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NEW: MSU Tight End Enters Transfer Portal, 4th Entry Of The Day
Michigan State Football has suffered four transfer portal entries today alone, up to 13 for the week...
When it rains, it pours...
Michigan State Football's spring transfer portal exodus continued on Tuesday when redshirt freshman tight end Jack Nickel added his name to the list of departing Spartans. The 6-foot-4, 235-pounder announced his decision via social media and gave a farewell to the MSU faithful.
"I'd like to thank my coaches, teammates, training staff, nutrition staff, and academic advisors for a great two years at Michigan State," Nickel wrote on Twitter. "With that being said, I have entered my name into the Transfer Portal with 3 years of eligibility."
Nickel became the fourth MSU player to enter the portal on Tuesday alone, joining defensive end Andrew Depaepe, defensive tackle Derrick Harmon and running back Jalen Berger. Michigan State has now seen 13 players enter the transfer portal a week after the spring window opened on April 16.
A former high three-star prospect in the Spartans' 2022 recruiting class, Nickel redshirted his first season on campus before appearing in 10 games in 2023, primarily on special teams. While Nickel's upside and projection coming out of high school was high, his career with the Spartans never really got going, as he took just 13 snaps at tight end last year, buried on the depth chart after former head coach Mel Tucker and his staff added three tight ends out of the transfer portal heading into the '23 season.
Michigan State entered spring practice in mid-March thin at tight end, with Nickel one of only four healthy players at the position. The Spartans added Oregon State transfer TE Jack Velling during the winter transfer portal window, and while returning Nickel, former Wisconsin transfer Ademola Faleye and redshirt sophomore Michael Masunas. Sophomore tight end Brennan Parachek, who figures to play a significant role for MSU this fall, sat out of of spring practice as he recovers from injury. Graduate senior Tyneil Hopper, who transferred to Michigan State from Boise State ahead of last season, is also still recovering from a season-ending leg injury suffered during the Spartans' Week 3 loss to Washington last year.
The transfer portal has been unkind to MSU since the spring window opened on April 16, with 13 players departing the program over the past week. This includes both of the Spartans' starting defensive tackles in Derrick Harmon and Simeon Barrow, three running backs in Davion Primm, Jaelon Barbarin and Jalen Berger, three defensive backs in Eddie Pleasant III, Margui Lowery and Sean Brown, as well as offensive lineman Braden Miller, wide receiver Antonio Gates Jr., defensive end Andrew Depaepe and linebacker Ma'a Gaoteote. Since the start of the 2023 season, MSU has lost 32 players to the transfer portal.
Head coach Jonathan Smith and his staff added 11 players to their 2024 roster during the winter transfer portal window, all of whom remain with the program through spring. The Spartans added a 12th transfer, former Indiana EDGE rusher Anthony Jones, out of the portal earlier this week, but Smith and his staff have more roster holes to fill going forward.
For a full look at Michigan State's transfer portal activity, click here.
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