The first transfer portal domino has officially fallen as Michigan State is losing a starter following the announcement of Jonathan Smith’s firing and subsequent Pat Fitzgerald hiring.
On Sunday evening, Michigan State running back Makhi Frazier reportedly announced that he would be entering the transfer portal just hours after losing his head coach.
Frazier is the first Spartan to enter the portal following the Smith news.
BREAKING: Michigan State starting RB Makhi Frazier plans to enter the @TransferPortal, per his agent @coachzwill
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) November 30, 2025
The 5’10 215 RB totaled 116 Carries for 520 yards & 2 TD this season
Was Michigan State’s leading rusher
2 years of eligibility lefthttps://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/GxMf6gJHfd
It’s not surprising to see Frazier hit the portal, especially after he was on the injury report more often than not over the past month. In fact, he only played one game in the month of November and had just eight carries for 27 yards in a loss to Penn State.
Overall, the sophomore running back had a solid year as a first-time starter in the Power Four. When he was healthy and ready to play, he put up some decent numbers, even totaling a career-high 109 yards on 14 carries in a home loss to Michigan. He did all he could to try and lead Michigan State past the rival Wolverines, but the rest of the offense failed to show up.
Frazier had two 100-yard games this season with the other coming in the opener against Western Michigan. He followed that up with 81 yards against Boston College.
There was plenty of hype surrounding him to start the year, and when he had over 180 yards through the first two games on well over five yards per carry, there was talk of him being the first 1,000-yard rusher since Kenneth Walker III. Unfortunately, he just couldn’t stay on the field as he went down with an injury against Youngstown State and then he played just one game in November.
Frazier is the first Spartan to publicly announce that he’s entering the portal, and he surely won’t be the last, but I would expect some big names to wait to meet Fitzgerald in person before making a decision. This is a tough loss, but it’s not surprising to see Frazier leave after the coach who recruited him was fired.
Expect more portal announcements in the coming days.