FOOTBALL

Should Michigan State football panic after Chuck Brantley transfer?

Brantley will always be remembered for that interception to beat Michigan.

Published

12 months ago

April 30, 2023

Maxwell Klitzke

Should Michigan State football fans hit that panic button after Charles Brantley becomes the third transfer of the day?

On the final day of the spring transfer portal window, after all of the spring exit meetings, a third Michigan State football player entered the transfer portal within the span of six hours.

The newest entrant is defensive back, Charles Brantley.

Brantley is most known for his hard-hitting ability, despite his undersized frame, and his interception to seal Michigan State’s comeback victory against Michigan at Spartan Stadium in 2021.

Outside of those hard hits and iconic interception, however, there wasn’t much else Spartan fans would want to remember.

Brantley was targeted 62 times in his 2 seasons at MSU, resulting in 41 catches, 699 yards, & 9 TDs.

He did have 2 INTs and 8 PBUs in his time at MSU. https://t.co/iaxFhaOsHR

— maxwell (@maxwellklitzke) April 30, 2023

Losing Brantley is a blow to this defense, as it is still somehow trying to find its own footing under Mel Tucker and Scottie Hazelton and is in need of all of the experience it can get, but this is not the same as Illinois trying to replace a Devon Witherspoon, or an Alabama replacing a Brian Branch or Eli Ricks. Brantley was fairly often picked on during his time on the field. The 39 targets in 2022 were third-most on the team outside of sixth-round pick Ameer Speed (I have thoughts on that one) and linebacker Cal Haladay.

Brantley was notably outmatched by future All-Pro receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. this season, providing yet another example of how much of a gap the secondary faced as a whole against the elite offenses of the FBS.

At the end of the day, Charles Brantley contributed to a secondary that ranked last and 82nd in passing yards per game allowed and 113th and 122nd in completion percentage allowed in 2021 and 2022, respectively. His loss is horrendous from a vibes perspective, given the events of the day. However, this portal loss leads to an opportunity for players like Dillon Tatum, Chance Rucker, and Caleb Coley among others to shine and help turn this defense around.

This one isn’t the one to lose sleep and pull the rip cord on. But don’t take my word for it. Take theirs: