Charles Brantley having a major turnaround year with Michigan State football

This past offseason, Charles Brantley entered his name into the transfer portal with the intention of finally moving away from Michigan State football after an up-and-down three-year career.

Brantley had suffered injuries, coaching changes, and inconsistency throughout his career which led to his decision to hit the portal for a second time. The first time, he was talked into a return by Mel Tucker and this time, it looked like he'd be gone for good.

And then he gave Michigan State's new coaching staff a chance.

Now, three weeks into the 2024 season, Brantley looks like one of the most improved players on the entire roster and he's even earning some national recognition. In fact, Pro Football Focus graded Brantley the No. 1 cornerback in the nation in Week 3 for his performance against Prairie View A&M.

Forget the fact that this picture is of Alante Brown and not Brantley (they do share the same number), but PFF was clearly high on the Spartan cornerback's Week 3 showing.

What did Brantley do against Prairie View A&M? All he did was record two tackles, a pass breakup, and a Michigan State record 100-yard pick-six right before halftime. Before he intercepted a pass in the end zone and returned it for a score, he had another pick-six called back due to a questionable roughing the passer call on Angelo Grose.

So he had two pick-sixes in the same game and only one counted.

On top of that, he just locked down his receivers. He has proven to be one of the most impressive turnaround stories on the team and he's benefitting massively from the new defensive back coaches in Blue Adams and Demetrice Martin.

Let's hope this continues.