Lineman Andrew Dennis Comments On Decision To Transfer From Illinois To Michigan State

Incoming freshman Andrew Dennis was supposed to be among the gems for the Illinois Fighting Illini 2024 recruiting class.

He enrolled early but recently decided to transfer to Michigan State. He spoke of the decision during an interview with The Drive With Jack last week. He said a lot of it had to do with the Spartans hiring coach Jonathan Smith in the offense.

“Had some contact with the staff and I waited about a month or two, and there’s no new information about what's going," Dennis said. "So, you don’t really have a head coach less than a month from signing day. It’s getting stressful by that point because you don’t know if you should wait or find a spot. And so, I just wanted to find a spot. And we were actually on our way back after I committed to Illinois, and you see coach Smith get hired, so it was kind of a funny timing.”

Dennis said the move had nothing to do with his experiences in Champaign. He just felt playing in East Lansing, Mich., was a better environment. Dennis, who is from Michigan, orginally committed to the Spartans under coach Mel Tucker. He changed his mind after Tucker was fired in the middle of last season.

He called Michigan State a better fit.

“I was around some great people [at Illinois], but I just didn’t feel like it was the best fit for me," Dennis said. "I wanted to be closer to home, and here we are today.”