Michigan State football lands All-Big Sky RB in transfer portal

After landing an offensive lineman on Sunday and two receivers over the past two days in the transfer portal, Jonathan Smith and Michigan State football have continued that momentum into Tuesday.

The offense is coming together nicely after pulling All-Big Sky running back transfer Elijah Tau-Tolliver.

BREAKING: #MichiganState has landed all-Big Sky transfer RB Elijah Tau-Tolliver.

In 2024, he had 950 rush yards & 9 total TD. Had nearly 2,000 total yards in 3 years at Sacramento St. MSU got it done quietly, despite him being a top target.

STORY: https://t.co/ASbhQXr4Iw (FREE) pic.twitter.com/10TShK9paW

— Justin Thind (@JustinThind) December 17, 2024

Michigan State has been in on some transfer running backs in recent days but it seems like Smith and Co. worked quietly behind the scenes on this one because this is a name that wasn’t mentioned publicly. He had an impressive three-year career at Sacramento State, posting almost 2,000 all-purpose yards and had his best season in 2024 with 958 rushing yards and seven scores while catching 38 passes for 317 yards and two touchdowns.

Tau-Tolliver was off to a red-hot start to his 2024 season with Sacramento State, posting three 100-yard games in the first month of the season and five by Oct. 26 before struggling in the final month with just 43 carries for 124 yards and no scores.

Still, he was well on his way to a 1,000-yard season and we all know too well that a running back’s struggles are usually not all on him.

Five 100-yard games in his first full season as a full-time starter? You have to take that if you’re Michigan State, especially since the Spartans seemed to be allergic to 100-yard rushing performances in 2024. This is a nice addition of a veteran piece after losing Nate Carter to the NFL draft and Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams, too. The backfield was set to be four underclassmen next year, but this takes some pressure off the young guys.

The portal has been kind to the offense over the past couple of days with additions of Omari Kelly, Chrishon McCray, and Luka Vincic and now Tau-Tolliver. The Spartans shouldn’t have a problem moving the ball down the field next year.