Friday, March 29, 2024

Michigan State transfer portal: Washington State center Brian Greene joins the Spartans

March 7, 2022
<p>Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker watches the field during the Spartans&#x27; 31-21 victory against Pitt in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl on Dec. 30, 2021.</p>

Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker watches the field during the Spartans' 31-21 victory against Pitt in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl on Dec. 30, 2021.

Photo by Devin Anderson-Torrez | The State News

Michigan State was busy in the transfer portal last offseason, dissecting a roster mostly put together by the previous regime. Twenty total transfers were brought in by Head Coach Mel Tucker for the 2021 season, many of which received starting jobs right away and played a major role in helping MSU reach 10 wins. 

Michigan State is in the midst of another surge of departures and arrivals to the program. Most recently, Michigan State has gained Davenport defensive Back Kaleb Elam to help boost a secondary that was the worst in the nation a year ago.

Who’s in:

C Brian Greene

Washington State > Michigan State

A two-star prospect coming out of Yakima, Washington, Greene exceeded expectations at WSU after being named an honorable mention All-Pac 12 center in 2020. He was also named to the Rimington Award watch list last year, an award for the nation's top center.

The 6’3, 300 pounder will give the Spartans offensive line a much needed option as three former starters are departing. He will have one year of eligibility.

TE Daniel Barker

Illinois > Michigan State

Barker was listed to the Pro Football Focus Preseason All-Big Ten third team and later ranked the No. 15 NFL Draft prospect among the TE class, according to The Athletic.

He finished his junior season both tied for the Fighting Illini team lead with five touchdowns and is 17th in the Big Ten for receiving touchdowns with four. He also holds the Illinois career record for touchdown receptions by a TE with 11 and he's the first to catch two touchdowns in a single game.

RB Jarek Broussard

Colorado > Michigan State

Broussard played the first two years of his college career for Colorado, Mel Tucker's former school. Broussard rushed for 1,474 yards in his two years in Boulder. He is the fastest player to reach 1,000 rushing yards in Colorado program history (nine games) and averaged 5.44 yards a carry.

Broussard is the second running back to join Michigan State this offseason via the portal, joining former Wisconsin running back Jalen Berger. He is entering his fifth year of college but still holds two years of eligibility.

DB Kaleb Elam

Davenport > Michigan State

An East Lansing High School graduate, Elam is coming home after playing three seasons of Division II football at Davenport University. He played in 16 games across his three seasons, recording 45 total tackles, one interception, three passes defended and two fumble recoveries. 2021 was Elam's best season, playing in 10 of 11 games including two games with double-digit tackles.

CB Ameer Speed

Georgia > Michigan State

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Speed, a former 3-star high school prospect out of Jacksonville, Florida, entered the transfer portal the day after his former team — the Georgia Bulldogs — won the National Championship. He started the first three games of the season for the Bulldogs 

Speed was coached and primarily recruited by Tucker when Tucker was the defensive backs coach at Georgia. The 6’3" DB will add some much-needed experience, size and skill to the Spartan secondary. He is ranked as the 20th best transfer portal prospect, according to The Athletic. He will have one year of eligibility.

DE Khris Bogle

Florida > Michigan State

A four-star recruit from Fort Lauderdale, Bogle was recruited by Tucker while he was the defensive coordinator at Georgia. Bogle decided to stay in-state with a commitment to Florida, but never found consistent playing time with just seven starts across three seasons. With multiple defensive ends expected to move on from the program, Bogle could be day one starter next season.

LB Aaron Brule

Mississippi State > Michigan State

Brule, a three-star high school recruit from Louisiana, was initially a verbal commit to Georgia, but flipped to Mississippi State. He joined the program in 2018, appearing in four games and retaining his eligibility. Brule played in 13 games in 2019 mainly as a special teamer before becoming a starter in 2020 and recording 77 tackles and four sacks.

His production took a slight dip this past season, recording just 53 tackles. However, Brule provides a unique pass-rushing ability where he leads all linebackers in the FBS in 2020 in pass-rush snaps, quarterback hurries and total pressures. He will join Michigan State as a graduate transfer.

