Michigan State Lands Productive ACC LB From Transfer Portal
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Michigan State had added another critical piece to its defense.
The Spartans received a transfer portal commitment from N.C. State linebacker transfer Kenny Soares Jr., according to multiple reports. Soares began his career playing for Pat Fitzgerald at Northwestern in 2022. He has one year of eligibility remaining and adds a ton of production, experience, and some more depth to MSU's linebacker room.
During his first and only year with the Wolfpack, Soares was a starter on NCSU's defense. He totaled 80 total tackles across N.C. State's 13 games, which ranked second on the team. Soares also added four tackles for loss, half a sack, two pass defenses, and one fumble recovery.
Soares is now set to finish his collegiate career with the coach he began it with, Fitzgerald. He'll also join a linebacker room with some serious depth alongside Jordan Hall, Brady Pretzlaff, Buffalo transfer Dion Crawford, and Auburn transfer Caleb Wheatland. The room is led by co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Max Bullough.
More on Soares, Fit at MSU
The addition of Soares is the 26th of the offseason for MSU. Fitzgerald and Co. have certainly revamped the roster, though one will have to wait until next fall to see if it has been enough to result in more wins.
Michigan State's linebacker room will definitely be one of the team's strengths. Led by Hall, the returning team captain, the Spartans have added more productive pieces around him, which should help lighten his load as the team's MIKE linebacker.
The addition of Soares should particularly help Hall, since a lot of the snaps Soares took this year, according to Pro Football Focus, were as an inside linebacker.
Soares totaled 656 defensive snaps during the 2025 season with the Wolfpack, starting during N.C. State's final eight games of the season. PFF gave him an overall grade of 60.6, with Soares' best category being as a run defender, where he received a 73.0 mark.
Something interesting is that NCSU utilized Soares as a pass rusher quite a bit. He had 125 snaps where he was going after the quarterback, resulting in a half-sack, two QB hits, 11 hurries, and 14 total pressures, also according to PFF. Hall had 53 such snaps this past year for Michigan State, for additional reference.
It certainly seems like the Spartans, Bullough, and DC Joe Rossi want linebackers who can get after the passer. Before transferring to Auburn, Wheatland led Maryland in sacks back in 2024 with four. Crawford has 12 career sacks from his time at Buffalo as well.
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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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