Areas that should improve for 2026

[TomCat88]

I think the run game and offensive line will be better next season. Sounds like Thornton is the going to be good. Mastel, Zimmer and Fleischmann are going to be really good.

I think Lamson will learn to avoid sacks better. That's about the only flaw in his game. His deep (40+ yards) passes aren't great, but he has excellent zip on the ball when needed in the 10–40-yard range. MSU hasn't had a QB that can fit the ball into small windows as well as Lamson. He's big league that way.

If Jordan Reed can make strides in the off-season, that will make the WR corps better, which it might be anyway.

I think linebackers will be better. With Ahrens working into the game more it can only get better. Grebe and Daily played hurt a lot in 2025.

I think safeties will be better. Dowler is the keystone to the whole defense, but Meredith, Taki, Dolan, Petre and Thomas make that the deepest position on the team.

[AFCAT]

My only concerns are corners and QB depth. Of those two, the QB depth is the only thing that may keep me up at night during the season. I’ll reevaluate after Spring Ball.

[TomCat88]

My only concerns are corners and QB depth. Of those two, the QB depth is the only thing that may keep me up at night during the season. I’ll reevaluate after Spring Ball.

Do you think msu will improve in any areas?

[AFCAT]

My only concerns are corners and QB depth. Of those two, the QB depth is the only thing that may keep me up at night during the season. I’ll reevaluate after Spring Ball.

Do you think msu will improve in any areas?

Well, I don’t believe they will regress. Experience and veterans all over the roster now. I do remember players from the 1976 team saying that they believed the 1977 team was going to be even better and they weren’t. Chemistry and the want to will be big factors on a repeat. Cats were also fortunate by not having many significant injuries this past season. The 1985 team was devastated by injuries and that was a huge factor on the fall from 1984. Injuries will also be a something to watch this year.

[Common Cat]

I thought the Cats benefited from the hype the griz were getting. They were able to play under the radar for most the season.

[nanacat]

I thought the Cats benefited from the hype the griz were getting. They were able to play under the radar for most the season.

Oh, that's a very good point! The Cats were already under scrutiny due to their personnel losses from the year before, so were essentially dismissed, especially after starting 0-2. Meanwhile the griz were pulling wins out of their hind parts, drawing all sorts of attention.

There's a very good chance the Cats will not fly under the radar this year, despite what the griz do.

[Cats92]

My only concerns are corners and QB depth. Of those two, the QB depth is the only thing that may keep me up at night during the season. I’ll reevaluate after Spring Ball.

Call me stupid but I wasn’t super concerned in Tommy’s senior year because of Wilson. He found his way to #3 on the depth chart this last season with Lamson coming in and Pat moving up. I think Vigen and the coaches have a good grasp of what is going on in the QB room. Just a few years ago we had a generational linebacker under center and it ended up leading us to this point.

[AFCAT]

My only concerns are corners and QB depth. Of those two, the QB depth is the only thing that may keep me up at night during the season. I’ll reevaluate after Spring Ball.

Call me stupid but I wasn’t super concerned in Tommy’s senior year because of Wilson. He found his way to #3 on the depth chart this last season with Lamson coming in and Pat moving up. I think Vigen and the coaches have a good grasp of what is going on in the QB room. Just a few years ago we had a generational linebacker under center and it ended up leading us to this point.

Well, then you are probably one of the few that wasn’t concerned. Tommy had injury issues every year prior to his senior season and I know the coaching staff held back on his designed runs for that very reason. Remember the Tommy tokens? Chambers was a huge addition and quality back-up during Tommy’s Sophomore and Junior seasons and the Cats didn’t miss a beat when he played, except when injuries even took him down. The Cats didn’t have that in 2024.

