Michigan State football likely to get visit from productive Nicholls LB transfer

Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith talks the media on the first national signing day for college football recruits Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith talks the media on the first national signing day for college football recruits Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan State football is heavily invested in the transfer portal and the Spartans' incoming players have finally caught up to the departures.

But Jonathan Smith isn't done yet.

After adding David Santiago from Air Force earlier this week, Smith is looking to schedule a visit with Nicholls linebacker transfer Eli Ennis. He spoke about his recruitment recently and he's garnering interest from a handful of programs and he talked about a potential upcoming visit to Michigan State.

Ennis' offer sheet so far isn't exactly star-studded, but he is one of the more productive linebackers in the transfer portal. In fact, he totaled 111 tackles in 2024 with two sacks, three pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and three interceptions. He was a do-it-all linebacker for Nicholls in the FCS and that's why he's getting interest from FBS programs like Western Michigan, Kansas, South Alabama, and Jacksonville State.

The Nicholls star actually faced an incoming Michigan State transfer earlier in the season and fared well. He actually matched up with Sacramento State running back transfer Elijah Tau-Tolliver earlier in the season and finished as Nicholls' leading tackler with 10 takedowns and a tackle for loss. Tau-Tolliver did rush 21 times for 116 yards and got the win, but Ennis was the top defender he faced.

Michigan State could use some linebacker depth after losing Jordan Turner and Cal Haladay this offseason and it feels like a productive veteran like Ennis would be an ideal addition.

We'll see if the Spartans offer Ennis on his visit because, according to the report above, they haven't extended him a scholarship just yet.