How Michigan State Football Approaches Fluidity of Spring Roster

With the transfer portal being a factor, Michigan State's spring roster is sure to look a bit different come fall.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State football's spring camp is officially in the books, and while the program is feeling good and renewed going into the summer, there is still the concern of the transfer portal.

Some players who took the field Saturday might not be with the Spartans in the fall, and that's a complicated issue to digest, especially for players who just became acquainted for the first time this spring.

"I mean, the landscape creates that, and so we're not the only ones kind of dealing with it," said Spartans coach Jonathan Smith after the event. "You just try to create an environment where these guys feel like [they have] an opportunity and they are going to just develop and grow. I think we've established that for about four months.

"I think we got a lot of guys that are feeling optimistic about the approach. But again, in this landscape, everybody's got their individual decisions. And again, vice versa; I look at it as a way, in the next few months, we could add some really good players to the roster."

Some players who know the transferring process have sympathy when it comes to the portal.

"I'm a product of the portal," said Spartan running back Nate Carter, who is going on his second season with Michigan State. "So, I'm never going to tell someone else that they can't make the best decisions for themselves because if I didn't enter the portal, I wouldn't be here doing [what] I'm doing right now. So, I'm blessed for the opportunity. And like I said, I love the guys who went in the portal, I love the guys who stay because they're making the best decisions for themselves, which is ultimately what I want.

"And obviously, I'm sure that we're going to bring some guys in that can help us grow as a team and help us grow as a family, and that will be exciting to see what we bring in and obviously, who stays, so we can continue to build on what we have right now."

The transfer portal opened back up on Tuesday and will close on April 30.

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