Key MSU football player hints at return next season under new coaching staff

A key piece to the future of Michigan State football hinted at a return for next season on Wednesday night.

With the firing of Jonathan Smith and introduction of a new head coach Pat Fitzgerald, there are a lot of unknowns surrounding Michigan State football's 2026 roster. Even without a coaching change, there would have been plenty of movement following another disappointing season. But it appears a young player with a ton of potential will be returning next season under the new coaching staff.

Redshirt freshman linebacker Brady Pretzlaff posted a simple message on Wednesday that suggests he will not be leaving Michigan State and hitting the transfer portal. Pretzlaff included the "home" emoji with a pair of pictures of him from games this year -- which to me reads as a statement that he'll be back for the 2026 season.

You can see the post below:

Pretzlaff was only able to play in four games this year after suffering a season-ending injury, but he was a name that continued to pop up as someone who was impressing the staff and his teammates. He ended the season with only four tackles in a reserve role, but I'm anticipating him to have more of an impact next year once he's back healthy and ready to go.

The next month we'll see a number of players make decisions on where they'll be playing next year so any update of this nature will be notable to monitor. This is a type of player that Michigan State wanted back for next season so this is great news for the Spartans' 2026 defense should he be back in the green-and-white as I'm assuming.

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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: MSU LB Brady Pretzlaff hints at return for 2026 season under new staff