Michigan State Football Sees Final Portal Departure Before 2026 Season

Over the weekend, Michigan State football saw their final portal departure prior to the 2026 season. Kicker Tarik Ahmetbasic, a redshirt junior from Chippewa Valley High School (Mich.), announced his commitment to Memphis for the upcoming season.

Ahmetbasic will be reuniting with receiver and return man Alante Brown, who committed to the Tigers before the spring season officially began for the Spartans.

During his time in the green and white, Ahmetbasic appeared in one game with Michigan State football. He appeared in the second half of a blowout 40-0 win over Prairie View A&M in 2024. He attempted (and made) one extra point, along with two kickoffs, one of which was a touchback for the Spartans.

During his time with MSU, Ahmetbasic was known for having a unique warmup, with the kicker bringing a soccer ball with him on field to juggle it with his feet and warm up.

Tarik Ahmetbasic Was an Expected Departure

The season was a complicated one for the Michigan native, as he was set to compete with Martin Connington for the starting kicker job, but both players were injured before the season started, with Sislo being the first kicker for MSU of the season.

Connington returned in time for the Boston College game, where a 50-yard field goal in regulation effectively secured the redshirt freshman the starting role for the remainder of the season. As it was, Ahmetbasic never made it off the injury report for the Spartans during the entire 2025 season.

The Spartans may have lost Ahmetbasic, but it was an expected departure. As it stands, LeVar Woods completely overhauled the room upon his arrival in January, with Ahmetbasic joining Connington as kickers transferring away, along with punters Ryan Eckley and Carson Voss joining Sislo as players to graduate and depart from the program.

Ahmetbasic hit the portal during the window in January, but had not found a destination. With Michigan State football only having Charlotte transfer Liam Boyd on campus, Ahmetbasic stayed with the Spartans for spring football. The spring showcase was not an endorsement for either player, as the Spartans went near the .500 mark when kicking in front of the Spartan Stadium crowd.

With 2026 five-star kicker Stephen Gonzales set to arrive in East Lansing prior to summer camp, Ahmetbasic had the pressure to find a new spot. He found a home in Memphis.

Memphis has now landed three former Spartan specialists in recent memory, with Ahmetbasic and Brown following to footsteps of former Spartan athlete and return man Julian Barnett from the early 2020s.

With Ahmetbasic announcing a destination, the only Spartan still in the portal is receiver Rod Bullard Jr., who intends to return to Michigan State football if his eligibility request is granted by the NCAA.