Michigan State football offers Northwestern DB transfer Rod Heard

There are a lot of positions of need for Michigan State football heading into the 2024 season and it'll be interesting to see how Jonathan Smith addresses them via the transfer portal.

So far, he's added a linebacker in Jordan Turner, a quarterback in Aidan Chiles, a receiver in TJ Sheffield, and a tight end in Jack Velling. All of these guys will contribute heavily next season and they're going to play big roles in the turnaround.

Plus, Smith has convinced some big names to stay after entering the portal originally. Guys like Ethan Boyd, Brandon Baldwin, Derrick Harmon, Darius Snow, Charles Brantley, Geno VanDeMark, and Jaron Glover all removed their names from the portal so these are all as good as portal wins.

One of the major remaining needs in the portal would have to be in the defensive backfield, but Smith is trying to address that, offering recent Northwestern grad transfer Rod Heard.

As Corey Robinson stated above, Heard is one of the best cornerbacks in the Big Ten and it'll be interesting to see where he ends up because he's going to get a ton of interest -- Michigan has already offered the Wildcat defensive back.

Just this past season, Heard had 85 total tackles, two forced fumbles, four pass breakups, and an interception. He's one of the better all-around cornerbacks in the Big Ten and will instantly improve the next team he plays for. Hopefully that's Michigan State.

The Spartans did return Brantley on Friday, but the defensive backfield has been the weakness of the team for the past few years. Heard would be a much-needed addition.

It would make sense for the Farmington Hills, Mich., native to come home.