(Photo: Rick Scuteri, Associated Press)
East Lansing — Brian Lewerke has a championship ring.
Raequan Williams has one, too. So does Kenny Willekes.
But something is different about theirs.
“It’s kind of a free ring,” Lewerke said on Thursday as Michigan State wrapped up preseason camp.
Free because Lewerke didn’t play that 2015 season. Neither did Williams nor Willekes nor eight other freshmen who were sitting out their first season as Spartans.
To be more specific, none of them played in a game. But you can bet every one of them was out there on the practice field every week, watching their more experienced teammates march to a Big Ten championship while rolling up memorable wins over Michigan and Ohio State before beating Iowa in the conference title game to reach the College Football Playoff.