Michigan State football has two massive DL visitors this week

It’s no secret what the most important position now is for Jonathan Smith and Michigan State football to target in the transfer portal: the defensive line.

The portal has decimated the Spartans' defensive line and has seen four key players all choose to enter the portal. This includes star defensive lineman Derrick Harmon, which was as shocking of a portal entrant as you’ll see.

Thankfully for Michigan State fans, Smith and his staff have already hit the ground running in the portal on the defensive line. This includes a commitment from EDGE Anthony Jones from Indiana as well as two other visitors coming to East Lansing later this week.

Brandon Lane, Stephen F. Austin

Stephen F. Austin transfer defensive lineman Brandon Lane is the first of two linemen set to visit Michigan State this week. Lane by far is the most exciting of the two prospects and is someone who I think could compete for a starting job if he commits to MSU.

Lane is coming off a great sophomore season that saw him rack up 45 total tackles and 1.5 sacks. But it’s his mobility that excites me the most.

A recent ACC player personnel director said, “He (Lane) will start at one hash and finish the play outside the opposite numbers. Great range and movement for a dude his size.”

If that doesn’t get you excited about the potential Lane brings then I don’t know what will.

Tyler Gillison, Cincinnati

Defensive lineman Tyler Gillison from Cincinnati is the second lineman who will be visiting Michigan State later this week. He will be coming on an official visit beginning this weekend and is another prime target for Smith and his staff to help replace those guys that they’ve already lost.

Now Gillison doesn’t have the experience that Lane has, and is coming off his redshirt freshman season where he only had 15 tackles. But that doesn’t mean we still shouldn’t be excited about his visit.

Whenever you lose four guys from the portal at the same position, you kind of just need anyone to come in to provide some depth to the roster. And that’s exactly what Gillison can do. He can be a very solid depth piece for Michigan State while Lane can come in and potentially become a starter. Both roles are important on any team, so that’s why both of these visits are huge.

Hopefully Smith is able to do extremely well on these visits, because Michigan State could sure use some more good news on the defensive line.