The Jonathan Smith era is slowly melting away as many former Michigan State players from the past two seasons have moved on this offseason.
From graduation, to the NFL, to the transfer portal, this offseason has claimed a lot of Spartans from the forgettable Smith era and two of them were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft to extend the streak to five years. Following the draft, several Spartans were signed and invited to NFL rookie minicamps across the league.
Guys like Jack Velling, Joshua Eaton, and Malcolm Bell, among others, all either signed with teams following the draft or were invited to rookie minicamps. There are obviously several other Spartans who are getting NFL opportunities, including All-Big Ten linebacker Wayne Matthews III.
According to the official Michigan State football X account, Matthews III became the latest Spartan to join the NFC North as a rival to the home-state Detroit Lions. The former Old Dominion linebacker and honorable mention All-Big Ten selection in 2025 was invited to the Chicago Bears’ rookie minicamp this offseason.
Although Jalen Nailor left the NFC North this offseason for a $35 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, Michigan State is still well-represented by Jayden Reed. On top of Reed and Nailor until this offseason, Matthews III and Omari Kelly (Bears) will also be joining an NFC North rival of the Lions.
Spartan fans who also root for the Lions will have an opportunity to see Reed, Matthews, and Kelly — if at least one of the latter two can make the Bears’ 53-man roster — two times each this season.
Matthews more than deserves this opportunity after an All-Big Ten senior season in which he recorded 73 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and an interception. He bounced back from a serious injury scare against USC to have a really good season, starting all 12 games.
Wayne Matthews III would have thrived under Max Bullough
Like other Spartan transfers who also earned NFL opportunities this weekend, I think Matthews was vastly overlooked in this draft class. He came to Michigan State as a 135-tackle guy for Old Dominion and he had a quiet first season under Smith. Matthews played in nine games in 2024 and totaled 33 tackles — a 102-tackle drop-off from 2023.
Matthews bounced back in 2025, totaling 73 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and his first career interception. He looked the part of an All-Big Ten linebacker.
But I can help but to think about what his Michigan State career might have looked like if he got to play for Max Bullough. Learning the ins and outs of the linebacker position from a Michigan State legend like Bullough would have done wonders for Matthews’ career in East Lansing and I think he would have been the perfect blitzing linebacker for an aggressive defensive scheme.
Instead, Matthews played during a stale Smith era and didn’t improve his draft stock in East Lansing judging by his invite to the Bears’ minicamp instead of an NFL contract.
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