Portal King: Mel Tucker's 2022 Transfer Class Off To Great Start In East Lansing
Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker made a name for himself a season ago when the Spartans brought in around 15 transfers to fill out their 2021 roster.
Tucker and MSU hit a grand slam with one of those transfers, tailback Kenneth Walker III, who would go on to win both the Walter Camp Award and Doak Walker Award as the nation's top tailback.
In addition to Walker, several other 2021 transfers played an important role in Michigan State's 11-2 campaign a year ago, and one game into the 2022 season, it appears the Spartans have hit on many of their transfers again this offseason.
The headliner in Week 1's 35-13 win over Western Michigan was linebacker-turned defensive end Jacoby Windmon. The senior, who played his first three seasons at UNLV, had seven tackles against the Broncos, including four sacks and a forced fumble.
Windmon's four sacks were the most by a Spartan in a single game since 2003.
Staying on the defensive side of the ball, defensive end Khris Bogle, formerly a Florida Gator, had three tackles, including a sack. Mississippi State transfer linebacker Aaron Brule recorded a sack as well.
Moving on to the offense, Michigan State had several newcomers make an impact in their first game wearing Green and White. While nobody popped the way that Walker did in his Spartan debut, when he had 264 yards and four touchdowns in the 2021 season-opener against Northwestern, Michigan State has to like what it saw from its transfer tailbacks.
Redshirt sophomore Jalen Berger, who was dismissed from Wisconsin after four games a year ago and then entered the transfer portal, was the Spartans' lead back against Western Michigan, carrying the ball 16 times for 120 yards and a touchdown.
MSU also got 54 yards on 10 carries out of Colorado transfer Jarek Broussard, as the two tailbacks combined for 6.9 yards per carry on Friday night. Credit the offensive line for opening holes for Berger and Broussard in the run game.
Finally, tight end Daniel Barker, a transfer from Illinois, showed why coaches have been raving about MSU's tight end room this fall as well.
Barker had just one catch on three targets, but it was a memorable one. The tight end ran a flag route to the back left pylon of the south end zone, and while quarterback Payton Thorne slightly overthrew him, Barker reached out with one hand to snag a beautiful touchdown reception.
Michigan State's talent assessment in the transfer portal has been remarkable under Tucker, and while the Spartans may not have landed an individual player who will make as big of an impact as Walker did a season ago, it appears MSU may have landed six transfers whose overall contributions could match or exceed the 2021 transfer class.