LB Jacoby Windmon

UNLV > Michigan State

Windmon is a junior linebacker coming off one of the most productive seasons in college football, totaling 118 tackles and 6.5 sacks for UNLV in the 2021 season. Windmon will have the chance to be a contributor on day one for Michigan State's defense that struggled all year. Windmon was the 15th ranked prospect in the transfer portal, according to 247sports.com, and chose the Spartans over a bevy of other schools including Texas and Penn State.

RB Jalen Berger

Wisconsin > Michigan State

A four-star recruit out of Ramsey, New Jersey, there was a lot of hype surrounding Jalen Burger coming out of high school. He joined Wisconsin in 2020, rushing for 301 yards and two touchdowns in four games. This year, Berger appeared in three games before being dismissed from the team for undisclosed reasons. He could be a potential immediate replacement for Walker, who could be headed to the NFL Draft after his record-breaking season. 

Who’s out:

TE Parks Gissinger

Michigan State > ?

A redshirt junior from Los Angeles, Gissinger came to East Lansing as a defensive end and made the switch to tight end in his redshirt freshman season. He played in just eight games across the last three seasons, mostly as a special teamer. Gissinger caught just one pass in his MSU career, a five-yard catch in the Pinstripe Bowl vs. Wake Forest. A former three-star prospect, Gissinger held offers from multiple Power Five schools such as Iowa State, Boston College, Kentucky, Syracuse, Colorado State, and others.

LB Ma’a Gaoteote

Michigan State > Michigan State

The four-star recruit came a long way from his hometown of Las Vegas to play for the Spartans during his freshman year. Standing at 6-foot-1, 245 pounds, Gaoteote appeared in eight of the 13 games this season, including the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl and collected seven total tackles this season.

Gaeoteote initially entered the portal on Jan. 19 before withdrawing his name on Feb. 1. Gaoteote will be rejoining a crowded linebacker room with incoming transfers Jacoby Windmon and Aaron Brule.

OL Jacob Isaia

Michigan State > ?

A former three-star prospect out of Las Vegas, Nevada, the 6’3”, 310-pound redshirt junior appeared in 24 games during his career for the Spartans. He is the grandson of the former Spartan All-American fullback Bob Apisa who helped the Spartans win two national championships in 1965 and 1966. He was inducted into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017. 

Isaia primarily served as a backup interior offensive lineman and special teams player.

DT Kyle King

Michigan State > Ball State

A 6'3" redshirt freshman, King was ranked as one of the top recruits in Indiana. King appeared in seven games for MSU in 2021 making four total tackles and one sack. His one sack came in the fourth quarter versus Maryland.

DT Tyson Watson

Michigan State > Massachusetts

Watson, a Roseville, Michigan native, was a three-star and No. 1 strongside defensive end recruit in Michigan coming out of high school. The 6'3", 270-pound freshman lineman did not appear in any games for MSU.

LB Cole DeMarzo

Michigan State > Wyoming

DeMarzo was a redshirt freshman from South Carolina. DeMarzo was the highest-ranked linebacker from South Carolina in the 2020 class but only played two total snaps over two seasons for MSU.

WR Ian Stewart

Michigan State > ?

Stewart was a redshirt freshman from Detroit. He played on special teams as a freshman in 2020. Stewart played 17 total snaps at wide receiver in his second season in East Lansing.

TE Kameron Allen

Michigan State > SMU

A freshman tight end from Forney, Texas, Allen's high school recruiting profile was a bit polarizing. He was a consensus three-star recruit and the 25th best tight end in the nation according to ESPN, but 247Sports ranked him as the 67th best tight end in the class of 2021. Allen did not appear in a game in 2021, but the future of the position for MSU gets a tad cloudier with Allen's departure.

DE Jack Camper

Michigan State > Virginia

Camper, a redshirt senior, entered his name in the transfer portal after playing five years at Michigan State. Camper originally came to Michigan State as a highly-recruited tight end out of Florida before making the switch to defensive end during his freshman year in 2017. Camper totaled 28 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and one sack in 25 career games as a reserve defensive end.

Camper will enter the portal as a graduate transfer after completing his bachelor's degree in Agribusiness in the spring.

