Michigan State football makes huge splash in portal, lands Brandon Lane

Jonathan Smith moves in silence. When every football fan was glued to their TVs Thursday night, watching the first round of the NFL Draft unfold, Smith was working hard to make Michigan State football better.

And, man, did he ever.

The Spartans just lost four key players on the defensive line this past week, including former top 60 recruit Bai Jobe. But Smith has already found a new addition to the defensive line, one that has the potential to be better than all four guys who just left the program.

Brandon Lane is a sophomore defensive lineman from Stephen F. Austin. He is coming off a solid second season in college that saw him accumulate 45 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and one fumble recovery.

After this past season, Lane entered the transfer portal looking to make the jump to Power Five football. And that’s exactly what he did.

Smith came calling almost immediately and set up a visit for Lane to come to East Lansing that began this past Sunday. The visit went well as Lane committed to the Spartans just days after it ended.

Lane joins Indiana EDGE transfer Anthony Jones as the two Michigan State transfers so far this spring. It’s worth noting again that both are defensive linemen as well, which clearly has become the most important position for Smith to address in the portal.

There is still plenty of work to be done, but Smith is on fire in the portal. This marks 12 transfers now that have come to Michigan State since Smith became head coach, and I doubt he’s anywhere close to being done. Lane is a huge addition to the program, and now Smith needs to use that momentum to bring even more great players to East Lansing.