The five best transfers in Michigan State football history
The transfer portal has become synonymous with college sports these days, with schools starting to look at the portal like free agency, almost. It's become imperative to be able to find high-level talent in the portal.
Michigan State football hasn't had a ton of high-profile transfers, but the ones who have hit, have hit well. We put together our list of the top five transfers in school history below, and interestingly, three of them, and both honorable mentions, transferred to MSU before the quote-unquote transfer portal era truly began.
Honorable Mentions
Keith Nichol
Keith Nichol might not have put up the biggest numbers in the world, but the former Oklahoma quarterback recruit was responsible for some of the biggest plays in MSU history and earns a mention on this list.
DeAndra' Cobb
DeAndra' Cobb made the All-American team for his spectacular kick return skills, of which he returned four kickoffs for touchdowns in his career, one shy of the Big Ten record. He still holds the MSU record for three kickoff returns for touchdowns in one season.
5. Jonathan Kim
You probably didn't think you'd see a special teams player on this, huh? Well, Jonathan Kim won't be the last, but he is the first we'll talk about. Jonathan Kim was a major success story for Michigan State. Coming in and setting a school record and making the All-Big Ten team was very impressive for a kicker who was largely resigned to kickoffs at North Carolina, and he earned himself this spot.
4. Domata Peko
Domata Peko was playing NFL football as recently as 2020. That's pretty insane considering he was a John L. Smith recruit, transferring in from the College of the Canyons. Peko was a beloved Spartan and sneakily one of the better MSU alumni in the NFL in recent history.
3. Bryce Baringer
Now, we get to the second special teams player on our list, and it's a doozy. Bryce Baringer isn't just a good punter, he is the best punter in school history, which is saying something, because MSU has had some great ones over the years. I almost forgot that he started his career at Illinois, but thankfully, he made his way up to East Lansing, and the rest is history.
2. Jayden Reed
Before Jayden Reed became one of the most exciting players in the NFL, he started his career, believe it or not, at Western Michigan. His transfer to MSU was one of the last great acts from legendary MSU coach Mark Dantonio. Reed made two All-Big Ten teams before heading to the next level.
1. Kenneth Walker III
Was there ever a doubt who was number one on this list? Kenneth Walker III isn't just the best transfer in MSU history, he is one of the best transfers in modern NCAA football history. Disgruntled Michigan State fans will still tell you that the man they called K9 should have been the Heisman Trophy winner that year, and if he wasn't banged up by the time the Spartans played Ohio State, who knows what could have happened that year. It's one of the great what-ifs in MSU history.
Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ravens and Commanders cancel next week's joint practice
The Washington Commanders were scheduled to hold a joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens next week ahead of their final preseason game. That joint practice has been canceled due to a scheduling conflict. The Ravens released the following statement. The Commanders play their second preseason game (Cincinnati Bengals) on Monday night, August 18. The Ravens are in Dallas on Saturday for their second preseason game against the Cowboys. The joint practice was scheduled for Thursday, April 21, with the two teams playing one another in the final preseason game on Saturday, August 23. Head coach Dan Quinn discussed the scrimmage cancellation ahead of Thursday's practice. "Sometimes schedules just don't sync up as it hits," Quinn said. "I visited with (Ravens coach) John (Harbaugh) last night, and it's always choosing the best choices for the players. So, every once in a while, it just doesn't sync up, and so, we're bummed, we got a lot of respect for them, and we're looking forward to it, but we'll get to see them a couple of days later after that." Quinn then said the canceling of the joint practice does not impact playing time in the Week 2 preseason game against the Bengals. Quinn said he's already made those determinations about which players will play and how much. This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Ravens, Commanders agree to cancel next week's joint practice
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What to watch for in Colts' preseason contest with Packers
What to watch for in Colts' preseason contest with Packers originally appeared on The Sporting News The Colts have their second of three preseason games on Saturday when the Green Bay Packers come to Indianapolis. Despite the preseason being mostly used for evaluation purposes and to give players deep on the depth chart their chance to earn a roster spot, there's still plenty of storylines to monitor. Eric Edholm identified both the quarterback and cornerback positions as groups to watch for the Colts this weekend. Edholm says health under center is the top priority for Indianapolis. 'Better health would be a good start. QB Anthony Richardson suffered a dislocated finger last week. The plan was for him to play into the second quarter, but the injury knocked him out after seven snaps,' Edholm wrote. 'Richardson is expected to play Saturday, but last week was a missed opportunity in his battle with Daniel Jones.' This week's preseason contest is shaping up to be one of the best opportunities for Richardson or Jones to emerge as a favorite, as the Colts would ideally like to give their Week 1 starter the final preseason game to tune up. Defensively, the injuries to the cornerback position make the group one to watch. 'The secondary appears to be in flux after CB Justin Walley suffered a torn ACL,' Edholm said. 'He was vying for a starting role. Jaylon Jones and JuJu Brents have been nursing injuries, so it will be interesting to see how the secondary snaps are divided up.' Neither Jones nor Brents have practiced since they each picked up hamstring injuries. Starting nickel cornerback Kenny Moore II also has a knee injury which may keep him off the field this weekend, leaving Charvarius Ward as the only starter available. As a result, Samuel Womack III, Alex Johnson and Jonathan Edwards will all get their chance to audition for a roster spot.
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Netflix sells out all ad time for Christmas NFL games
More than four months before Christmas, Netflix has already sold all its available commercial time for the two NFL games it will show on December 25. "For our two highly anticipated Netflix NFL games this December, we've sold out of all available in-game inventory and have closed sponsorships with multiple partners like Accenture, FanDuel, Google, and Verizon on in-game and broadcast features," Netflix said in a statement. One of the reasons live sports have become so attractive to the streaming providers is that viewers are much more willing to sit through ads while watching sports than they are for scripted programming. The NFL is both the most popular programming on American television and a sport in which fans have come to accept that commercial breaks are part of the deal. Netflix will show Cowboys-Commanders at 1 p.m. ET on Christmas Day, followed by Lions-Vikings at 4:30.
