This is Sparta MSU!

How did Michigan State football get here—and who’s accountable for fixing it? On Episode 321 of This Is Sparta Across the Big Ten, Jason Strayhorn and the crew deliver an unfiltered assessment of MSU after the UCLA loss. Injuries and depth are part of the story, but the bigger debate centers on roster building, NIL spending, talent evaluation and whether university leadership is doing enough to gi...

“It’s not just about the money.” Curtis Blackwell joins This Is Sparta Across the B1G for a candid conversation about his Michigan State exit, the growth of Sound Mind Sound Body, and what it takes to reconnect MSU football with Detroit’s talent pipeline. His message: recruiting starts with relationships—and those connections have to exist long before you’re asking for a commitment. Is bad blood r...

A homecoming heartbreak. A fan base running out of patience. And one big question: What does Michigan State football want to be? Rico Beard of 97.1 The Ticket joins Jason Strayhorn, Chon “SlowSippa” Taylor, and Spencer Brown for an unfiltered conversation about the Spartans’ overtime loss to Illinois—and the bigger issues facing the program. From the failed two-point conversion to offensive play-c...

Three points in Madison. Two former Spartan quarterbacks coming back to East Lansing. And one big question: Does Michigan State want to win? On this episode of This Is Sparta Across the B1G, Jason Strayhorn, Chon “SlowSippa” Taylor, and Spencer Brown break down Michigan State’s 31–3 loss to Wisconsin—and why the frustration goes far beyond the scoreboard. The crew challenges the offensive line’s f...

Michigan State football is at a crossroads. After a frustrating 31–13 loss, the This Is Sparta crew breaks down why this season has quickly become a fight for pride—and why the issues surrounding the program go much deeper than one game or one quarterback. Jason Strayhorn, Sedrick Irvin, Chon “SlowSippa” Taylor, Spencer, and Swerve talk candidly about: MSU’s offensive struggles, injuries, quarterb...

This week on This Is Sparta MSU, Stray, Chon "SlowSippa," and Sedrick "Swerve" Irvin break down Michigan State's tough loss to Notre Dame — highlighting a dominant second-quarter stretch from the offense and a breakout game from linebacker Jordan Hall (currently the No. 5 graded linebacker in college football) that has the crew asking whether the Spartans can build on that energy heading into Nebr...

Michigan State moves to 2-0 after a 35-7 win over Eastern Michigan, but Slow Sipper, Spencer, and Stray aren't just celebrating — they break down the game tape showing real second-half cohesion up front, spotlight Cam Edwards' 152-yard, 2-TD day that ESPN somehow won't acknowledge, and shout out MSU women's soccer at No. 1 in the nation. Then the crew turns to a massive Notre Dame preview, with th...

Pat Fitzgerald's first game as Michigan State's head coach is in the books, and the Spartans got the win over Toledo — but it wasn't pretty. Jason Strayhorn is joined by Chon "SlowSippa" Taylor, Spencer Brown, and Sedrick "Swerve" Irvin to break down everything from East Lansing and around the Big Ten. In this episode: Pat Fitzgerald's aggressive fourth-down calls in his Spartan Stadium debut Cam...

Michigan State football is back — and This Is Sparta Across the B1G is locked in for the season opener against Toledo. Jason Strayhorn, Chon “Slow Sippa” Taylor, and sedrick “Swerve” Irvin break down the biggest questions heading into Friday night at Spartan Stadium: What will Jonathan Smith’s Spartans look like in Game 1? Can Michigan State establish a physical identity? And is this the year the...

On this episode of This Is Sparta, Jason Strayhorn, Sean “SlowSippa” Taylor and Sedrick “Swerve” Irvin break down the Big Ten’s new penalties for programs that play former NFL players, the wild eligibility battles reshaping the sport, and why the NIL/revenue-sharing era is changing college football faster than anyone can keep up. We’re also joined by Steve DeBruyler of Legacy Sports Management &am...

Michigan State football is almost here, and this episode of This Is Sparta Across the B1G gets real about what needs to happen in East Lansing. Jason Strayhorn, Chon “SlowSippa” Taylor, and Sedrick “Swerve” Irvin break down Michigan State’s new athletic director hire, the reported $5.1 million buyout, Spartan Ventures, fundraising, NIL investment, and the questions Spartan fans should be asking as...

Can Michigan State football win the trenches in 2026? On this episode of This Is Sparta Across the B1G, Jason Strayhorn, Chon “SlowSippa” Taylor, and Sedrick “Swerve” Irvin take a deep dive into Michigan State’s offensive line. The crew breaks down the projected starters, incoming transfers, size and weight comparisons to recent national champions, and the real traits that matter in Big Ten footba...

