Michigan State Hosts Top OT Transfer
Michigan State is looking to maintain the steady influx of transfers it has been landing from the portal. There is a lot of momentum in East Lansing. Even with the recent loss of tight end Mason Mini, who flipped to Cal, the Spartans have had a relatively successful winter window.
The Spartans have a good chance of adding to their haul as they landed a visit from Montana State offensive tackle Conner Moore, who was in attendance for Michigan State men's basketball's game against Washington on Thursday.
Moore entered the portal on Jan. 7, so the Spartans' turnaround on the top prospect is nothing less than impressive. Moore is one of the best available offensive linemen in the portal, per 247Sports, a four-star transfer prospect. The 6-foot-5, 310-pound FCS star is the No. 108 overall prospect available and the No. 10 offensive tackle in the portal.
The Millbury, Ohio native just took a visit to in-state Cincinnati and he will be heavily pursued by in-state Big Ten powerhouse Ohio State as well. There is good reason, too.
247Sports' Justin Thind wrote that there was a lot to like about Moore.
"The Ohio native just finished his redshirt sophomore year this past week, as Montana State lost in the FCS national championship game to cap off a 15-1 season," Thind reported. "He earned First-Team All-FCS honors and, naturally, First-Team All-Big Sky honors for his dominant 2024 season. Last year, he was one of the best freshmen in all of college football, as he was named to the Freshman All-American team per FCS Central. He also played in all four allowable games as a redshirt freshman in 2022, after which the official Montana State bio says it became clear that he 'emerged as a staple of the program's offensive line in future years.' He will be highly-prized in this portal cycle, after following up his breakout 2023 season with an even better season this year."
The Spartans are targeting offensive linemen heavily in the portal after the 2024 season showed them what a lack of depth can do to harm an offense. Not a bad move when you have a quarterback like Aidan Chiles, who is locked in as the signal caller of the program's foreseeable future.
Moore's recruitment could serve as a gut check for Michigan State -- pony up for the big-time transfer portal names or continue to lose out to the Ohio States of the world.
Michael France is Sports Illustrated's Michigan State recruiting beat writer, covering all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive Spartans recruiting coverage.
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