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BREAKING: MSU Football Loses Two More To Transfer Portal
Michigan State loses two more players to the spring transfer portal window, and the Spartans' roster continues to be reshaped...
Michigan State Football's roster continues to be reshaped by the transfer portal, as two more Spartans have chosen to explore other options to continue their careers.
On Monday afternoon, MSU wide receiver Antonio Gates Jr. and defensive back Sean Brown each entered the portal, becoming the seventh and eighth players to do so since the spring window opened on April 16. In total, Michigan State has now lost 27 players since the start of the 2023 season.
Gates Jr., the son of NFL Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates Sr., is a former four-star prospect out of Detroit from the class of 2022. After redshirting his first season in East Lansing, the 6-foot-2, 194-pounder appeared in all 12 games in 2023 as a redshirt freshman, totaling five receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown.
Michigan State wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins had good things to say about Gates Jr. during spring practice, and it sounded like the young receiver would compete for more playing time in 2024.
"He has had a pretty good spring," Hawkins said of Gates Jr. "He has flashed, and he shows the ability to win deep, to win intermediate. I just think, you know, he's taken a couple years to figure college ball out and everything that it takes to be a college athlete, a student-athlete. I think things are finally slowing down for him and he's showing up. If he continues to play like he's playing, I mean, he's going to compete for playing time in the fall. He's had a really good spring."
Asked whether the weight of his father's name has been a burden for the younger Gates to carry, Hawkins said, "You'd have to ask him that, but he's done a good job, man. He's been positive, he's been fun, he's been Gates. He keeps me on my toes."
As a high school prospect, Gates Jr. had 23 total FBS offers including from Ohio State, Penn State, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Arkansas and Cincinnati, among others. The redshirt sophomore has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Meanwhile, Brown enters the portal after just one year at Michigan State. A three-star prospect out of Simi Valley (Calif.) in the class of 2023, Brown appeared in seven games for the Spartans as a true freshman last season. The 6-foot-3, 196-pounder played 24 snaps on defense and 27 on special teams, totaling three tackles.
Brown had nine FBS scholarship offers coming out of high school, and took visits to Arizona, Washington State and Colorado State before settling on MSU as his school. BYU, Oregon State, San Diego State, UNLV and Utah State were also involved in his high school recruitment.
Brown and Gates Jr. join six other Spartans who have entered the portal this spring: linebacker Ma'a Gaoteote, running back Jaelon Barbarin, offensive lineman Braden Miller, cornerbacks Eddie Pleasant III and Marqui Lowery and defensive tackle Simeon Barrow.
So far this spring, Michigan State has added one player to its roster via the portal in former Oregon and Indiana EDGE rusher Anthony Jones. For a full look at MSU's transfer portal activity, click here.
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