BREAKING: Michigan State Lands Coveted Defensive Tackle From Transfer Portal
Losing starting defensive tackles Simeon Barrow and Derrick Harmon to the transfer portal was a huge blow for Michigan State Football, but head coach Jonathan Smith and his defensive staff picked up a huge commitment of their own out of the portal to stop the bleeding.
Late Thursday night, as all eyes were on the 2024 NFL Draft, Stephen F. Austin transfer Brandon Lane — a highly-coveted, redshirt sophomore defensive tackle — is headed to East Lansing, according to a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel. Since entering the transfer portal on April 17, Lane had drawn interest from the likes of Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Washington, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, North Carolina and several others.
Former SFA DL Brandon Lane (@Brandonlane_88) tells me he’s heard from these 2️⃣8️⃣ Schools since entering the Transfer Portal
— JGPCFB (@jgpvisuals) April 19, 2024
The 6’3, 300 lb DL from Kansas City, MO is the most popular FCS to FBS Transfer in the Spring Window - He’s recorded 55 Tackles, 2.5 Sacks & 9 TFL’s… pic.twitter.com/BjwoPx6ViP
Starting his college career at South Dakota State, Lane redshirted his one season with the Jackrabbits before transferring to Stephen F. Austin in 2022. The 6-foot-3, 300-pounder had a modest first season with the Lumberjacks with 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack in seven games played. Lane then broke out with a huge 2023 season, totaling 55 tackles, including nine tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks while adding a fumble recovery.
This is a huge pickup at a position that had become a dire need for the Spartans after losing the starting tandem of Barrow and Harmon. Defensive tackles have become the hottest commodities in the portal, and the fact that Michigan State was able to turn their misfortune over losing their two starters at the position into landing a coveted option like Lane is impressive. During the winter transfer portal window, Michigan State also added former Georgia Tech DT D'Quan Douse, who looked good at MSU's Spring Showcase last weekend.
Lane is the third transfer Michigan State has added since the spring window opened on April 16, joining former Massachusetts running back Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams and former Indiana EDGE rusher Anthony Jones. The Spartans had previously added 11 transfer during the winter window.
At the same time, MSU has had a plethora of outgoing transfers as well this spring, with 15 departures over the last ten days, and 34 players since the start of the 2023 season. The latest came earlier on Thursday in redshirt sophomore defensive back Malcolm Jones, who leaves after three seasons in East Lansing.
For a full look at Michigan State's transfer activity, click here.
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