Michigan State football loses key OL Geno VanDeMark to transfer portal

Michigan State football lost a couple of key offensive linemen to the transfer portal on Tuesday, headlined by Geno VanDeMark.

Tuesday was a busy portal day for Jonathan Smith and Michigan State football.

Early in the afternoon, the Spartans landed Arizona State cornerback transfer Ed Woods over Alabama, proving to the rest of the nation that Smith isn’t playing games. Shortly after, Ethan Boyd entered the portal and he was followed promptly by Geno VanDeMark.

Michigan State RG Geno VanDeMark is back in the portal again, a team spokesman confirms.

— Matt Wenzel (@mwenzel2) April 30, 2024

And this one hurts.

There haven’t been many portal entrants who I thought would’ve had huge roles for Michigan State next season, but VanDeMark is one of them. He played in eight games in 2023 and started six at guard and I expected him to be a starter in 2024. Unfortunately, like Boyd, VanDeMark has entered the portal for the second time this offseason. He entered back in December and withdrew his name but this loss is going to hurt.

VanDeMark felt like a major piece on the offensive line and a guy who Jim Michalczik could turn into an NFL draft pick.

That’s no longer the case as VanDeMark decided to enter the portal on the final day before the May 1 deadline for non-graduates. He will have two years of eligibility remaining wherever he ends up but if Michigan State is lucky, he’ll withdraw again.

The Spartans have had a number of players enter the portal and withdraw this offseason like VanDeMark, Boyd, Derrick Harmon, Charles Brantley, and Antonio Gates Jr. Three of those guys have decided to once again hit the portal and this time it feels final.

VanDeMark would’ve been a key cog on the interior of the offensive line next season and there’s truly no way to spin this one.

Let’s hope the depth is good enough that Smith and Michalczik can field a competitive unit next year.