MSU's Portal Entries Highlight Immediate Need Key Position Group
Like many teams in college football, the Michigan State Spartans have already seen their fair share of players announce their intentions to enter the transfer portal.
As of Friday evening, MSU has seen six players become set to transfer. This is on the low side compared to what we have seen in the last few years once the offseason begins.
One of the attention-grabbing elements of these entries is the fact that half the transfer class is from the wide receiver position. Jaron Glover, Aziah Johnson, and Jaelen Smith will look for new homes to play football next fall.
Glover entered the portal last offseason and visited Georgia before re-considering and staying in East Lansing. Johnson and Smith were part of MSU’s 2023 recruiting class, with Johnson catching 16 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns.
Smith appeared in just seven games, catching one pass for 16 yards. Had they stayed, both Johnson and Smith would have had a chance to step into bigger roles in 2024.
Now that these three receivers have announced their intentions to transfer, Jonathan Smith and his staff must identify wide receiver talent in the portal and bring those players to East Lansing.
MSU struggled this season through the air because it did not have enough receivers to separate and beat defenders consistently with top-end speed. Outside of Nick Marsh, quarterback Aidan Chiles did not have enough reliable targets.
Some players showed flashes, and Montorie Foster Jr. was a solid contributor, but it would not hurt Smith and the Spartans to find at least two or three receivers in the portal. With Foster moving on to the next level, the Spartans are left with Marsh and little else in the wide receiver room.
Thankfully for Smith and his staff, plenty of talented receivers have already announced their intentions to hit the portal. Those include Kansas State’s Tre Spivey, Kentucky’s Barion Brown, and even potential sleepers like Purdue’s Jaron Tibbs or Akron’s Adrian Norton.
Johnson, Smith, or Glover could also change their minds and return to MSU, but that does not appear likely.
Spartan fans should trust this staff’s evaluation of wide receivers. Smith has coached NFL pass-catchers like Anthony Gould and players like Silas Bolden, who transferred to Texas when Smith left Oregon State.
With those three receivers expected to be on their way out, MSU must find wide receiver talent in the portal. Ready-made contributors could help accelerate the passing offense in 2025.
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