Michigan State football misses on SJSU transfer Jay'Vion Cole

Jonathan Smith has made a few positions priorities this offseason as the transfer portal has hit Michigan State football hard with the coaching change.

The portal era has been almost hard to keep up with as players are transferring just months after enrolling in schools and before ever playing in games while others have started for years and were projected to start in 2024 but still decided to leave.

But one of the position groups that's been hit hard is the defensive backfield and Smith has addressed that with Arizona State transfer Edward Woods. He was one of the top cornerbacks available in the portal and he was also high school teammates with another transfer target in Jay'Vion Cole from San Jose State.

That connection looked like it might help the Spartans, but Cole recently visited Texas and was planning to check out Michigan State but committed to the Longhorns on Sunday night.

Tough loss for the Spartans.

Heading into the 2024 season, it looks like Woods is going to be a starter at cornerback and with Jaden Mangham transferring, there's a chance we could see Dillon Tatum move back to safety to fill a major need. If that's the case, Chance Rucker could start at cornerback after a more-than-promising freshman season. Or Tatum could stay at cornerback and start alongside Woods as Smith hits the portal for a quality safety replacement for Mangham.

There's a lot to be addressed still this offseason and the recruiting miss of Cole hurts, but I don't doubt that Smith is working to make up for it.