Michigan State football has reportedly reached out to Alabama cornerback transfer, and former top-60 recruit, Nigel Knott.
Just like the quarterback position, cornerback will see a wide-open battle this offseason with both Josh Butler and Josiah Scott departing.
Butler got the nod at the start of the season and then split time with Shakur Brown and Kalon Gervin. Scott, on the other hand, was one of the most consistent cornerbacks in the conference and decided to enter the NFL draft a year early.
There are still some young cornerbacks on the roster who could replace Butler and Scott next season but the major concern is experience. The talent is there with Gervin, Julian Barnett, Davion Williams and Chris Jackson but the experience is not. That’s where the NCAA transfer portal could come in to play.
And according to Freep‘s Rainer Sabin, Michigan State has reached out to at least one big name in the portal in Alabama’s Nigel Knott.
Have heard Michigan State is one of the early schools to reach out to former Alabama defensive back Nigel Knott, who was a top-70 recruit in the 2016 class. Knott went in the transfer portal today.
— Rainer Sabin (@RainerSabin) January 27, 2020
While Michigan State didn’t offer Knott out of high school and he isn’t all that familiar with the Spartans, it wouldn’t hurt to gauge his interest and see if he could see himself being a leader of a young position group.
Even though Knott hasn’t played much at Alabama and has been buried on a loaded depth chart at cornerback, he has experience competing against the best of the best. He’s been in Tuscaloosa since 2016 and would be immediately eligible with one year remaining.
Is this going to come to anything? Time will tell but Mark Dantonio isn’t quick to jump at the portal even though he did state this year that he’ll be more aware of it during the offseason. Knott would be a nice addition to a thinning defensive backfield.