MSU Football: Key Transfer Additions to Watch This Fall
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Michigan State football has to get very busy in the transfer portal this offseason.
The Spartans brought in 32 players from the transfer portal this winter and spring. Some of these players likely came with a hefty NIL tag. These players in particular should be among the highest earners on the team and also have a big fall camp ahead of them:
LT Ben Murawski
UConn transfer Ben Murawski is going to be one of the most important players on MSU's roster this year. He's set to be Michigan State's starting left tackle and Alessio Milivojevic's blindside blocker. Murawski is estimated, according to The NIL Standard, to have the second-highest NIL value on the team at $1.27 million. Milivojevic is ahead of him at $1.56 million. Keep in mind those are estimates and not confirmed figures.
Murawski was the second-highest-rated transfer portal addition Michigan State made this offseason, only behind Iowa State corner transfer Tre Bell. He finished ranked 310th overall in the portal cycle this winter, according to 247Sports, as well as 21st among offensive tackles. Murawski was additionally the very first player in the portal to publicly commit to the Spartans this winter, doing so on Jan. 4.
These coming weeks will be Murawski's time to get more accustomed to Big Ten football before it starts counting. His entire career before this was at Connecticut, and the Huskies mostly play a Group of Five/Six schedule as an independent, with some games against Power Four teams (mostly from the ACC) sprinkled in.
Murawski has the potential to be an NFL draft pick next spring. He's got the size to play at the next level, standing at 6'7" and 340 pounds. Murawski was also one of the highest-graded run-blocking offensive tackles last season. If he keeps doing that and keeps Milivojevic off the ground, he'll have a future in the NFL.
EDGE Kenny Soares Jr.
Another (estimated) big earner is N.C. State transfer Kenny Soares Jr. His estimated valuation on The NIL Standard is about $1.16 million. That's the fourth-biggest estimate on the team. Returning right tackle Conner Moore is third at $1.21 million.
Soares is one of the more intriguing new players on MSU's roster. For one, he's actually the only player on the team who has spent a season with Pat Fitzgerald as the head coach; he was a true freshman at Northwestern during Fitzgerald's final season there in 2022. Secondly, Michigan State is shifting him from his more traditional role of linebacker to rush end.
This means Soares, who has only 3.0 sacks in his college career, had just half a sack last year at N.C. State, will become a key part of the Spartans' pass rush. It's an interesting decision to make, but Soares will, at the very least, be a good player to have setting the edge on run plays.
MSU hasn't been close to good enough in that department the last few years, and defensive coordinator Joe Rossi and position coach Andrew Bindelglass certainly seem to think Soares has the tools to make the position change, or tweak, worthwhile.
DT Eli Coenen
Another notable portal addition was Illinois transfer Eli Coenen. He's estimated to be the seventh-highest NIL earner on the team, with an NIL value of $759,000. Coenen is also projected to be the highest earner among the Spartans' defensive tackles.
This season should be the first where Coenen gets to be a starter for a Power Four school. He got a little more than 200 snaps last year with the Fighting Illini and saw the field in all 13 of Illinois' games. Coenen probably would've been a projected starter there if he had stayed, but Michigan State was able to earn his commitment from the portal on Jan. 12.
Coenen should be MSU's No. 2 defensive tackle this year during his redshirt junior season. He'll be in the main rotation for the Spartans at the position alongside redshirt senior Ben Roberts and redshirt freshman Derrick Simmons. Depth is a real concern at the defensive tackle position, so the health of Coenen and the two other regular contributors there will be a huge factor for Michigan State's defense.
What also makes Coenen an interesting addition is his size. He'll be MSU's tallest defensive tackle this season, standing at 6'6". He was down at 287 pounds during the spring, which is on the lighter side for a projected starter at his position, but some lesser poundage could mean Coenen can use some athleticism to his advantage when trying to beat the opponent's interior linemen against the run or in pass pro.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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