Michigan State Football: Post-spring mass exodus all part of Mel Tucker’s plan

Mel Tucker came to the Michigan State football program with a plan. He was prepared to change the culture of the program even if that meant completely flipping the roster.

The head coach’s first season was him just dipping his toe with the roster already in place. He didn’t get a real shot at an offseason with COVID-19 running rampant and canceling spring ball, in-person recruiting, and fall camp. He had to move forward with the roster he was given and the Spartans finished 2-5 with a couple of wings over ranked opponents.

Now that he has a season under his belt and he’s finally getting that first full offseason, he’s making some changes to the roster that aren’t just wanted but needed.

Tucker hit the transfer portal hard this offseason, adding a bunch of veterans who could have immediate impacts but he’s also lost some big names like Julian Barnett, Devontae Dobbs, Luke Fulton, Chris Jackson, Davion Williams, and Rocky Lombardi.

Following spring camp, he’s seen a second mass exodus and some casual fans might be slightly panicking, but we need to realize that it’s all part of Tucker’s plan.

Michigan State football is becoming ‘Transfer Portal U’

If you look at where most of Michigan State’s departing transfers ended up, it’s clear that the roster that Mark Dantonio assembled over his final few seasons just wasn’t up to part with the contenders in the Big Ten. He had a MAC-level roster in the toughest division in college football.

And that’s why the Spartans struggled.

Over the weekend, Michigan State lost Jack Olsen and Justin Stevens to the transfer portal. On Monday, news of departures came in pretty much once an hour.

Here are the guys who announced their transfers on Monday:

• Tommy Guajardo, TE
• Damon Kaylor, OL
• DeAri Todd, DE
• Bryce Eimer, LS
• Chris Mayfield, DL
• Jasiyah Robinson, DE

And this probably won’t be the end of the departures for the Spartans after spring ball and meeting with the coaching staff about their futures. There’s bound to be more as Tucker constructs his roster the way he sees fit.

Michigan State is swapping guys like the ones above who never saw the field out for players such as Kenneth Walker III, Anthony Russo, Drew Jordan, Chester Kimbrough, Harold Joiner, Christian Fitzpatrick, Maliq Carr, and Jarrett Horst. Those are all upgrades.

Don’t worry about the departures, folks. This is all part of the plan.

If you want to build a winner, you have to get your hands dirty.