Michigan State football has contacted two more players in the transfer portal

The spring transfer portal window in college football is in full swing and Michigan State football has already been extremely active so far. The Spartans have seen a few key players, including Simeon Barrow Jr., already enter the portal, but Jonathan Smith has been active so far and has contacted a few transfers from other schools.

On Thursday, two new players announced that they are receiving interest from MSU, and both players would be huge additions to the team.

Toledo RB Peny Boone

Running back Peny Boone from Toledo and Louisville is the first transfer Michigan State was publically connected with on Thursday. Boone is one of the top availabe running backs in the transfer portal, currently ranked the No. 14 back in the portal according to 247Sports and the No. 4 back according to On3.

Boone first began his career in the Big Ten at Maryland where he spent his first two seasons. He struggled to see the field in either season with the Terps, but did score two touchdows in his second season. It was at this point that he entered the transfer portal for the first time and wound up at Toledo.

This is when his career really took off, thanks to an increase in playing time. Boone had a solid season in 2022, but it was this past year that he became one of the best running backs in the country. In 2023, Boone had 194 carries for 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns. In case you don't want to do the math yourself, that is a whopping 7.4 yards per carry. His 1,400 total rushing yards were also No. 8 in the country.

After this breakout year, he did enter the portal and commit to Louisville, but he has once again entered the portal this spring looking for a new home. Michigan State recruited Boone out of high school and did once again when he was first in the portal, so it is no surprise seeing the Spartans reach out to Boone again trying to get him in East Lansing. Boone is originally from Detroit, so this is something that could help MSU in their pursuit.

Stephen F. Austin DL Brandon Lane

Defensive lineman Brandon Lane is the second transfer that Michigan State has reportedly made contact with on Thursday. Lane is a sophomore from Stephen F. Austin where he has spent his two collegiate seasons.

Lane isn't a star transfer prospect like Boone is, but he is still a very solid transfer. This past season, Lane accumulated 45 tackles including 1.5 sacks and one fumble recovery.

It is important to note that Michigan State hasn't offered Lane yet, but they have reached out to him and shown some interest in the portal. With the Spartans' loss of defensive lineman Simeon Barrow Jr. to the portal this week, it makes sense for Smith to target that position in the portal. Now Lane would not be a direct replacement for Barrow, but he would be another solid depth piece who would likely see some playing time as a backup this coming season.

Time will tell if Michigan State pursues both of these transfers hard or not, but I love the emphasis that Jonathan Smith is putting on the transfer portal so far. He understands, like the rest of us, that there is still a lot of work to do to improve the roster, and thankfully he is hitting the ground running this portal season.