The defensive line has lost a little bit of its depth at Michigan State.

On Thursday, Matt Wenzel of MLive.com reported that redshirt freshman defensive lineman Zach Slade has suffered a season-ending injury that will require surgery. The nature of the injury was not mentioned in the tweet.

Slade was a member of Michigan State’s 2018 recruiting class. He did not see any playing time last fall and used his first year in East Lansing as a redshirt season.

Slade is a 6-foot-4, 220-pound lineman out of Lewis Center, Ohio. He was ranked as one of the top 100 strong-side defensive ends in the 2018 class.

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Michigan State is in a really good position on its front line, but the injury is something Mark Dantonio and company would’ve liked to avoid. Unfortunately, it’s the nature of the game.

The Spartans open up the season against Tulsa on Friday, Aug. 30.