What Wheatland Will Give MSU Football From Transfer Portal

Here's what to know about Auburn transfer Caleb Wheatland and what he'll do this season.

Aug 31, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Connecticut Huskies quarterback Nick Evers (3) throws a pass over Maryland Terrapins linebacker Caleb Wheatland (44) during the second quarter at SECU Stadium. | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Linebacker was a spot where Michigan State was pretty active in the portal this offseason.

Even though the Spartans kept star Jordan Hall, defensive coordinator Joe Rossi, and linebackers coach Max Bullough wanted to ensure there were other proven options around him this fall. Landing Auburn transfer Caleb Wheatland was one way to do that.

Wheatland's Career So Far

Dec 30, 2023; Nashville, TN, USA; Maryland Terrapins defensive lineman Taizse Johnson (40) and linebacker Caleb Wheatland (44) celebrate after a win against the Auburn Tigers at Nissan Stadium. | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

Wheatland is, to be honest, only an "Auburn transfer" in name only. Everything truly notable about his career to this point has involved Maryland. The reason Wheatland is still eligible to play for MSU this fall is that he played only three games last season with Auburn, which preserved his redshirt.

Wheatland was a 5-star prospect coming out of Avalon School in Centreville, Va. He was ranked 997th overall in the high school class of 2022, also finished 91st among linebackers and 27th among Virginians. Maryland is the only Power Five offer listed on Wheatland's 247Sports profile, which might've simplified his decision.

Playing time was there right away for Wheatland, even though he wasn't recruited by many high-level programs. He played in 11 games during his true freshman season, actually making his first career start against Michigan State, ironically enough. Wheatland made 17 tackles that season with 2.0 tackles for loss.

His role grew as a sophomore and a junior. Wheatland had 1.5 sacks against MSU in 2023 while en route to a 41-tackle, 3.5-sack season. The next year, he started all 11 games he played in and made 42 tackles with 4.0 sacks.

Michigan State's head coach Pat Fitzgerald calls out to players during spring football practice on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Role at MSU

Wheatland should be in line to start for the Spartans this coming season, despite the unusual year at Auburn. The reason Wheatland didn't play more might be more of a closed-door issue. He said during the spring that the SEC was "very political" when asked about the differences between the conference and the Big Ten, and that "it's got a lot of outside noise that they like to feed into more."

Splitting some time between the WILL and MIKE linebacker spots seems like the natural role for Wheatland. This also goes a bit for Buffalo transfer Dion Crawford. Plenty of guys on the roster can play in the middle, but Hall has a firm grip on that spot.

Nov 25, 2023; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights running back Kyle Monangai (5) carries the ball as linebacker Caleb Wheatland (44) tackles during the first half at SHI Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

More time will probably be at WILL for Wheatland. His miss tackle rate for his career is 23.3%, according to Pro Football Focus, and only so many snaps can be taken from Hall. That's where Wheatland can operate best in coverage and as a pass rusher on occasion.

Involvement on special teams wouldn't be a surprise, either. Wheatland is bringing 900 snaps on defense with him to East Lansing, but he's also appeared in 320 special teams plays. He was on Maryland's kick return, punt coverage, and field goal block teams back when he was starting at linebacker, too, during the 2024 campaign.

Sep 7, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; A detailed view of Michigan State Spartans helmet on the field before the game against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images