Before the crowd fills the Breslin Center and before Michigan State men’s basketball works through warmups, another group has already shaped the tone of the day.
The walk-ons.
A unit often overlooked and rarely discussed, have already spent hours running scout team offense, absorbing contact in drills and helping prepare the rotation players for whatever comes next.
Their names do not lead headlines and their minutes are scarce, but the walk-ons at Michigan State sustain a culture that stretches far beyond playing time.
It is a role built on expectation and continuity. It exists at the intersection of humility and responsibility, a place where players find purpose even when the spotlight is pointed elsewhere.
For junior guard Nick Sanders and redshirt freshman twins Colin and Brennan Walton, the walk-on experience is not simply a roster designation. It is a shared identity that reveals how MSU basketball functions behind closed doors.
A culture passed down: The lineage of walk-ons at MSU
Walk-ons at Michigan State inherit more than a jersey. They inherit a standard. Their responsibilities are not written on paper, but they are reinforced in every practice, every film session and every stretch of scout team offense.
Yet to an outsider, the position itself can be confusing.
“Some people would not really understand what it is,” Sanders said.
Colin added, “Honestly, people take for granted how much we can do, we’re here to impact the team, help in any way we can, and we’re here to improve.”
Inside the program, everyone understands. Walk-ons keep practices competitive, learn opposing offenses, know the smallest details in the scout and support every energy shift on the floor. They reflect the discipline that Head Coach Tom Izzo expects from the entire roster.
That tradition is upheld one class at a time, not through official assignments but through mentorship. For Sanders, that mentorship began the moment he arrived.
Nick Sanders: The mentor who learned through experience
At 5-foot-11, Sanders is not the most physically imposing Spartan, but his presence in the walk-on room is unmistakable. Sanders, a junior accounting major from Franklin, Michigan, grew up with a built-in connection to the program.
“My mom actually lives in Michigan, so making that switch was easier for me,” he said. “We also had a neighbor, George Johnson, who made sure we kept up with the Spartans, so I always had a soft spot for them.”
Johnson was more than a helpful neighbor. He was someone who had lived inside the MSU athletic landscape long before Sanders ever picked up a basketball. A former student manager for the Spartans under legendary Coach Jud Heathcote, Johnson remained deeply connected to the university through decades of involvement with Spartan Athletics.
Sanders entered MSU in 2022 with no certainty about playing time, but he quickly found guidance where walk-ons often find it — from other walk-ons.
“It was really more like Steven Izzo and David Smith,” he said. “They kind of took me under their wing.”
They taught him how to approach the scout team, how to communicate in drills and how to bring intensity even when the box score might list a single minute played.
They also showed him how to balance the demands of MSU basketball with a challenging academic load.
Sanders’ commitment and consistency eventually earned him a scholarship, but his impact is felt more in the way he now guides younger walk-ons.
He is the bridge between generations, the player who passes down expectations the same way they were passed down to him.
New energy arrives: The Walton twins join the program
In August 2024, Michigan State added two preferred walk-ons with deep local ties: Colin and Brennan Walton.
The 6-foot-8 twins from Okemos built strong reputations in high school.
Both earned CAAC All-League honors, were two-time Academic All-League selections and were recognized by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan as Outstanding Senior Student-Athletes.
Their size, shooting ability and discipline made them intriguing late additions to the roster, especially as developmental forwards who could grow within the system.
Colin Walton: Finding a path
Colin, an economics major, entered MSU without a concrete plan after high school. The preferred walk-on offer gave him clarity at a moment when he needed it most.
“It was great. This is kind of just a blessing,” he said. “It got the weight off our shoulders, like, this is what we are doing. It was nice to have some sort of foundation and structure. You feel wanted, you feel respected, and I think that makes your job so much easier.”
He and Brennan arrived late in the summer, joining a team that had already begun laying its foundation for the season. Their early weeks were filled with uncertainty.
Walk-on roles are often fluid until the season takes shape.
“It is pretty undefined from the coaching staff, especially in the summer before scout team,” Colin said.
That is where Sanders stepped in. His experience, patience and willingness to help gave the Walton twins the direction Colin said he needed.
“But guys like Nick, who was a junior when we came here, he helped us out,” Colin said. “He kind of showed us the path and what is expected of us.”
Colin’s high-school background gives him strengths that translate well at MSU. He is long, physical, rebounds well and can stretch the floor with a shot that hovered above 40 percent from beyond the arc in high school. His basketball IQ and ability to stay disciplined within the scout team offense make him valuable.
What sets Colin apart is his steadiness. He is not loud. He does not chase highlights. He focuses on consistency, the trait walk-ons often rely on most.
Brennan Walton: Challenge and competition
Brennan, a media and information major, experienced one of the most common but difficult rites of passage for walk-ons: the moment he realized just how big the jump is from high school to the Big Ten.
“Honestly, I kind of took the question as, like, ‘How do you know you are in Big Ten basketball,’” he said. “I am just being bullied, and these guys got 30 (pounds) on me. That was kind of my welcome high major moment.”
At 18, Brennan found himself matched up with players three or four years older who were stronger, sharper and more experienced. The adjustment took time.
“They know what they are doing, and you are kind of just coming in, and you have to figure it out,” he said.
But Brennan also found the moments every walk-on needs — the ones that prove they belong.
“There have also been several moments where it is like, all right, I can play,” he said. “We are all getting some buckets on scouts. We feel a little bit like, I can do a little bit.”
Brennan’s strengths lie in his length, athleticism and willingness to compete. He brings energy to scout team matchups and provides a physical presence that helps MSU prepare for opponents with size. His competitive edge will make him valuable as he develops.
Yet for Brennan, the motivation remains simple.
“Another big team championship,” he said. “Definitely do that. We can definitely do that. It is a unified goal. I pray.”
The walk-on brotherhood: A self-sustaining system
The connection between Sanders and the Walton twins reflects how walk-on culture works at Michigan State. There is no job description and no expectation of attention. The position is shaped through the daily grind, through the players who teach it and the ones who choose to carry it forward.
Together, they form a microculture inside MSU basketball, a group defined not by minutes played but by impact made.
Walk-ons sharpen the starters. They learn every opposing set. They communicate loudly. They fill gaps. They give the program an internal engine that does not slow down, even when the lights turn off.
Inside the program, their value is known. Outside, it is quiet.
But as Sanders put it, that silence does not diminish the meaning of the job.
“Inside the team,” he said, “everybody knows.”
