Well, the chaos and madness have started for Michigan State football. The first portal cycle of the Pat Fitzgerald era has begun, and there is a lot to keep track of. The Spartans have lost well over 30 players to the portal, and are hosting quite a few players in upcoming days.
So, let’s recap. Which Spartans have entered the portal, who is visiting Michigan State, and who have the Spartans shown interest in?
Which Michigan State football players have portalled?
Note: Class status is from the 2025 season.
- Sophomore RB Makhi Frazier
- Sophomore WR Nick Marsh
- RS-Freshman EDGE Stone Chaney
- Junior DB Jeremiah Hughes
- RS-Sophomore DB Tracy Revels
- RS-Junior OL Gavin Broscious
- Freshman OL Rashawn Rogers
- Sophomore DB Justin Denson Jr.
- Freshman WR Nick Hardy
- RS-Sophomore LB Semaj Bridgeman
- Graduate Senior LB Darius Snow
- Senior DB Ade Willie
- RS-Junior EDGE Ty Gillison
- RS-Senior LS Kaden Schickel
- Junior QB Aidan Chiles
- Junior LB Marcellius Pulliam
- RS-Sophomore WR Grant Calcagno
- Freshman DB George Mullins
- RS-Freshman DB Elisha West
- RS-Junior TE Michael Masunas
- RS-Freshman Kicker Martin Connington
- RS-Sophomore WR Evan Boyd
- RS-Junior WR Chrishon McCray
- RS-Junior OL Kristian Phillips
- Junior DL Jalen Thompson
- RS-Sophomore OL Cole Dellinger
- RS-Freshman TE Wyatt Hook
- RS-Freshman QB Ryland Jessee
- RS-Sophomore EDGE David Santiago
- Freshman CB Aydan West
- Freshman OL Justin Bell
- RS-Freshman OL Mercer Luniewski
- RS-Freshman OL Charlton Luniewski
- RS-Junior DL Alex VanSumeren
- RS-Junior LB Aisea Moa
- RS-Sophomore OL Stanton Ramil
- RS-Sophomore CB Chance Rucker
- RS-Sophomore WR Shawn Foster
- RS-Senior DB Armorion Smith
Additionally, DB Anthony Pinnace III is a player that has posted his individual drills on his X account, which suggests he might be in the transfer portal again.
Obviously, the biggest losses are those of Makhi Frazier, Aydan West, Stanton Ramil, Nick Marsh, Alex VanSumeren, Michael Masunas, Martin Connington, and Chrishon McCray. All of these players could widely be expected to step up during the 2026 season, but it appears they will do so otherwise.
Over 20 of these players that hit the portal only contributed on special teams, or played less than four games during the 2025 season. There is some natural turnover that will happen with the roster, and this is not the time to panic.
Which Players Has Michigan State Reached Out To?
The following players have been contacted by Michigan State, but there is no confirmation of a scholarship offer or a visit to East Lansing. Their class status, once again, is their listed status from the 2025 season.
- Temple DE Khalil Poteat (Sr.)
- Notre Dame DL Armel Mukam (RS-Sophomore)
Poteat recorded 29 tackles, two forced fumbles, and a sack during the 2025 season. In his 308 defensive snaps, he ranked 297th out of 896 defenders with a 71.8 defensive grade. His grade against the run was borderline top-100 among EDGE rushers in college football this season.
Mukam was a rotational player for the Fighting Irish, playing in all 12 of their games, where he recorded five tackles and one forced fumble. He played 69 snaps this season, and recorded four pressures when rushing the quarterback.
Who has locked in visits with Michigan State football?
- Western Kentucky RB Marvis Parrish (Fr.)
- Houston Christian DB Tyran Chappell (RS-Fr.)
- Old Dominion RB Trequan Jones (Jr.)
- Troy EDGE DJ Jackson Jr. (Jr.)
- Louisiana Tech LB Mekhi Mason (RS-Jr.)
- Georgia Southern EDGE MJ Stroud (RS-Jr.)
- Florida State RB Kam Davis (So.)
- Louisiana Tech DB Michael Richard (Jr.)
- West Florida WR Corey Scott (RS-So.)
- Iowa State DB Tre Bell (RS-Jr.)
