs.

The running back room looks a whole lot different than it did a year ago. Michigan State lost leading rusher Makhi Frazier to the transfer portal, while Elijah Tau-Tolliver exhausted his eligibility. That leaves Brandon Tullis as the most experienced returning back. Coach Fitz and his staff didn’t waste much time rebuilding the room, either. They hit the transfer portal hard.

The biggest addition is UConn transfer Cam Edwards, who comes to East Lansing with RB1 written all over him. Behind him, Michigan State has plenty of competition for carries with Tullis and transfers Jaziun Patterson and Marvis Parrish.

So, does Michigan State have a star in waiting with Edwards? Is everyone sleeping on Tullis after he found the end zone four times last season? And with this many options, who actually gets the football?

Let’s take a look at Michigan State’s 2026 running back room.

Departed Players

A look at who’s gone from the 2025 team:

• #5 Makhi Frazier — 9 games; 116 carries, 520 rushing yards, 2 TDs, 12 receptions, 25 receiving yards
• #4 Elijah Tau-Tolliver — 12 games; 72 carries, 428 rushing yards, 2 TDs, 2 receptions, 10 receiving yards

Frazier leaves the biggest hole after leading Michigan State in rushing last season. His departure to Ole Miss, along with Tau-Tolliver exhausting his eligibility, takes a pretty good chunk of last year’s production out of the backfield. Tau-Tolliver did get some good news after the season, landing with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent.

Returning Players

Michigan State returns several running backs from last season, led by Brandon Tullis.

• #7 Brandon Tullis, RB (Jr, 6’1”, 224#) – 12 games, 2 starts; 69 carries, 301 rushing yards, 4 TDs; 11 receptions, 82 receiving yards
• #27 Darrin Jones Jr., RB (R-Fr, 5’11”, 206#) – 1 game
• #20 Zion Gist, RB (R-Fr, 5’11”, 209#) – 0 games
• #25 Jace Clarizio, RB (R-Fr, 5’10”, 213#) – 0 games
• #33 Jaxon McCraig, RB (R-So, 6’1”, 236#) – 0 games

Tullis might be the forgotten man in this running back room. With all the attention surrounding the transfer portal additions, it’s easy to overlook a player who was already contributing for Michigan State last season. Tullis scored four touchdowns in 2025 and gives the Spartans something valuable in the backfield: SIZE. At 6’1” and 224 pounds, Tullis brings a different style to the position and is particularly valuable in short-yardage and goal-line situations.

The rest of the returning players in the room redshirted last season and will likely start out as depth players and special teams contributors. One name to keep an eye on is Zion Gist, who has been making some noise with his play in fall camp. Don’t be surprised if he works his way into some carries as the season goes along.

New Players

Coach Fitz and his staff completely reloaded the running back room through the transfer portal, adding several players who should contribute right away.

• #0 Cam Edwards, RB, (R-Sr., 5’11”, 206#) – 13 games, 11 starts; 210 carries, 1,240 rushing yards, 15 rushing TDs; 19 receptions, 187 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD – Connecticut
• #4 Jaziun Patterson, RB, (R-Sr., 5’10”, 214#) – 10 games, 1 start; 60 carries, 296 rushing yards; 3 receptions, 9 receiving yards – Iowa
• #21 Marvis Parrish, RB, (So., 5’11”, 209#)- 13 games, 12 starts; 106 carries, 576 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD; 36 receptions, 203 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD – Western Kentucky
• #32 Kenneth Williams, RB (R-Jr, 5’9”, 191#) – 12 games, 0 starts; 5 carries, 22 rushing yards; 1 reception, 20 receiving yards – Nebraska
• #26 Cedric Williams Jr., RB (Fr, 5’9”, 201#) – preferred walk-on

Cam Edwards was one of the bigger fish in the transfer portal, drawing plenty of interest before Coach Fitz was able to reel him into East Lansing along with UConn teammate Ben Murawski. It certainly didn’t hurt that one of Edwards’ best friends, former Spartan running back Nathan Carter, was in his ear. Edwards and Carter shared the UConn backfield in 2022 and still talk daily, with Carter giving him a strong endorsement of Michigan State both on and off the field. Edwards arrives in East Lansing after leading UConn in rushing for three consecutive seasons and is coming off the best year of his college career with 1,240 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. What jumps out to me even more than the overall numbers is Edwards’ ability to run through contact, with 763 of his rushing yards coming after contact last season. MSU needed proven production in the backfield, and Edwards certainly brings that.

Patterson and Parrish both look like intriguing options who can make an impact behind Edwards. Jaziun Patterson comes to East Lansing after four seasons at Iowa. He runs well between the tackles, where he can use his physicality. He’s not going to run away from many defenders on the edge, but that’s not really his game.

Marvis Parrish brings something a little different. I love his potential as a mismatch in the passing game, where he has the speed to leave linebackers in the dust on wheel and texas routes. His speed really jumps off the tape.

Kenneth Williams looks to be the guy taking over as the primary kick returner. He averaged 32.9 yards per return at Nebraska last season and took one 95 yards to the house against Northwestern. What I like on tape is his body control and balance. Even at full speed, he can run through shoestring tackles without losing his footing.

2026 Projection

This running back room should be a noticeable step up from last season, and what I like most is how everyone seems to have a role. Edwards is the starter with star potential. Tullis is your short-yardage and goal-line hammer. Patterson is the change-of-pace back who might not rip off a bunch of huge runs, but he runs hard, falls forward and can get you the tough yards between the tackles. Parrish gives you a third-down option who can pass protect and be a real weapon catching the ball out of the backfield.

The biggest question may not be whether Edwards can handle being Michigan State’s starting running back, but how much the Spartans will actually need to put on his shoulders. This is a deep running back room with several players capable of earning carries. If Michigan State can keep Edwards fresh instead of asking him to carry the ball 25 times every Saturday, his combination of experience, toughness and explosiveness could make him one of the most important additions to the Spartans’ offense in 2026.

Don’t sleep on Jay Coyne getting motioned into the backfield as a fullback looking to bulldoze someone on a running play. I’d especially love to see that against Michigan with the Wolverines loading the box.

Expected Starter: Cam Edwards

Likely Contributors: Brandon Tullis, Jaziun Patterson, Marvis Parrish

Could Cam Edwards be the next one-year transfer running back to take East Lansing by storm and make a run at the Doak Walker Award? We’ve seen it happen before.

Go Green!

A new episode is coming out soon, so make sure you have seen episode two of Robbie’s Red Cedar Rundown.