Michigan State football lands No. 2 JUCO CB in the nation

A familiar face is headed back home to play for Michigan State football after growing up in Ann Arbor and starring at quarterback for Huron High.

Anthony Pinnace, a former Ann Arbor Huron quarterback, has spent the last few years working his way through the JUCO ranks at cornerback to finally get an opportunity to return home to play for the Spartans. Over the weekend, he committed to Michigan State.

Pinnace has had an eventful college career so far, redshirting in 2022 and then playing for Independence Community College in 2023, earning NJCAA All-America honors before transferring to Iowa Western where he became the No. 2 JUCO cornerback in the country. He committed to UTSA following the 2024 season and spent the spring there.

On April 26, he transferred yet again to Michigan State.

Pinnace heads back home to join a Michigan State roster that needs plenty of help in the secondary as it has been one of the program's weaknesses for years. Now, he'll hope to contend for some snaps and a spot on the two-deep as one of the most impactful JUCO players in the nation.

It'll be interesting to see how Smith and the rest of the staff utilize these transfer additions from lower levels like Pinnace and Jack Lamancusa from Hope College. Both guys are local and are hoping to make names for themselves at the FBS level. Adding players who are hungry to make names for themselves was a strategy that made Mark Dantonio successful, so we'll see if that continues under Smith.

I like this addition, but time will tell if it plays out in the Spartans' favor.