Former Spartans Commit Brandon Lane Reopens Recruitment
Michigan State and Coach Jonathan Smith are currently having a hard time securing commitments to come to East Lansing this offseason.
After seeing multiple players enter the transfer portal, the Spartans have been trying their best to make up for their losses but seem to struggle. For every player they receive a commitment from, they receive just as many, if not more, players entering the transfer portal or switching their commitments.
The Spartans recently received a commitment from transfer defensive lineman Brandon Lane, a transfer from Stephen F. Austin. After committing to the Spartans less than a week ago, Lane announced the reopening of his recruitment on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Recruitment 100% open!
— BLJ88🙌🏽 (@Brandonlane_88) May 3, 2024
Lane is a 6-foot-3, 300-pound lineman who the Spartans desperately needed to add to their roster. His de-commitment marks another loss for Coach Smith and the Spartans in recruiting. Their recruiting efforts are close to being in a dire situation, as they now have nearly 20 players in the transfer portal. That is a large number regardless of what team it is and could be a sign of bigger issues for the Spartans.
Lane, a native of Missouri, spent four seasons between South Dakota and Stephen F. Austin, respectively. He has two years of eligibility remaining, which Coach Smith hoped would be with the Spartans. Last season,
Lane accounted for 44 tackles, 6.5 of which were for a loss. He had 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. His successful season helped him become a sought-after commodity in the transfer portal.
With Lane not joining the Spartans, Michigan State has lost out on multiple players in recruiting and the transfer portal, which would have helped alleviate some of the concerns of having a first-year head coach. However, Michigan State must now figure out how to stop the bleeding on the recruiting trail first, then put a productive team on the field. The only thing that hurts recruiting more than a large number of players entering the transfer portal is having a lack of success on the field, which could happen to the Spartans if recruiting doesn’t improve.
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Ezekiel is a former Sports Editor from the Western Herald and former Atlanta Falcons beat writer.