Michigan State’s running back room is probably the deepest part of its 2026 roster.
The Spartans took in three running backs from other schools during the offseason. All of them seem good enough to get regular playing time right away. One of the additions is Western Kentucky transfer Marvis Parrish, who becomes an intriguing part of MSU’s present and future.
Parrish’s Career Up to This Point
Parrish is transferring to Michigan State after just one season at WKU. He’s a true sophomore, and with the NCAA shifting towards its age-based, “5-in-5” eligibility rules, that means Parrish is joining MSU with the same four years of eligibility he had when he began his career with the Hilltoppers.
His true freshman year at Western Kentucky was a surprise. He ran for 576 yards on 5.4 yards per carry and added another 203 yards as a receiver. Parrish played all 13 of WKU’s games and helped the Hilltoppers to a solid 9-4 campaign.
Parrish wasn’t a big-time recruit, as his starting point at Western Kentucky would suggest. He was a lower-tier 3-star prospect coming out of Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Ga.
Parrish’s only other offers were from Maryland and UMass, according to his profile on On3, where he was ranked 1,881st overall in the class of 2025 on the Rivals Industry Rankings. One wonders how “committable” that Maryland’s offer originally was, too.
He would’ve been the second-lowest-rated member of the Spartans’ class that year, only ahead of fellow running back Zion Gist (2,284th). Gist originally flipped to MSU from Western Michigan.
Parrish wasn’t necessarily the prized get for Western Kentucky, either. He was the Hilltoppers’ No. 7 high school recruit in the 2025 class. The equivalent for Michigan State last season was wide receiver Braylon Collier, who played one special teams snap during his true freshman season.
Instantly becoming a college team’s top running back is difficult to do, even when talking about a team in Conference USA (how much better was MSU than WKU in 2025, anyways, if at all?).
The acquisition of Parrish this offseason was somewhat overshadowed by UConn transfer Cam Edwards, who committed the day before Parrish, and maybe even Iowa transfer Jaziun Patterson, who committed the same day. Everything still adds up to one of the better moves Michigan State made this offseason.
How Parrish Fits Into MSU’s Offense
Parrish probably isn’t going to be the running back who punches it in on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line. He only rushed for one touchdown last year, a 54-yard score against Southern Miss during the New Orleans Bowl that helped seal a win for WKU. Western Kentucky went to some of its other running backs in those short-yardage situations, and it would make sense for MSU to do the same.
Edwards and Patterson can both be every-down backs. If anybody would be the third- or fourth-and-short guy, it would probably be returner Brandon Tullis. He was used a lot that way in 2025 and is the heaviest scholarship running back on the roster at 234 pounds.
This doesn’t mean Parrish won’t have tons of uses. He’s instantly probably going to be the best option in the backfield that Michigan State has in the pass game. Those 203 receiving yards he had in 2025 with WKU are a big part of his story as a true freshman. He got those yards across 36 receptions, which were the third-most on the entire Hilltoppers team last season.
MSU didn’t have a receiving back like Parrish last season, nor did previous offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren use any of them like him. The Spartans’ backs of Tullis, Makhi Frazier, and Elijah Tau-Tolliver combined for 41 catches, 246 yards, and zero touchdowns as receivers last fall.
Analyzing Sheridan’s Impact on Parrish’s Role
How Nick Sheridan utilizes running backs in the pass game will be interesting. It wasn’t a huge part of the Alabama offense he called plays for in 2024. Jam Miller was the leading receiver among running backs with just 16 catches and 155 yards.
The personnel at Michigan State are certainly different, though. Sheridan’s QB with the Crimson Tide in ‘24 was Jalen Milroe, one of the most ultra-mobile quarterbacks out there — he ran for 726 yards and 20 touchdowns that season. I don’t consider Alessio Milivojevic to be a total statue in the pocket, but he’s much more of a pocket-passer than a dual-threat guy.
Running backs were used a bit more in the pass game when Sheridan was calling plays at Indiana in 2020. In just five games, Hoosiers running back David Ellis had 11 catches for 137 yards and a touchdown. This was with Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback, another pocket passer.
Guys like Parrish have to get involved more in the pass game when the quarterback isn’t known to take off very much. Western Kentucky used two quarterbacks a lot last year; both could scramble, but they weren’t Milroe-like or Aidan Chiles-like figures.
Scrambling quarterbacks tend to keep the ball and run for it when options aren’t available downfield in the pass game. That’s the dynamic that makes the good ones so difficult to deal with. Pocket passers like Milivojevic look for the easy checkdown instead.
That’s where Parrish can come in. Football teams need a guy who can just make things happen when they get that checkdown pass. Even if it’s first-and-10, Michigan State could be looking at Parrish to be someone who can turn second-and-8 into second-and-6 and just get a few additional yards. Those little things add up.
Overall Role
Right now, I think Parrish could end up being the Spartans’ second option at running back. That would be a pretty good deal for Parrish in his first season of Power Four competition. Edwards was brought in to be the team’s RB1, and it would feel pretty surprising if that status got challenged during the preseason.
Parrish is battling it out with Tullis and Patterson for the RB2 spot. The pecking order at running back will be a big question heading into the fall. There are plenty of good options in the backfield right now, but there is also only one football to go around. MSU’s hierarchy may not be as set in stone as most, but there is still a difference between being an RB2, an RB3, and an RB4.
Other Top 30 Articles
No. 30, WR Samson Gash | No. 29, WR Charles Taplin | No. 28, S Devin Vaught | No. 27, KR Kenneth Williams | No. 26, OL Luka Vincic | No. 25, OL Rakeem Johnson | No. 24, CB Tyran Chappell | No. 23, DL Derrick Simmons | No. 22, TE Carson Gulker | No. 21, WR KK Smith
No. 20, DL Eli Coenen | No. 19, OL Nick Sharpe | No. 18, LB Caleb Wheatland
Add us as a preferred source on Google
