Michigan State Football: Ranking the top transfers for 2021 season
By Ryan Kay
Departing Michigan State football players
Even though Michigan State has brought in and will continue to bring in transfers who are eligible to play this season, the Spartans did lose some talented players as well as some who started the majority of games for Michigan State last season.
Rocky Lombardi, who started the majority of games last season at the quarterback position, transferred to Northern Illinois. Julian Barnett, who played primarily on special teams as he transitioned from being a receiver as a true freshman to a cornerback this past season, has transferred to Memphis along with Devontae Dobbs, a talented offensive lineman. Tre’Von Morgan who had a breakout game against Penn State transferred to Kentucky as well as linebacker Luke Fulton.
These were the main contributing and talented players who transferred from Michigan State to another school. However, there were also some other notable players who transferred as well.
Anthony Williams Jr. who showed flashes at running back transferred to Akron as well as linebacker Jeslord Boateng. Chris Jackson, a promising cornerback, transferred to Washington State, and linebacker Marcel Lewis transferred to Central Michigan. Cornerback Davion Williams transferred to Western Kentucky and fullback Max Rosenthal transferred to Illinois.
There are some other Spartans like long snapper Jude Pedrozo and safety Dominique Long who have not yet announced publicly where they are transferring. Overall, these transfers will not hurt the Spartans as they strive to become once again contenders in the Big Ten this fall.
Yes, some of the players that transferred like Lombardi, Morgan, Pedrozo, and Rosenthal had made contributions on the field for the Spartans. There are others like Barnett, Dobbs, and Fulton who are talented but for whatever reason did not see being a Spartan as a viable option in 2021. Michigan State also lost depth in key positions like in the defensive secondary in losing Long, Williams, and Jackson.
However, with those players who chose to return to play this year and the incoming transfers, Michigan State should be more competitive and improved overall as they begin their 2021 season.