Multiple Ex-Spartans Returning to East Lansing with UCLA

There are several people around the Bruins who have connections to Michigan State.

Oct 19, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; UCLA Bruins running back Jalen Berger (0) catches a pass for a touchdown as Rutgers Scarlet Knights linebacker Abram Wright (11) pursues during the second half at SHI Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

College football games that had players going up against a former school used to be pretty rare. Transfers used to be pretty rare, since almost always it meant that the athlete had to sit out a year.

Now, that rule is essentially extinct and people can pretty freely move between schools. Michigan State added more than 20 players out of the transfer portal this offseason, and a similar number exited the program in the same way.

Aug 29, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans tight end Michael Masunas (81) fights through contact from Western Michigan Broncos safety Tate Hallock (3) at Spartan Stadium. | Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images

In game No. 6 of the 2025 season, this will be the third instance where MSU's opponent will have a former Spartan on the roster. Western Michigan had safety Tate Hallock, who was with Michigan State from 2019-22. USC had long snapper Hank Pepper, who spent the 2021-23 seasons in East Lansing.

UCLA has an unusual number of connections, though. Especially for a school located so far away. Two players on its roster have played for MSU, and two more were committed to the Spartans at one point in high school. There's also one assistant coach who was in East Lansing last year.

RB Jalen Berger

Oct 19, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; UCLA Bruins running back Jalen Berger (0) scores on a touchdown reception as Rutgers Scarlet Knights defensive back Robert Longerbeam (7) defends during the second half at SHI Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Running back Jalen Berger must really enjoy life in the Big Ten, because he's played six years of college football at three different schools (two seasons each) and has stayed within the conference the entire time.

After beginning his career at Wisconsin, Berger then transferred to Mel Tucker's program in East Lansing, where he spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The better of those two was the first year. Berger ran for 683 yards and six touchdowns that year, which are both easily career highs.

This year at UCLA, he currently has 78 yards on 23 carries --- just 3.4 yards per attempt --- and no touchdowns. He had six rushes for 29 yards during the Bruins' upset win over Penn State.

EDGE Anthony Jones

Michigan State's Anthony Jones, left, tries to tackle Rutgers' Antwan Raymond as he runs for a touchdown during the fourth quarter on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Anthony Jones is at his fourth different school in four years. He was at Oregon in 2022, Indiana in 2023, and then MSU last year. Now he's at UCLA, and has played well so far.

The Bruins only have five sacks in five games this year, but Jones is credited with 1.5 of them. His 2.5 tackles for loss are also second on the team.

It's not known yet if Jones will actually be able to play against one of his old schools, though. He didn't appear during UCLA's game versus Penn State and was listed as questionable on the team's availability report.

Coach Demetrice Martin

Michigan State's cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin works with players during the first day of football camp on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Returning to East Lansing is also former player and coach Demetrice Martin. He played for the Spartans from 1992-95, spending time as a wide receiver and a cornerback.

Martin was a part of head coach Jonathan Smith's original coaching staff at Michigan State, coaching the cornerbacks. Last December, Martin left the job after just one year and returned to UCLA, where he had a stint as the defensive backs coach from 2012-17.

His official title is now "pass game coordinator and secondary coach."

Former Commits

Jonathan Smith patrols the sidelines during Michigan State's game at USC on Sept. 20, 2025. | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

DB LaRue Zamorano III

The same day Martin announced he was leaving Michigan State for UCLA, four-star defensive back LaRue Zamorano III decommitted from the Spartan program. Two days later, he committed and signed with the Bruins. According to the Rivals Industry Rankings, he was the 625th overall recruit in the class of 2025.

Zamorano has not played a snap so far during his true freshman season.

QB Henry Hasselbeck

Henry Hasselbeck, the son of former NFL quarterback and three-time Pro Bowler Matt, is another former Michigan State commit who hasn't seen live action while at UCLA. He got recruited by the Tucker staff and decided to look elsewhere after Tucker got fired.

Hasselbeck was ranked as the 75th-best quarterback in the class of 2024 by the Rivals Industry Ranking and was a consensus three-star recruit.

Jul 29, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; A detailed view of UCLA Bruins helmet during Pac-12 Media Day at Novo Theater. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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