Wilson hadn’t shown much other than a good ability to run the ball, but in his defense, he didn’t get a lot of opportunities. Wilson dropped from back-up to third string this past season, so did he regress, stay the same, or was Duchien that much better? Would Wilson have done much had Tommy went down his senior year? We will never know, but since he dropped to third string the very next year, it doesn’t seem that he would have. Unfortunately, we didn’t see either Duchien or Wilson throw the ball much when they did play, so the jury is still out there. I guess we’ll see what happens in Spring ball, but back-up QB remains a concern for me, especially with how hard Lamson runs the ball.

That generational linebacker was a run first QB and very limited throwing the ball. Vigen also didn’t play Troy much at QB. From what I remember, Troy only played QB a few times his senior year, in Cat-gris and near the end of the Natty, because of the injury to Tommy and Rovig not being really a good choice for the plus one game. I think the label of generational is used for a reason, you won’t find another one like Troy for a long time.

[Norsky19]

I think the run game and offensive line will be better next season. Sounds like Thornton is the going to be good. Mastel, Zimmer and Fleischmann are going to be really good.

I think Lamson will learn to avoid sacks better. That's about the only flaw in his game. His deep (40+ yards) passes aren't great, but he has excellent zip on the ball when needed in the 10–40-yard range. MSU hasn't had a QB that can fit the ball into small windows as well as Lamson. He's big league that way.

If Jordan Reed can make strides in the off-season, that will make the WR corps better, which it might be anyway.

I think linebackers will be better. With Ahrens working into the game more it can only get better. Grebe and Daily played hurt a lot in 2025.

I think safeties will be better. Dowler is the keystone to the whole defense, but Meredith, Taki, Dolan, Petre and Thomas make that the deepest position on the team.

I was really impressed with Petre when he was in for Caden. He should have had a pick in the endzone, but I think the ball went into shadow and went right through his hands. I also remember him flying up and meeting a RB right at the LOS. He laid some hat! I'm hoping he sees more time next year, especially vs teams that are run first. I would love to see both Petre and Dowler on the field together vs Yale type teams.

[Catsrgrood]

My useless thoughts by position group on how they compare to last years team, at this point in time:

QB: as good or better. If we get the exact same product in Lamson, great, but I can see him being better in year two in the system.

RB: equal? We lose Davis. But Jones is another year older and maybe takes another step by being the guy. The room is deep behind him, so as a whole I see this group being about the same as last year.

WR: as good or better. Taco is back, that’s #1. We lose Chris Long, who was pretty good in the second half of the season. But Steele, Woods and Javonte King were all really young this year and will be back. The group should be dynamic again next year.

TE: as good or better. Yes losing Provience wasn’t ideal. But I think we’ll see more Valcin in his place this year. Schlepp was good and only a soph this last year and of course Lencioni came roaring onto the scene as RS freshman. This group is going to be good.

OL: as good or better. Returning 3 starters is big. Sounds like Thornton may step right in and not miss a beat at RT. Leaving center as the only question, but I have faith it’ll be just fine.

DL: equal to slightly worse. Just like last year I’d say this is one of the questions going into the season. The group was deep last year. There is pretty decent returning experience due to the rotation that was used this last year. But losing Brott, Eiden, Eckert and Parsons is asking to replace a lot of starting experience.
The team may be 100% good to go here, but it’s fair to question at this point in the year if there will be a step back in this group from last year.

LB: better. Return all 4 guys that regularly played. Arguably the two most talented were the two youngest in Taylor and Ahrens, so year 2 could see a big jump by them. And the other two in Daily and Grebe are no slouches and played a good chunk of the year banged up.
This group should be very good if they all get and stay healthy.

CB: equal to slightly worse. Same breakdown as the DL. There were questions going into the season and they ended up being really good. Losing 3 out of the 4 main guys that played is less than ideal, but there is talent in that room. They may end up being just as good or better than last year, but as of right now, it’s a question.

S/Nickel: as good or better. Return everyone that played meaningful minutes last year. No reason to think they won’t be as good, with a pretty good chance they’re better with another year of growth.