- Auburn LB Caleb Wheatland (Sr.)
- North Dakota State OL Trent Fraley (RS-Jr.)
- Maine DB Devin Vaught (RS-So.)
- Ohio OL Jordon Jones (RS-Jr.)
From first glance, the Spartans have a lot of Group of Five production targeted among their players. However, quite a few have put up stat lines that fans should be excited about. Trent Fraley, the son of Lions’ offensive line coach Hank Fraley, was an FCS All-American this year.
Devin Vaught of Maine has six interceptions between his last two seasons in the FCS. However, he did allow four touchdowns in coverage this year, per PFF. That said, his run defense was graded very favorably.
MJ Stroud had 6.5 sacks with Georgia Southern, along with three forced fumbles. This includes a two-sack performance against Appalachian State in their regular season matchup.
Parrish, Trequan Jones, and Kam Davis are all intriguing running backs. Davis recorded 511 yards with Florida State in 2024, before only having 80 yards last season. Trequan Jones had an eye-popping 7.5 yards per carry last season, and finished eight yards shy of the 800-yard mark. Parrish, meanwhile, recorded over 500 rushing yards and over 200 receiving yards as a true freshman at Western Kentucky.
Richard was the 2023 Freshman of the Year in the C-USA. His teammate, Mason, had a 68 tackle, 14.5 tackle for loss campaign in his first year as a starter for the Bulldogs.
Jackson Jr. lit up Coffeyville Community College’s defense, with 13.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, along with two blocked kicks, in 2024. He had two sacks in his only season with Troy.
Scott had a 1,000-yard receiving campaign with West Florida, and has a few seasons of eligibility to boot. Chappell, another lower-level player, had four interceptions with Houston Christian this season.
Wheatland had back-to-back 40 tackle seasons with Maryland before heading to Auburn. The true senior in 2025 knows the grind of the Big Ten. Bell, another P4 player, had two interceptions and pass deflections with the Cyclones in 2025, and could reunite with Hank Poteat now coaching Michigan State’s defensive backs.
Jordon Jones ranked No. 569 among 888 qualifying linemen in pass blocking grades in his first full season as a starter with Ohio.
Former Spartans on the Move
A few former Spartans have already announced some of their official visits already.
Evan Boyd will be visiting Purdue. Kristian Phillips is traveling to visit Boston College. Nick Marsh, the biggest Spartan name in the portal, is visiting 2026 MSU opponent Notre Dame, along with Indiana. Justin Denson Jr. will be visiting Mississippi State. Cooper Terpstra is visiting UCF. The Luniewski twins are heading to San Diego State for a visit. Rumors are swirling about another Big Ten school being in play for Makhi Frazier.
Additionally, Tyler Gillison announced a Kent State offer, Rashawn Rogers saw multiple offers, including one from Ferris State, Elisha and Aydan West were each offered by Minnesota, Stone Chaney was offered by Arkansas State, Buffalo, and a few others. Payton Stewart saw Colorado State offer a scholarship. Justin Bell was offered by James Franklin’s Virginia Tech Hokies.
Spartans to Announce They Are Staying
In good news, quite a few Spartans announced they were back for an additional campaign in 2026.
- Senior DB Nikai Martinez
- Senior DT Ben Roberts
- Freshman WR Braylon Collier
- Freshman LB DeJae White
- Freshman DB Deuce Edwards
Martinez was one that was widely speculated about, as the former UCF transfer and 2024 defensive snap leader only played in four games for Michigan State last season. Roberts was a welcome relief, especially after Alex VanSumeren announced his departure earlier on Friday.
Of the final trio of freshman, Collier and Edwards each made their Spartan debuts in the season finale against Maryland, with Edwards recording a tackle and Collier having a fair catch on a punt. White missed the latter half of the season with a foot injury that needed surgery after fighting his way onto the home game dress list.
One Last Bit of Good News
Spartan linebacker and edge rusher Jacoby Windmon was elevated back onto the Carolina Panthers 53-man roster prior to their winner-takes-all match against the Buccaneers to decide who makes the NFL Playoffs from the NFC South.
The portal still has 13 more days of action, so stay tuned to my X account (@E_Matasovsky57) and this site for breaking updates!
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