Jonathan Smith and Michigan State football have been absolutely killing it in the transfer portal this offseason as the Spartans have officially gained as many transfers as they've lost.
Michigan State has lost 12 guys to the portal, including guys like Charles Brantley, Jaylen Thompson, and Jaron Glover, but the Spartans have also added 12 transfers. The latest transfer addition was yet another solid one as Smith picked up a commitment from Air Force linebacker David Santiago who's coming off a solid freshman season with the Falcons.
Santiago is a pass rush specialist at linebacker and finished with 38 total tackles, five tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks along with three pass breakups and a forced fumble. Oh, and he did all of this in 10 games.
Santiago was unranked out of high school in Raleigh, N.C., before attending Air Force and having a breakout freshman season with the Falcons. This type of production was sorely missed in the pass rush this past season and he'll fill an immediate void.
While he's listed as a linebacker, Santiago's 6-foot-4, 235-pound frame could be perfect coming off the edge for the Spartans next season. He becomes the first linebacker commit for Michigan State in the 2025 transfer class. He could also play on the edge and he would join edge rusher Anelu Lafaele from Wisconsin and Grady Kelly from Florida State as the other defensive line transfers.
Michigan State will still be looking to add to its 2025 transfer class this offseason. The Spartans signed a smaller 2025 recruiting class and if we're judging how big it could be based on last year, the Spartans landed 24 transfers last season.