This captures the three biggest substantive threads — the Kohler/Izzo roster debate, on-court takeaways from Moneyball Pro-Am, and the Senate NIL legislation Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/this-is-sparta-msu--5664600/support .

The crew spends significant time contrasting Michigan State's modest NIL/jersey patch revenue against Big Ten rivals like Ohio State and Illinois, framing it as a symptom of the program "playing in waters they shouldn't be playing in". They also debate two known Spartan candidates, Tom Dieters and Ashton Henderson, as preferred picks for the vacant Athletic Director role over outside hires with fl...

The boys of This Is Sparta are back and salacious as ever, kicking off a mid-summer grind with a full dive into Michigan’s latest off-field mess and what it really means when an athletic director gets paid $12 million to be the fall guy. They break down FOIA shenanigans, “no paper trail” investigations, and why cheaters seem to come out ahead, all while roasting the maize-and-blue circus across th...

This episode covers Michigan State's chaotic athletic administration saga—President Guskiewicz's reversal on leaving for Clemson, former AD J-Bat's exit to Kentucky, and John Palumbo stepping in as interim AD—alongside a deep dive into the $736 million fundraising jump and lagging football recruiting rankings (16th of 18 in the Big Ten). The back half shifts to football previews, with spirited deb...

On this episode of This Is Sparta B1G, we sit down with Drew Hayes, founding member of The NIL Standard, the independent platform bringing transparency to the college sports NIL market. Drew walks us through exactly how player valuations are built, what inputs matter most, and why the college sports market has been operating "with the lights off." We pull up the Michigan State roster LIVE on air,...

The boys are BACK and holding nothing back on Episode 304! Slow Sipper and Cedric "Swerve" Irvin kick things off celebrating Father's Day before diving straight into the chaos surrounding Michigan State. Slow's prediction finally came true — Dusty May is OUT at Michigan, and we told y'all so! We break down what it means for the Wolverines and why MSU fans should actually be unbothered. Then we go...

It's a bridge episode, but we still got business to handle. Sparty MSU breaks down the six recruits Pat pulled in over the last two weeks — linebackers, corners, a big tight end, and a D-lineman with serious upside. We talk about what the size-first philosophy says about where this program is headed and whether the receiver room is a real concern heading into the season. Then we get into the real...

Legacy doesn't stop when you hang up the cleats. 🏈 Swerve's back in East Lansing and Amarri's got the Spartan Nation watching. Like & Subscribe! 🟢🤍 #SpartanFootball #MSURecruiting #GoGreen #ThisIsSpartaBIG Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/this-is-sparta-msu--5664600/support .

Episode 301 | "Show Me What You're About, Coach" It's official visit season and we're bringing you behind the scenes! Cedric "Swerve" Irvin joins Jason Strayhorn and Slow Sipper for a real, unfiltered conversation about what it's like to have a son going through the college recruiting process — and the six questions every recruit NEEDS to ask on an official visit. Amari Irvin is heading to East La...

Episode 300 | This Is Sparta Across the B1GIt's a milestone episode three years in the making — Episode 300 is here, and we're celebrating with WINNERS. Host Jason Strayhorn is joined by co-hosts Slow Sippin' Sean Taylor and Cedric "Swerve" Irvin for a special night featuring the Michigan State Dodgeball team — back-to-back-to-back national champions with a combined record of 39-1 on the season. W...

🎉 Episode 299 is HERE — and we're celebrating Cinco de Mayo the right way: talking Spartan ball, Big Ten money, and Detroit hoops! On this week's show, Jason, Swerve, and Slow break down Pat Fitzgerald's early blueprint for rebuilding MSU football — and why it all starts with building the nastiest defense in the Big Ten. We talk big bodies up front, energy at the spring game, and what it's going...

The Spartans are believing again — and so are we. On this episode of This Is Sparta Across the B1G, host Jason Strayhorn is joined by co-hosts Sean "Slow Sippa" Taylor and Cedric "Swerve" Irving for a packed show featuring two special guest appearances. First, we sit down with MSU's Big Ten champion men's tennis standout, who became the first Spartan to win matches in both singles AND doubles at a...

Michigan State linebacker Jordan Hall — aka "Smell Good" — joins the show LIVE to break down Pat Fitzgerald's first spring showcase in East Lansing! Swerve is live from Palo Alto at his son's frat house after coaching his 7-on-7 team Miami Raw to a national championship, and Slow Sip brings the spring game film straight from Spartan Stadium.🏈 Spring Game Breakdown — DBs looking elite, Fitzgerald'...