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MSU running back Anthony Williams Jr. enters transfer portal

November 18, 2020
<p>Freshman tailback Anthony Williams Jr. (34) runs the ball down the field in the third quarter. The Spartans fell to the Sun Devils 10-7 at Spartan Stadium on Sept. 14, 2019.</p>

Freshman tailback Anthony Williams Jr. (34) runs the ball down the field in the third quarter. The Spartans fell to the Sun Devils 10-7 at Spartan Stadium on Sept. 14, 2019.

Photo by Lauren DeMay | The State News

Wednesday morning, another player from the MSU football program decided to enter the transfer portal.

This time, it's running back Anthony Williams Jr., an MSU spokesperson confirmed to The State News in an email.

Williams Jr. is a true sophomore out of Bolingbrook High School in Chicago, Illinois. He was recruited during the Mark Dantonio-era of MSU football and is the second player this week to announce his decision.

The other, who announced his decision Monday, was redshirt freshman linebacker Marcel Lewis. Lewis was among four players when the season was in question to opt out, citing the death of a family member as to why he decided to opt out this year. On Sept. 16, Lewis made the decision to opt back in when more stringent COVID-19 protocols were created.

Williams Jr. has played in 13 games for the Spartans after coming out of Bolingbrook as a 3-star recruit, according to 247Sports Composite Rankings.

He chose the Spartans in 2019 over offers from Central Michigan, Boston College, Ball State and other Mid-Major schools.

A sophomore, Williams Jr. only had 42 rushing attempts in his career for 123 yards and a touchdown. He gained 205 yards from scrimmage total over 13 appearances.

The news was first reported by The Detroit Free Press.

Mel Tucker, in his weekly press conference Tuesday, sent his team a message.

"This is compete to play, compete to stay," he said.

Throughout much of this season, Tucker has said that "Everything is an evaluation," for his players and that those who compete in practice will see time on the field, which Williams Jr. had not seen a lot of so far in 2020.

This news comes on the heels of Lewis's transfer portal decision and the announcement that three more MSU football players: Mustafa Khaleefah, Jasiyah Robinson and Simeon Barrow Jr. all decided to opt out due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Khaleefah made his decision prior to the season's start but the news was publicly confirmed in Tucker's press conference on Tuesday.

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