Michigan State Football: Spartans lose another wide receiver to the portal

Michigan State football will be moving into 2026 without one of the longest-tenured players on the roster as wide receiver Alante Brown announced that he will enter the transfer portal.

After Chrishon McCray announced his intention to return to MSU, as well as the additions of KK Smith and Fredrick Moore in the transfer portal, Brown did not project for much of a role in 2026. This is before mentioning younger players like Bryson Williams, Zach Washington, Charles Taplin II, and Braylon Collier, who are likely to compete for snaps during 2026.

Brown is now moving into his seventh season of college football. He began his college career at Nebraska in 2020, eventually transferring to MSU after his junior season in 2022. Brown was medically redshirted in 2024, and after an early injury limited him to only three games last season, Brown will have another season of eligibility in 2026.

Alante Brown has had an interesting journey

At Nebraska in 2020, Brown played in eight games as a freshman as the team’s best kick returner. He finished the season with ten kick returns for 196 yards. Brown’s sophomore season at Nebraska was not much better, finishing with three catches for 33 yards and returning five kickoffs for 77 yards.

As a junior, Brown did not break out, but did set career highs in catches, (16) and receiving yards, (191) after starting ten games at wide receiver. After that, Brown entered the transfer portal and announced his commitment to Michigan State football.

Brown’s second senior season was not the one he expected, though not by his own doing. Like previously stated, Brown’s fifth year was cut short due to an injury, which granted him a medical redshirt.

In 2025, Brown finally scored his first career touchdown on a kick return touchdown against Maryland in the final game of the season. Brown knew that special teams action only was a likely scenario, as his injury had allowed freshman to replace his offensive snap counts, leading to special teams being his primary focus when rehabbing.

While seemingly content with that night being the last of his collegiate game experience at Ford Field, it appears things have changed. The seventh-year senior will look for a new home for his last collegiate ride.

Brown enters the transfer portal standing at 5-foot-11, 196 lbs. With his six total years of experience, Brown could make a decent run at lower levels of college football, as most Power Four teams have filled out their rosters by this point in the portal cycle.