TE Trenton Gillison

Michigan State > Youngstown State

A highly-recruited prospect from Ohio, Gillison had high hopes of becoming the next great tight end for Michigan State. His best season came as a redshirt freshman in 2019 when he caught 12 balls for 147 yards against Wake Forest. When offensive coordinator Jay Johnson arrived in 2020, Gillison's playing time diminished and he caught just five passes in four games. Gillison appeared in just six games this season catching just one pass versus Youngstown State.

OL James Ohonba

Michigan State > Louisiana

Ohonba was a four-year redshirt junior offensive linemen at Michigan State. He saw snaps on special teams in all seven games in 2020 but only appeared in the Youngstown State game in 2021. Ohonba was the 27th rated guard in the 2017 national recruiting class out of Stockbridge, Georgia, but never found his way into the starting rotation for Michigan State's offensive line.

WR Ricky White

Michigan State > UNLV

Redshirt freshman wide receiver Ricky White was away from the team for the 2021 season, but his name still resonates well within the Michigan State fanbase. His breakout eight catch, 196 yard and one touchdown outing in his second game as a Spartan in 2020 not only helped MSU upset No. 13 Michigan in Ann Arbor, but also made him an instant fan-favorite. However, White missed the final three games with an injury, resulting in the Marietta, Georgia native playing in just four games at MSU. White finishes his Spartan career with 223 receiving yards and one touchdown.

DB C.J. Hayes

Michigan State > Syracuse

Graduate student safety C.J. Hayes came to Michigan State in 2017 as a three-star wide receiver from Bowling Green, Kentucky. Hayes redshirted his freshman year before receiving playing time as a backup receiver in 2018 and 2019. He sat out the 2020 season due to an undisclosed injury and switched positions to Safety in 2021. Hayes primarily played on special teams in his final year in Green and White. Hayes finished his bachelor's degree in communications in 2020 and is now pursuing a master's degree in sport coaching and leadership.

DB Michael Gravely

Michigan State > ?

A freshman from Cleveland, Ohio, Michael Gravely was a three-star prospect and ranked as the No. 86 safety in the country by ESPN. Gravely did not appear in any games in 2021.

K Evan Johnson

Michigan State > ?

Evan Johnson started his college career at Hope College in 2018 where he made six of seven field goals and 42 of 47 extra points. He enrolled at MSU in 2019 and joined the team as a walk-on. Johnson played in his first game to end the 2021 regular season, going 1-for-2 on PATs versus Penn State.

S Michael Dowell

Michigan State > Miami OH

A highly recruited player out of Ohio, Michael Dowell redshirted his first year in 2018 before getting significant playing time in 2019, mostly as a special teamer in Mark Dantonio’s final season as head coach. He played in all seven and started two games in 2020, penciling himself in as the starting slot cornerback for 2021. Dowell started the first four games, but eventually lost his starting position to emerging sophomore Darius Snow.

CB Emmanuel Flowers

Michigan State > ?

Emmanuel Flowers was an exciting prospect when he joined MSU, but never really found his footing in the program. The Chino Hills, California native spent the past four seasons mainly as a special teams player, most recently making 10 total tackles in 2021. The NCAA’s COVID-19 waiver allows Flowers to play with one more year of eligibility. 

LB Chase Kline

Michigan State > Eastern Michigan

The Spartans had two in-season entrances into the transfer portal, with one of those being redshirt junior linebacker Chase Kline. Kline played in all 13 games as a redshirt freshman in 2019 and got a boost in playing time in 2020 playing 226 snaps and forcing two fumbles, tied for second best in the BIg Ten. He took a backseat in 2021 with junior Quavaris Crouch and redshirt freshman Cal Haladay playing well as the two starting linebackers. 

CB Kalon Gervin

Michigan State > Kansas

Kalon Gervin is the other player who entered the transfer portal at the end of September. He earned his first career start at cornerback in 2019 against Ohio State before expanding his role as a full-time starter in 2020. Gervin started the first two games this year, but quickly saw his playing time diminish to the point where he did not log a single snap since Sept. 25 versus Nebraska. 

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