2023 Michigan State
4–8 (2–7 Big Ten), coached by Mel Tucker, then Harlon Barnett (interim). Officially 0–8. The NCAA vacated four wins, per the season’s Wikipedia article. Share
From the season’s Wikipedia article: “On November 12, 2025, the 4 wins were vacated as a result of an NCAA settlement over recruiting violations during Mel Tucker’s tenure.”
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Richmond 45–14Sep 9
By 31 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Indiana 24–21Nov 18
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1 | vs Central Michigan | W 31–7 | 65% |
| Sep 9 | vs Richmond | W 45–14 | 78% |
| Sep 16 | vs 8Washington | L 7–41 | 44% |
| Sep 23 | vs Maryland | L 9–31 | 49% |
| Sep 30 | at Iowa | L 16–26 | 26% |
| Oct 14 | at Rutgers | L 24–27 | 43% |
| Oct 21 | vs 2Michigan | L 0–49 | 18% |
| Oct 28 | at Minnesota | L 12–27 | 26% |
| Nov 4 | vs Nebraska | W 20–17 | 46% |
| Nov 11 | at 3Ohio State | L 3–38 | 9% |
| Nov 18 | at Indiana | W 24–21 | 50% |
| Nov 24 | vs 11Penn State | L 0–42 | 18% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Penn State 42–0; unranked in the final AP poll; 13th in the Big Ten.
In program history: The 92nd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 122 on file).
- Record
- 4–8
- Conference
- 2–7 13th in Big Ten
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 191–340
- Coach
- Mel Tucker, then Harlon Barnett (interim)
- Elo
- 1453 −63 this season
- SP+ rating
- -6.8 No. 87 of 133; offense No. 122, defense No. 44, special teams No. 15
- SRS
- −3.5 No. 80 of 133 in FBS
- Returning
- 21% of last season’s EPA, No. 121 of 131
- Recruiting class
- No. 24 roster talent No. 27 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Jay Johnson
- Defensive coordinator
- Scottie Hazelton
- Offense
- Multiple
- Defense
- 4–3
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | -0.09 | 35% | 1.18 | 131st of 133 |
| Defense | 0.19 | 44% | 1.17 | 102nd of 133 |
| Opponent-adjusted | -0.01 off 0.15 def | 38% off 43% def | — | 120th off 91st def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.0 | own 28 | 19% allowed |
| Defense | 3.9 | own 29 | 16% caused |
CORE rating -14.6, 117th of 133 (offense -7.8, defense 6.8).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Katin Houser QB | 1,098 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Katin Houser QB | 6 TD |
| Rushing yards | Nathan Carter RB | 792 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Nathan Carter RB | 4 TD |
| Receiving yards | Montorie Foster WR | 575 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Maliq Carr TE | 3 TD |
| Tackles | Cal Haladay LB | 91 tkl |
| Sacks | Aaron Brule LB | 5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Jaden Mangham DB | 4 INT |
Top recruits in the 2023 class
| Bai Jobe DE | ★★★★ | No. 55 |
| Andrew DePaepe DL | ★★★★ | No. 139 |
| Jordan Hall LB | ★★★★ | No. 167 |
| Stanton Ramil OT | ★★★★ | No. 222 |
| Jalen Thompson DL | ★★★★ | No. 230 |
| Sam Leavitt QB | ★★★★ | No. 313 |
| Brennan Parachek TE | ★★★★ | No. 342 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2023 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 4.0 | 0.903 |
| Receivers | 2 | 3.5 | 0.882 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.859 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 4.0 | 0.944 |
| Linebackers | 2 | 3.5 | 0.897 |
| Defensive backs | 4 | 3.0 | 0.870 |
| Athletes and specialists | 3 | 2.7 | 0.835 |
| Whole class | 18 | 3.3 | 0.881 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2024
The 2024 draft| Rd 7 | Nick Samac C | Baltimore Ravens |
Roster 117
The 2023 roster117 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2023 line; 74 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 14
The 2023 portal Tunmise Adeleye DL | ★★★★ | from  Texas A&M |
 Ademola Faleye TE | ★★★ | from  Norfolk State |
| Alante Brown WR | ★★★ | from  Nebraska |
 Jaren Mangham RB | ★★★ | from  South Florida |
 Nathan Carter RB | ★★★ | from  UConn |
 Semar Melvin CB | ★★★ | from  Wisconsin |
 Jalen Sami DL | ★★★ | from  Colorado |
 Jarrett Jackson DL | ★★★ | from  Florida State |
 Tyneil Hopper TE | ★★★ | from  Boise State |
 Aaron Alexander LB | ★★★ | from  Massachusetts |
 Dre Butler DL | ★★★ | from  Liberty |
| Jaylan Franklin TE | ★★★ | from Wisconsin |
And 2 more, lower-rated or unrated.
Transfers out 17
 Keon Coleman WR | ★★★★ | to Florida State |
 Germie Bernard WR | ★★★★ | to  Washington |
| Dashaun Mallory DL | ★★★ | to  Arizona State |
| Elijah Collins RB | ★★★ | to  Oklahoma State |
| Jeff Pietrowski DE | ★★★ | to Wisconsin |
| Payton Thorne QB | ★★★ | to  Auburn |
| Jalen Hunt DL | ★★★ | to  Houston |
| Jack Stone K | ★★ | to  Baylor |
| Itayvion Brown LB | ★★★★ | no new school on file |
| Michael Fletcher DE | ★★★★ | to  App State |
| A.J. Kirk S | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Carson Casteel ILB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
And 5 more, lower-rated or unrated.
All-Big Ten
1 second teamSecond team
- Ryan EckleyPCoaches-2; Media-2
From Wikipedia’s 2023 all-conference team article, with the selectors that named each player (AP-1: the Associated Press’s first team).
2023 Big Ten standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 9–0 | 15–0 | 1 |
| Ohio State | 8–1 | 11–2 | 10 |
| Penn State | 7–2 | 10–3 | 13 |
| Iowa | 7–2 | 10–4 | 24 |
 Northwestern | 5–4 | 8–5 | |
| Wisconsin | 5–4 | 7–6 | |
| Maryland | 4–5 | 8–5 | |
| Rutgers | 3–6 | 7–6 | |
| Minnesota | 3–6 | 6–7 | |
 Illinois | 3–6 | 5–7 | |
| Nebraska | 3–6 | 5–7 | |
 Purdue | 3–6 | 4–8 | |
| Michigan State | 2–7 | 4–8 | |
| Indiana | 1–8 | 3–9 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.