Two More Experienced MSU Players to Enter Transfer Portal

Transfer portal season is set to be a wild one for Michigan State.

Two more experienced players are reportedly set to leave the program and seek new homes. Reports surfaced within minutes of each other early Wednesday afternoon that offensive lineman Kristian Phillips and EDGE rusher Jalen Thompson were both planning on entering the transfer portal when it officially opens on Friday.

Michigan State's Kristian Phillips runs an offensive line drill during the first day of football camp on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Both players had been part of MSU for their entire collegiate careers before this, and both will have one year of eligibility remaining. Phillips had been in East Lansing for four seasons; Thompson had been for three.

The number of known players planning to leave the Spartans has now reached 24. That number will probably rise in the coming days and weeks, with a similar number of players likely set to come in through the portal as well.

More on Both Players

Jalen Thompson

Thompson was a true junior this past fall. He had 30 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks this past season while appearing in 11 games and starting in 10. He'll leave Michigan State having appeared in 31 total games with 22 starts, racking up 66 total tackles, 13 TFLs, and 4.5 sacks.

Coming out of Cass Tech in Detroit, Thompson was a four-star recruit who had numerous other options to go to college. He had offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Georgia, and many other power-conference programs. Thompson finished ranked 236th overall in the class of 2023, per the 247Sports Composite. That ranked third among prospects from Michigan.

Kristian Phillips

Phillips will be a redshirt senior at his next stop. Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports says he only has one year remaining, but Phillips has the possibility of two, if he were seek a medical redshirt from the 2024 season, where he suffered a season-ending injury during Week 1.

Across his four seasons in East Lansing, Phillips ended up appearing in 18 total games. He played in six games in 2025, starting four, but suffered another injury that sidelined him for the Spartans' final six games.

Transfer Portal Tracker

Outgoing Transfers (22) -

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)

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