Michigan State football: Jalen Berger commits to Big Ten foe

Former Michigan State football running back Jalen Berger committed to new Big Ten foe UCLA on Monday night.

There were seven former Michigan State football players in the transfer portal still as of Monday afternoon, but fast forward a few hours and that number has shrunk to six with the decision of Jalen Berger official.

According to a report from Pete Nakos of On3, Berger announced that he would be transferring to UCLA.

Michigan State transfer running back Jalen Berger tells @On3sports he’s transferring to UCLA.

Former four-star recruit has 1,165 career rushing yards.

More: https://t.co/3jvwyqVm2l pic.twitter.com/S3PK4M2Ma8

— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) July 22, 2024

It was surprising to see him still in the portal as of Monday, but it seems as if DeShaun Foster and UCLA liked what they saw in the former Spartan.

Berger did have a career year in 2022 that turned some heads. He rushed for 683 yards and six touchdowns while catching 19 passes for 128 yards. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry which is impressive when you consider the offensive line was not very good. For reference, Nate Carter rushed for 4.3 yards per carry this past season behind an equally-unimpressive offensive line.

Unfortunately, Berger only appeared in five games in 2023 and had 93 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. He hit the transfer portal when Michigan State began targeting running backs this offseason.

With Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams coming in from UMass, there was just no room for Berger anymore. He wouldn’t have gotten many touches in a backfield with KLA and Nate Carter and he opted to hit the portal.

Snaps at UCLA won’t be easy to come by either, though, as TJ Harden returns for his junior season after rushing for a career-high 827 yards and eight touchdowns this past season on 5.3 yards per carry. That followed up an impressive freshman campaign in 2022 where he had 325 yards and two scores, averaging 7.4 yards per touch.

Unfortunately, Michigan State won’t see Berger again this season as Big Ten newcomer UCLA doesn’t have the Spartans on its schedule.