K/P: as good or better. Sanstead has become a very solid kicker and Frokjer had a good year as a true freshman.

Next year looks bright. No reason to not be very excited about what the team can do. I only see 2 position groups where it’s even on the radar that there could be a step back from last year, but that’s my uninformed, way too early, take. I’m sure they’ll be fine at CB and DL.

[iaafan]

In 2025 we were building for 2026 but got all caught up in winning a championship. Dammit!!

It’s going to take a massive onslaught of injuries to derail this 2026 team.

This team isn’t resting on their laurels. I think they’re super-motivated to win again or they wouldn’t have so many returning.

I also think they have something to prove after playing so substandard in the championship game.

[GoldstoneCat]

This team is going to be an absolute wagon. They'll have corners that can tackle. They don't ask them to do a ton in coverage, so I'm not that worried. O- line? Go look at the roster. Deep and talented. D- line? Lots of guys that have played, some program developmental guys, and i think excellent even if they don't add a portal guy, which they probably will after spring. Qb? Receiver? TE? RB? Safety? Special teams? Loaded, all. If we don't get crazy injuries this will be another fun one.

[GoldstoneCat]

In 2025 we were building for 2026 but got all caught up in winning a championship. Dammit!!

It’s going to take a massive onslaught of injuries to derail this 2026 team.

This team isn’t resting on their laurels. I think they’re super-motivated to win again or they wouldn’t have so many returning.

I also think they have something to prove after playing so substandard in the championship game.

This sounds hyperbolic but you're 100% correct. Last year was the build for 2026. This feels like south Dakota state after they won their first one. A favorite, even against the field.

[PortlandCat90]

Great thread and analyses! I've been thinking about this and have the following items that are highest on my list:

(1) D-Line - would love to see a transfer or two for comfort - you guys seem to be a lot more comfortable with the current situation than I

(2) RB Depth - thoughts on ramifications of an injury? I'm thinking that, behind this OL, I could average 4.0 in my underwear but I don't have any eligibility left to prove that.

(3) How will winter conditioning strength improvement progress since we are coming off of one week of rest? Benefit/problem of winning the Natty. CRINGE by the old man - teams will be gunning for us - how motivated are we at this time? Senior leadership taking over? Anybody on the inside allow me to go out tonight here in Texas and not think about my Cats?

(4) C. Dowler injury - we did lose a little bit when the D MVP was out - don't need any insight or confidential info - just a concern

(5) My biggest concern - the damn 10-yard DB cushion that we started with the Brawl. With the DL graduations, not sure that is going to work in '26.

Cheers! Love my new Natty hat and sweatshirt....

[BelligerentBobcat]

I think the run game and offensive line will be better next season. Sounds like Thornton is the going to be good. Mastel, Zimmer and Fleischmann are going to be really good.

I think Lamson will learn to avoid sacks better. That's about the only flaw in his game. His deep (40+ yards) passes aren't great, but he has excellent zip on the ball when needed in the 10–40-yard range. MSU hasn't had a QB that can fit the ball into small windows as well as Lamson. He's big league that way.

If Jordan Reed can make strides in the off-season, that will make the WR corps better, which it might be anyway.

I think linebackers will be better. With Ahrens working into the game more it can only get better. Grebe and Daily played hurt a lot in 2025.

I think safeties will be better. Dowler is the keystone to the whole defense, but Meredith, Taki, Dolan, Petre and Thomas make that the deepest position on the team.

I was really impressed with Petre when he was in for Caden. He should have had a pick in the endzone, but I think the ball went into shadow and went right through his hands. I also remember him flying up and meeting a RB right at the LOS. He laid some hat! I'm hoping he sees more time next year, especially vs teams that are run first. I would love to see both Petre and Dowler on the field together vs Yale type teams.

Petre's biggest issue was that he took bad angles. If he can improve there, which he should with more experience, he's going to be a good one.

