Michigan State football: DB transfer no longer with the program

Michigan State football lost one of its top transfers recently as Tony Grimes is now headed to the UNLV Rebels.

Michigan State football received a very impactful transfer commitment about a week ago that had all Spartan fans extremely excited. Unfortunately, only one week later, this transfer has already left the program.

Defensive back Tony Grimes

Tony Grimes is a defensive back transfer from Texas A&M. He committed to Michigan State on Jan. 7 which was massive news for the MSU football program. He is a former five-star recruit who undoubtedly would have made a major impact here in East Lansing.

As I mentioned, Grimes is a former five-star recruit out of high school. He originally committed to North Carolina where he played for three seasons. During his three seasons with the Tar Heels, Grimes totaled 97 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss. He also added a forced fumble, sack, and interception as well.

After the 2022 season he entered the transfer portal and committed to Texas A&M. He never ended up seeing the field this past season with the Aggies as he suffered a lower-body injury before the season began.

That is when he entered the transfer portal once again and committed to the Spartans one week ago. Grimes has now transferred to UNLV where he will play for the 2024 season.

There hasn’t been much released as to why Grimes is no longer with Michigan State. Out of respect to Grimes, I don’t want to speculate about what the cause might be until it is made public.

Where does MSU go now?

I don’t think this is a huge cause of concern for Spartan fans. I also don’t think Jonathan Smith needs to panic and scramble trying to find a replacement for Grimes.

Grimes obviously would have been a major contributor this season, if not a starter, but the defensive back room isn’t short on solid players. Losing Grimes lowers the ceiling of this group, but not to the point of panic.

Smith has been able to identify and land talent at a high rate since coming to Michigan State, so I have no doubt he will be able to find someone else if he feels the need to replace Grimes.