It’s hard to believe that Pat Fitzgerald hasn’t recruited the transfer portal in three years, but the new Michigan State football coach is killing it so far.
Michigan State has picked up several commitments in the portal from guys who will compete for starting jobs next season, and while some casual fans may look at where these recruits are coming from and let doubt creep in, picking up top Group of Five talent can be key — look at what Indiana has done.
The Spartans hosted one of the best running backs in the transfer portal on Monday night, and Fitzgerald brought him to the basketball game against USC.
Cam Edwards, a 1,000-yard rusher from UConn, was on campus Monday, and he was seen leaving the Michigan State basketball game with Fitzgerald and Alessio Milivojevic. The Spartans’ head coach had his arm around Edwards and he was trying to fire the crowd up by pointing at the UConn back.
Alessio joined in, and the alumni Izzone went wild.
#MichiganState coach Pat Fitzgerald and QB Alessio Milivojevic with UConn transfer RB Cam Edwards, who's on an official visit. pic.twitter.com/IrEaMV7FJJ
— Jake Lyskawa (@jakelyskawa) January 6, 2026
Shortly after the game ended, Fitzgerald posted his bat signal, hinting at a transfer portal commitment.
While there were other transfers on campus, the fact that he was hyping Edwards up in front of the crowd and Milivojevic was pointing at him as if he was the newest Spartan commit was very telling. All the signs are pointing to the 1,000-yard rusher heading to East Lansing for his senior season.
Cam Edwards has star potential
Fitzgerald knows that building a strong offensive line is necessary for success, and he’s doing a solid job of scheduling visits with top-tier transfer talent in the trenches. He’s already landed Edwards’ teammate and the nation’s third-highest-graded run-blocker, Ben Murawski.
He also hosted an FCS All-American lineman on Monday night along with Edwards.
The transfer running back has to notice what Fitzgerald is building in the trenches, and he has to love it. It would almost be a shock if he weren’t already a silent commit.
That would be huge for the 2026 backfield outlook.
While Brandon Tullis and Jace Clarizio are back as of right now, there’s not a ton of experience or production returning to the run game. Edwards brings both.
The senior running back rushed for 2,690 yards and 27 touchdowns over his three-plus years with the Huskies. He was effective throughout his time there, never averaging under 5.0 yards per carry — with the exception of his one carry for two yards in his true freshman season (where he redshirted).
Edwards was the nation’s 15th-leading rusher in 2025 with 1,240 yards and his 15 touchdowns were ranked 13th in the country. His 5.9 yards per carry average put him in the top-40 nationally as well, proving that he wasn’t just racking up yards because of a major workload, but he was a home-run threat.
At Michigan State with an improved offensive line, Edwards could become the Spartans’ first 1,000-yard rusher since Kenneth Walker III.
Five years to the day (January 6, 2021) of Walker’s commitment to Michigan State, Edwards could bring good news to Spartan fans. All the signs are there for him to become Michigan State’s next elite back.
Get it done, Fitzgerald.