[Prodigal Cat]

TE's... and Cats already use them more than most FCS teams do but Rocky has the skill set to be something special. You couple him with Schlepp and Valcin who I think is also going to be very good and they are potent. Lencioni had 6 TDs but I think most if not all were that pop pass sweep play. More of a rushing TD than passing but he really started to show something down the field at the end of the season. I really think we can put opposing defenses in uncomfortable positions using 22 personal with Lencioni or Valcin lined up as a RB. Cats will be able to have serious passing threats with what is usually a running formation.

[iaafan]

In 2025 we were building for 2026 but got all caught up in winning a championship. Dammit!!

It’s going to take a massive onslaught of injuries to derail this 2026 team.

This team isn’t resting on their laurels. I think they’re super-motivated to win again or they wouldn’t have so many returning.

I also think they have something to prove after playing so substandard in the championship game.

This sounds hyperbolic but you're 100% correct. Last year was the build for 2026. This feels like south Dakota state after they won their first one. A favorite, even against the field.

SDSUs second championship team was one of the best teams in FCS history. I’d put that team up there with the best NDSU teams.

Another thing I like about next year’s team is that they won’t have the 1984 thing hanging over their heads. With it being 41 years only exacerbated things for them. Add in losing the year before and that’s a lot of pressure. I doubt any team at MSU (or anywhere) has had to handle anything like that.

[Hi-Line Bobcat]

TE's... and Cats already use them more than most FCS teams do but Rocky has the skill set to be something special. You couple him with Schlepp and Valcin who I think is also going to be very good and they are potent. Lencioni had 6 TDs but I think most if not all were that pop pass sweep play. More of a rushing TD than passing but he really started to show something down the field at the end of the season. I really think we can put opposing defenses in uncomfortable positions using 22 personal with Lencioni or Valcin lined up as a RB. Cats will be able to have serious passing threats with what is usually a running formation.

I remember 1 pop pass TD for Lencioni, Cat Griz. The rest were pass plays in my mind, unless I totally missed the other pop passes?

[MSU01]

TE's... and Cats already use them more than most FCS teams do but Rocky has the skill set to be something special. You couple him with Schlepp and Valcin who I think is also going to be very good and they are potent. Lencioni had 6 TDs but I think most if not all were that pop pass sweep play. More of a rushing TD than passing but he really started to show something down the field at the end of the season. I really think we can put opposing defenses in uncomfortable positions using 22 personal with Lencioni or Valcin lined up as a RB. Cats will be able to have serious passing threats with what is usually a running formation.

I remember 1 pop pass TD for Lencioni, Cat Griz. The rest were pass plays in my mind, unless I totally missed the other pop passes?

Watching Bobcat football highlights is fun, so I went back and checked all six of Lencioni's TDs. Three of them were on that "sweep" pass play where he comes across the formation and takes a short pass from Lamson behind the line of scrimmage. The first was against NAU, then the first score of the game against UNC, and finally the Cat/Griz playoff game when MSU went up 27-23.

[Hi-Line Bobcat]

TE's... and Cats already use them more than most FCS teams do but Rocky has the skill set to be something special. You couple him with Schlepp and Valcin who I think is also going to be very good and they are potent. Lencioni had 6 TDs but I think most if not all were that pop pass sweep play. More of a rushing TD than passing but he really started to show something down the field at the end of the season. I really think we can put opposing defenses in uncomfortable positions using 22 personal with Lencioni or Valcin lined up as a RB. Cats will be able to have serious passing threats with what is usually a running formation.

I remember 1 pop pass TD for Lencioni, Cat Griz. The rest were pass plays in my mind, unless I totally missed the other pop passes?

Watching Bobcat football highlights is fun, so I went back and checked all six of Lencioni's TDs. Three of them were on that "sweep" pass play where he comes across the formation and takes a short pass from Lamson behind the line of scrimmage. The first was against NAU, then the first score of the game against UNC, and finally the Cat/Griz playoff game when MSU went up 27-23.

The more you know.