Michigan State football has 3 of nation’s top 100 transfers for 2021

Mel Tucker has been hard at work this offseason, trying to improve the Michigan State football roster through recruiting as well as the portal.

The first-year head coach went 2-5 in 2020 with the Spartans but he did so with a relatively bare cupboard and we are now seeing the results of the talent Mark Dantonio left as most transfers out of the program have headed to the MAC or other smaller conferences. That’s no knock on them, but they just didn’t fit the style Tucker wanted to have.

Plus, Tucker realized that he could improve the talent pool and depth on the roster immediately through the transfer portal and he’s taken full advantage.

In his first full offseason with Michigan State, Tucker has landed 15 scholarship transfers and Powers Warren, the son of Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren, as a walk-on

Most of Tucker’s 15 incoming transfers have come from Power Five schools and are highly regarded by many analysts and were highly sought-after by some top programs. But that just goes to show how well Tucker is selling the program.

Three Michigan State football transfers ranked in top 100

On Thursday, 247Sports released its list of top 100 transfers for 2021, and Michigan State had three newcomers make it.

Wake Forest running back transfer Kenneth Walker III was the highest-ranked MSU transfer at No. 79 overall and is likely to be the starter for the Spartans this season. Quavaris Crouch is right behind him at No. 82 overall after a solid tenure with Tennessee. And finally, Minnesota transfer Itayvion Brown, a freshman and former four-star, was ranked No. 98.

Not too shabby seeing as there were hundreds of transfers this offseason and if Michigan State can land three in the top-100 range, that shows just how much more talent the Spartans have coming in.

According to 247Sports‘ Stephen Brooks, Michigan State is just one of nine programs with at least three players on the list.

The rankings also state:

"With over 2,000 players entering the transfer portal this offseason, making the Top 100 means a player is among the top 5% of all transfers."

Michigan State got better this offseason.