Depth on the defensive line is something that many Michigan State football fans have been worried about this offseason and losing James Schott to the transfer portal on Wednesday didn't exactly help calm those frustrations.
However, Jonathan Smith went out and immediately landed his replacement just hours later.
In fact, Michigan State landed Texas Tech edge rusher transfer Isaac Smith on Wednesday night after he appeared in two seasons with the Red Raiders.
#GoGreen @MSU_Football pic.twitter.com/UpX33NC1Rb
— Isaac Smith (@isaacsmith1921) April 24, 2025
Smith played primarily linebacker with Texas Tech, appearing in 23 total games, but he's coming to Michigan State with the 'EDGE' distinction. As a linebacker in 2024, he had 31 total tackles, four tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. He showed some promise as a rusher and he got into the backfield quite a bit over 12 games.
The senior edge rusher was a lightly-recruited three-star prospect in the 2021 class, ranking somewhere in the 1,500-range, but he finally earned some action in 2022.
Why did he only appear in two seasons for the Red Raiders? He suffered an injury before the 2023 season and missed the entire year. Seeing him come back and be productive in 2024 as a junior was promising and that shows that he can do even better with a fully healthy offseason.
Michigan State has been light on defensive line depth and adding a veteran like Smith is going to help. He also has a strong 6-foot-6, 260-pound frame. The Oklahoma native is going to ease right into the regular playing rotation and I see him playing a big role defensively.
I doubt Jonathan Smith is done in the portal.