MSU Announces Spring Roster, Addition of Another Transfer DB
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Michigan State formally announced 30 incoming transfers on Friday. The only thing is that only 29 were known before the announcement. There are some other interesting things to note, too.
That one unknown player is Western Carolina defensive back transfer Trevaughn Martinez. He is listed as a redshirt junior on MSU's 2026 spring roster, but he may actually have all four years of his eligibility remaining. Martinez redshirted as a true freshman at WCU and has missed the two years after that due to injury, according to his bio with the Catamounts. Pro Football Focus does say Martinez played in one game in 2023 and three games in 2024, though.
Martinez is also the younger brother of Michigan State starting safety Nikai Martinez. Nikai was a true senior in 2025, but he only played in four games due to injury. The silver lining is that he was able to preserve his final year of eligibility, and now he gets to play a season at MSU with his brother.
Trevaughn will provide some added depth to the Spartans' secondary. Listed at 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, Martinez probably projects to be a safety, like his brother.
More Notes
Also worth noting is that there are three players listed on the roster who seemingly should be in the transfer portal. Those players are: kick returner/wide receiver Alante Brown, wide receiver Rodney Bullard Jr., and kicker Tarik Ahmetbasic.
Michigan State notes that both Brown and Bullard are awaiting an NCAA waiver to receive their additional year of eligibility, which may explain why they are technically on the spring roster. Ahmetbasic doesn't require any sort of waiver, though. MSU formally announced the addition of Charlotte transfer Liam Boyd on Friday, but 2026 commit Stephen Gonzales likely won't formally join the team until the summer or fall camp.
The school also announced 15 early enrollees. Those incoming recruits are already taking classes and will get the benefit of being able to participate in spring ball, as well as take part in winter conditioning.
Some other players who had additional eligibility also seem to be leaving the team. Defensive lineman Ben Nelson, who made five appearances as a redshirt junior in 2025, is not listed on the spring roster. The same thing goes for linebacker David Milliken, who was also a redshirt junior this past season, playing in seven games. The way things seem to stand now, Michigan State is right at the cap of 105 players set to be on its 2026 roster if Brown, Bullard, and Ahmetbasic all end up elsewhere.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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