11 Best Michigan State Spartans Football Players

The Michigan State Spartans went 9-15 from 2022 to 2023. If you wagered on their moneyline football odds in 2021 alone, you would’ve won more times as they went 11-2 that season and won the Peach Bowl. 

While things haven’t gone quite so well for them since that Peach Bowl win, Michigan State is still filled with decades of history. You can now bet on their college football odds at the BetMGM online sportsbook for 2024 and beyond. 

With so much to look back on, let’s take some time to reflect on the 11 best Spartans of all time. 

11 Best Michigan State Spartans Football Players

1. Lorenzo White

White was an incredible player for the Spartans from 1984 to 1987. Across 46 games, he had 1,082 carries for 4,887 yards and 43 touchdowns. He had 419 carries in 1985 and 357 in 1987. 

He’s the Spartans all-time leader in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and total touchdowns. He also holds the single-season record for rushing yards with 2,066 in 1985. 

Throughout his college career, he accumulated a plethora of rewards and accolades, including the following: 

• Unanimous All-American
• Consensus All-American
• Big Ten Most Valuable Player
• Two-time Big Ten Co-Player of the Year
• Two-time first-team All-Big Ten
• Michigan State University Hall of Fame
• Rose Bowl Game Hall of Fame
• Michigan Sports Hall of Fame

In the final game of his college career, he had 113 yards and two touchdowns in the Spartans 20-17 win over USC in the Rose Bowl. 

He’s enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.

🏈OTD in Houston Oilers History🏈

-1988- The Oilers use the 22nd overall pick in the draft to select All-American RB Lorenzo White from Michigan State#LuvYaBlue #HoustonOilersHistory #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/cgalrLn4V5

— 𝕃𝕦𝕧 𝕐𝕒 𝔹𝕝𝕦𝕖 (@BudsOilers) April 24, 2023

2. Bubba Smith

He played defensive end for Michigan State from 1964 to 1966. During that time, he was a unanimous All-American, UPI Lineman of the Year, consensus All-American, and two-time first-team All-Big Ten. The team retired his No. 95. 

The final game of his college career was a 10-10 tie against Notre Dame when both teams were undefeated. 

Smith was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1967 NFL Draft and was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. 

3. Brad Van Pelt

Playing safety/defensive back for the Spartans from 1970 to 1972, Van Pelt finished his career with 14 interceptions, tied for fourth most in program history. 

In 1971, he was named first-team All-Big Ten. In 1972, he secured another first-team All-Big Ten nod, was named a first-team All-American, unanimous All-American, and won the Maxwell Award. 

He’s enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. 

4. Don Coleman

Coleman played offensive tackle for Michigan State from 1949 to 1951. He was part of the 1951 national championship team and was named a unanimous All-American that same year. 

He’s enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame, and his No. 78 was retired by the program. 

5. Connor Cook

Cook was the No. 100 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Before that, he was a four-year player at Michigan State from 2011 to 2015. There, he won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, was Big Ten Quarterback of the Year, Rose Bowl MVP, first-team All-Big Ten, and two-time second-team All-Big Ten. 

Today, Cook is the Spartans all-time leader in passing yards (9,194), passing touchdowns (71), total yards (9,403), and touchdowns (74). 

6. Charles Rogers

Rogers played just two full seasons for the Spartans. In those years, he had 135 catches for 2,821 yards and 27 touchdowns. He averaged an astonishing 20.9 yards per catch. His 2,821 yards are the third-most receiving yards in program history, and he holds the top two single-season records.

In 2001, he was second-team All-Big Ten and Silicon Valley Football Classic MVP. In 2022, he was a unanimous All-American, won the Fred Biletnikoff Award and Paul Warfield Trophy, and was first-team All-Big Ten. 

He was inducted into the Michigan State Hall of Fame in 2021. 

7. Le’Veon Bell

Bell finished his career with the Spartans with 3,346 rushing yards (seventh), 33 rushing touchdowns (seventh), and 34 total touchdowns (tied for sixth). He played there from 2010 to 2012, and in 2012, he had 1,793 rushing yards, which is the second most in a single season for the program. 

Bell was the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl Offensive MVP, first-team All-Big Ten, and a first-team All-American. 

8. Tony Mandarich

Mandarich played for the Spartans from 1985 to 1988 as an offensive tackle. 

During his time there, he was UPI Lineman of the Year, a unanimous All-American, a second-team All-American, a two-time Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, and a two-time first-team All-Big Ten. 

A native of Oakville, Ontario, Canada, Mandarich was the No. 54 overall pick in the 1988 CFL Draft but went No. 2 overall in the 1989 NFL Draft. 

9. Percy Snow

Snow, a dominant linebacker for the Spartans, played for the program from 1986 to 1989 and went on to be enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. 

He was a three-time first-team All-Big Ten, won the Butkus Award, Lombardi Award, and was a unanimous All-American. 

Today, Snow has the second-most tackles in Spartans history (473), and the program retired his No. 48. 

10. George Webster

Another linebacker for the Spartans, Webster played from 1964 to 1966 before becoming the No. 5 overall pick in the 1967 NFL Draft. 

Webster was a unanimous All-American, consensus All-American, two-time first-team All-Big Ten, and the Spartans retired his No. 90. 

He’s enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. 

11. Kirk Cousins

A three-year starter at Michigan State, Cousins ranks second in passing yards (9,131), passing touchdowns (66), total yards (9,004), and third in total touchdowns (67) in Spartans history. 

He was second-team All-Big Ten in 2011. 

He led the Spartans to an Outback Bowl win over Georgia in his final college game.