Michigan State Lands Iowa Punter from Transfer Portal
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Michigan State has its next punter.
The Spartans' hiring of LeVar Woods as assistant head coach and special teams coordinator is paying off quickly. Woods was previously at Iowa, and now the Hawkeyes' starting punter from the last two seasons, Rhys Dakin, is following Woods to East Lansing. Dakin announced his decision on his Instagram page on Sunday afternoon.
Dakin has averaged 43.9 yards per punt during his career thus far, with 47 total punts being placed inside the opponent's 20-yard line to just eight touchbacks. He received honorable mention All-Big Ten honors this year and was second-team All-Big Ten (media) during his freshman year. Dakin is also from Melbourne, Australia.
He will have two years of eligibility remaining and is taking the spot left behind by Ryan Eckley, who is NFL Draft-bound.
More on Dakin
Dakin is currently ranked by Rivals as the seventh-best punter in the transfer portal for this cycle. As a recruit attending ProKick Australia in the 2024 class, 247Sports had him as the No. 9 punter --- United States or otherwise.
The hope is that Dakin will be able to continue the nice string of punters that Michigan State has been able to have. Eckley will likely be picked by an NFL team in April, and he succeeded Bryce Barringer, who was also an NFL draft pick.
Special teams will definitely look different for the Spartans next year. Michigan State is also set to get a new kicker after Martin Connington announced he would enter the portal. MSU still has kicker Tarik Ahmetbasic on its roster, as of now. Starting long snapper Jack Wills also remains with Michigan State, too.
Transfer Portal Tracker
Incoming Transfers (3) -
Jan. 4 - UConn OT Ben Murawski (1 year remaining); Jan. 4 - Houston Christian CB Tyran Chappell (3 years remaining); Jan. 4 - Iowa P Rhys Dakin (2 years remaining)
Outgoing Transfers (42) -
Nov. 30 - RB Makhi Frazier (2 years remaining); Dec. 1 - WR Nick Marsh (2 years remaining); Dec. 5 - EDGE Stone Chaney (4 years remaining); Dec. 8 - DB Jeremiah Hughes (2 years remaining); Dec. 8 - S Tracy Revels (2 years remaining); Dec. 8 - OG Gavin Broscious (1 or 2 years remaining); Dec. 9 - OL Rashawn Rogers (4 years remaining); Dec. 10 - DB Justin Denson Jr. (3 years remaining); Dec. 10 - LB Semaj Bridgeman (2 years remaining); Dec. 11 - LB Darius Snow (1 year remaining); Dec. 11 - DB Ade Willie (1 year remaining); Dec. 11 - EDGE Tyler Gillison (1-2 years remaining); Dec. 12 - LS Kaden Schickel (1 year remaining); Dec. 15 - QB Aidan Chiles (1 year remaining); Dec. 15 - LB Marcellius Pulliam (2 years remaining)
Dec. 16 - WR Grant Calcagno (2 years remaining); Dec. 23 - DB George Mullins (4 years remaining); Dec. 23 - DB Elisha West (3 years remaining); Dec. 27 - TE Michael Masunas (2 years remaining); Dec. 28 - OL Cooper Terpstra (2 years remaining); Dec. 30 - K Martin Connington (3 years remaining); Dec. 31 - WR Evan Boyd (2 years remaining); Dec. 31 - OL Kristian Phillips (1 year remaining); Dec. 31 - EDGE Jalen Thompson (1-2 years remaining); Dec. 31 - WR Chrishon McCray (1 year remaining); Dec. 31 - OL Cole Dellinger (3 years remaining); Dec. 31- TE Wyatt Hook (3 years remaining); Dec. 31 - QB Ryland Jessee (3 years remaining) Dec. 31 - EDGE David Santiago (2 years remaining); Dec. 31 - CB Aydan West (3 years remaining)
Dec. 31 - OL Justin Bell (4 years remaining); Dec. 31 - OL Charlton Luniewski (3 years remaining); Dec. 31 - OL Mercer Luniewski (3 years remaining); Dec. 31 - OL Payton Stewart (3 years remaining); Jan. 1 - OL Ashton Lepo (2 years remaining); Jan. 2 - DT Alex VanSumeren (2 years remaining); Jan. 2 - S Armorion Smith (1 year remaining); Jan. 2 - WR Shawn Foster (2 years remaining); Jan. 2 - CB Chance Rucker (2 years remaining) Jan. 2 - OL Stanton Ramil (2 years remaining); Jan. 2 - LB Aisea Moa (1 year remaining); Jan. 4 - DB Anthony Pinnace III (1 year remaining)
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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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