Several Notable Former MSU Players Finding Portal Destinations
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Lots of 2025 Michigan State players will be playing somewhere else in 2026.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the list of players on this past fall's roster who have entered the transfer portal, or are at least planning on it, is 43. The complete list of MSU's transfer portal losses and additions can be found RIGHT HERE.
A chunk of that list has already found new schools. These destinations are from around the country, and a couple players very well might end up on the same field as Michigan State again, this time as an opponent.
Here are a few of the Spartans' most notable portal entries and where they've ended up.
QB Aidan Chiles (Northwestern)
One of the biggest decisions came from former starting quarterback Aidan Chiles. He had been ousted for the QB1 spot by Alessio Milivojevic, and he's choosing to spend his final year of eligibility at Northwestern. The Wildcats, led by David Braun, recently made a splashy offensive coordinator hire by picking up Chip Kelly, who has been the head coach at Oregon and UCLA, along with being the OC at Ohio State during its 2024 national title run.
Barring any injury or any other thing that would relegate Chiles to the bench, he will get a shot at his old team sometime next fall. Northwestern is scheduled to travel to East Lansing, which will be a storyline-filled matchup with that and Pat Fitzgerald facing his alma mater and program he led for 17 years.
WR Nick Marsh (Indiana)
Nick Marsh might end up playing for the defending national champions next season. Indiana is currently prepping for its CFP semifinal against Oregon on Friday, and the Hoosiers already know that they'll be adding Marsh to their wide receiving corps next season.
Marsh was MSU's leading receiver during both his true freshman and sophomore seasons. He'll have two years of eligibility remaining, but 2026 is probably going to be his last collegiate season before entering the draft. Indiana is not part of Michigan State's regular season schedule next fall.
DT Alex VanSumeren (USC)
Another intra-conference transfer decision came from defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren. He announced that he would be transferring to USC on Tuesday with two seasons of eligibility remaining.
VanSumeren was the Spartans' top interior defensive lineman this past season. The Bay City, Mich. native finished the year with 52 tackles in 2025. Nobody else on MSU's defensive line had greater than 30. Barring any injury for VanSumeren or another transfer, he won't face his old team, at least in the regular season; USC's next meeting with Michigan State isn't until 2028.
CB Aydan West (Minnesota)
Oh look, more Big Ten transfers. Aydan West, a corner who started a handful of games for MSU this fall as a true freshman, announced on Tuesday that he would be transferring to Minnesota. His brother, Elisha, who was also with MSU in 2025, also did the same.
West is still somebody who has a lot of potential. Michigan State had to stave off attention from several other schools, including Ohio State, to seal West's commitment coming out of high school. He'll have three years of eligibility left. If West were to use them all in Minneapolis, he'd return to East Lansing in 2028.
TE Michael Masunas (Texas)
Another flashy move made by a former Spartan is Michael Masunas, who committed to transfer to Texas on Monday. He'll get to be a part of the same offense as Arch Manning next season and look to bring the Longhorns back to the CFP. Masunas has two years of eligibility left.
Masunas was Michigan State's second tight end this season, catching 19 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns. It seemed like he could've been MSU's top option at that spot next year with Jack Velling's graduation, but Masunas still decided to move on and join one of college football's blue bloods.
OT Stanton Ramil (Auburn)
One last major portal departure has been from starting left tackle Stanton Ramil. He entered the portal on Jan. 2, and it was reported that he had signed with Auburn on Wednesday. The move makes some sense for Ramil, as he is from the state of Alabama and it allows him to continue competing in an elite conference.
MSU has already seemed to fill Ramil's spot. The Spartans' very first portal add was UConn's Ben Murawski, who started at left tackle for the Huskies this fall and had one of the highest run blocking grades among all offensive tackles, according to PFF.
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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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