Redshirt freshman with upside and room to pop
In the 2025 season, Zion Gist redshirted at Michigan State and did not see game action, but he still earned Scout Team Offensive Player of the Week honors twice, which is a nice little tell that coaches noticed the juice behind the scenes. The 5-foot-11, 209-pound back came to East Lansing as a highly regarded Illinois prospect, with recruiting rankings placing him among the state’s better signees, and he’s the kind of compact, physical runner who can earn trust quickly if he keeps stacking consistency, pass protection, and special-teams value. Bottom line: intriguing developmental fit, not a finished product yet.
