Michigan State To Host Transfer Portal WR Late in Process

The Spartans are hosting a wide receiver from the portal several months after the portal closed to new entrants.

Jackson State's wide receiver Jameel Gardner, Jr., (7) runs the ball during the game against Bethune-Cookman at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Miss., on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. | Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Football appears to want to get back into the transfer portal fun.

Michigan State has set an official visit with Jackson State wide receiver transfer Jameel Gardner Jr. this weekend, his representation at MET Agency Sports announced on Thursday night. This past season for the Tigers, Gardner had 32 catches for 483 yards and two touchdowns.

Jackson State Tigers' wide receiver Jameel Gardner Jr. (7) celebrates his catch during the game against the Tuskegee Golden Tigers in Jackson, Miss., on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. | Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Gardner, who attended Cass Tech in Detroit during high school, also played for Kent State. He overlapped with current MSU receiver Chrishon McCray there during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Gardner is also visiting Kent State again this coming weekend.

Accepting a portal visit certainly suggests the Spartans would like another receiver. The position is definitely a big unknown for Michigan State after the main portal cycle. Both of MSU's wide receiver additions, Michigan transfer Fredrick Moore and Notre Dame transfer KK Smith, were backups at their previous stops. There is just very little proven production at the Big Ten level.

More on Gardner, Why MSU Is Seeking Addition

Jackson StateÕs wide receiver Jameel Gardner, Jr., (7) runs the ball as Bethune CookmanÕs cornerback Devin Gunter (1) pursues him during the game at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Miss., on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. | Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Gardner is a grad transfer with one year of eligibility remaining at his next stop. Standing at 6-foot-0 and 186 pounds, according to Jackson State's roster, he will be out towards the boundary or field side. According to PFF, Gardner took 685 snaps during the 2025 season out wide, compared to just 14 snaps from the slot. The latter is McCray's domain, anyway, so it can be a fit.

The production from Gardner doesn't "wow" anyone, but beggars can't be choosers when looking for portal prospects several months after it opened. Gardner had 24 catches, 289 yards, and one touchdown as a redshirt freshman in 2023 at Kent State before he transferred to JSU. That made him the fourth-leading receiver on the Golden Flashes (McCray was first).

Sep 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Chrishon McCray (13) celebrates his touchdown scored against the Southern California Trojans during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

What could also be fueling the need for one more receiver is the pending waiver of Rodney Bullard Jr. He spoke on Thursday to the media and said that he doesn't have any sort of timetable on when he'll learn if he's eligible for the 2026 season or not.

Bullard has only played in three seasons of college football, but he started as a part-time student at Valdosta State and wasn't playing football, which theoretically started his eligibility clock. He only joined the team because coaches spotted him doing some 1-on-1s on a field near the team's facility and were impressed. This could be the staff potentially just not taking any chances with what the NCAA's eventual ruling might be.

Kent State Golden Flashes wide receiver Jameel Gardner Jr. (82) hauls in a pass for first down against Miami Redhawks defensive back Raion Strader (13) during the second half of an NCAA football game at Dix Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, in Kent, Ohio. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK