Spartans Receive Good News on Transfer Portal

Michigan State Football and Coach Jonathan Smith made up for lost ground in the transfer portal and got some good news.

Michigan State's Aidan Chiles, right, talks with Derrick Harmon after the Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA

Michigan State and Coach Jonathan Smith got a rough start in the transfer portal. Initially, they had many more players entering the portal than players committing to MSU from the transfer portal. The Spartans watched over a dozen players from their roster enter the transfer portal simultaneously. Coach Smith and his coaching staff spent weeks recovering from the hit their roster took.

However, they did recover. After getting off to arguably one of the worst starts in the transfer portal of any team in the Big Ten, if not the significant conferences, Michigan State and Coach Smith have recovered admirably in the transfer portal. They’ve had multiple serviceable additions to their roster this offseason. So much so, that they have one of the top-ranked transfer portal classes this offseason. 

Jacey Zembal of Rivals.com graded every Big Ten team’s performance in the transfer portal this offseason, giving the Spartans a ‘B-’ grade. Zembal notes how, even with their early losses to the portal, the Spartans could also use the portal to their advantage. There was undoubtedly a sting that came with the departures of so many players at once. However, those departures opened up roster spots for many talented players nationwide looking for a new home. 

“Michigan State has been busy with players coming and going this spring,” Zembal said. The addition of 5-foot-10, 205-pound (Kay’Ron) Lynch-Adams could be a big one. He rushed 236 times for 1,157 yards and 12 touchdowns at UMass, which was his fifth year of college. He played his first two years at Rutgers.”

Zembal believes Michigan State signed multiple players who have the potential to make an impact this season. The Spartans were able to fill some of the voids created by their earlier losses. 

“[Andrew] Dennis was a four-star prospect coming out of high school by Rivals.com, and [Tyler] Gillison is another player with upside and youth,” Zembal said.

“The Spartans' defensive line took a huge hit with the losses of Barrow and Harmon, plus younger prospects Jobe and Depaepe. Adding Buckley from Nebraska could lead to the 6-foot-5, 295-pounder to play right away this season.”

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