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Top five impactful transfer portal additions for MSU football in 2025

AI-assisted summary Michigan State is relying on transfer portal players to improve their roster and return to a winning season. Key transfers expected to make an impact include cornerback Joshua Eaton, offensive tackle Conner Moore, and defensive lineman Grady Kelly. Running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver and wide receiver Chrishon McCray are also anticipated to contribute significantly […]

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Top five impactful transfer portal additions for MSU football in 2025

  • Michigan State is relying on transfer portal players to improve their roster and return to a winning season.
  • Key transfers expected to make an impact include cornerback Joshua Eaton, offensive tackle Conner Moore, and defensive lineman Grady Kelly.
  • Running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver and wide receiver Chrishon McCray are also anticipated to contribute significantly to the team’s offense.
  • Several other transfer players, including Omari Kelly, Matt Gulbin, and Isaac Smith, are worth watching for potential contributions.

The transfer portal is just as important as recruiting in modern college football, and it’s been even more important for the Spartans under the first few offseasons under new head coach Jonathan Smith.

Michigan State football has leaned on the transfer portal to help build up a winning roster under Smith, and this past year’s portal haul was especially impressive. Fans are hoping that the new faces via the portal will get Michigan State back to a winning season and reach a bowl game again for the first time in three years.

So who were some of the new transfer portal guys that could have an instant impact on the Spartans this upcoming season? Check out five names I believe will have the most impact on Michigan State football in 2025.

Joshua EatonSep 2, 2023; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears wide receiver Hal Presley (16) is tackled by Texas State Bobcats cornerback Joshua Eaton (1) after a reception during the second half at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY SportsPosition: CornerbackNeed a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle

Previous Team: Texas State

Eaton comes to Michigan State with a ton of experience after stops at Oklahoma and Texas State. He began his career at Oklahoma where played three seasons before transferring to Texas State for the past two seasons. In total, he has appeared in 43 games with 49 tackles and 13 passes defended.

Eaton is expected to secure one of the two starting cornerback spots for the Spartans this upcoming season, which is always a critical position for success. Expectations are high for Eaton as the highest-rated transfer portal addition for the Spartans this year.

Conner MooreOct 3, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; General view of Michigan State Spartans helmet during the 1st quarter of a game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY SportsPosition: Offensive TacklePrevious Team: Montana StateMoore was one of the biggest (if not the biggest) wins of the transfer portal winter session this offseason. Michigan State beat out the likes of Ohio State, Cincinnati and Auburn for the elite FCS transfer portal target.

Moore was a 2024 All-FCS 1st Teamer and 2023 FCS All-Freshmen honoree while at Montana State, and comes to Michigan State with two years of eligibility remaining. He is expected to step in as one of the starting tackles on what should be an improved Michigan State offensive line this upcoming season.

Grady KellyColorado State football player Grady Kelly during practice on Monday, April 3, 2023.

Ftccsufootball0403gradykelly 2Position: Defensive LinePrevious Team:Florida State

Michigan State needed to improve its defensive line through the portal this offseason so it’s an easy decision to include Kelly on this list. He comes to Michigan State after playing last season at Florida State, and before that at Colorado State. Kelly appeared in all 12 of Florida State’s games this past season, where e recorded 19 tackles, with three of those for a loss and one sack.

Kelly should contend for a starting spot on the Spartans’ defensive line, and at a minimum will be part of the key rotation. For Michigan State to experience this upcoming season, an improve defensive line must be in the fold.

Elijah Tau-TolliverSep 16, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; Sacramento State Hornets running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver (25) scores a touchdown during the second quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY SportsPosition: Running BackPrevious Team: Sacramento StateMichigan State knew they would have to add at least one running back via the portal with the exits of Nate Carter and Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams, and they did just that with Tau-Tolliver from Sacramento State. Tau-Tolliver ran for just under 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns with the Hornets this past season, and will surely be in the mix for the Spartans’ starting running back spot this upcoming season.

Michigan State does have a few young running backs on the roster already that will also be in contention for a high-number of carries this upcoming season. So we shouldn’t expect Tau-Tolliver to be a bell-cow type of back this season, but I personally anticipate him being one of the top players in that room this year.

Chrishon McCrayKent State wide receiver Chrishon McCray turns after a catch against St. Francis (Pa.), Sept. 7, 2024.Position: Wide ReceiverPrevious Team: Kent StateMichigan State added a number of high-level wide receivers via the portal this offseason, but I went with McCray as my final top impact player due to his versatility. The speedster wide receiver from Kent State should be an instant impact for the Spartans, providing another deep threat but also someone who can play out of the slot as well.

McCray had more than 600 yards in each of his two seasons at Kent State and recorded a total of 13 touchdowns (nine this past year). I won’t necessarily say he’s going to hit those kind of numbers again this year, but I fully expect him to be the perfect No. 2 or No. 3 wide receiver for the Spartans this upcoming season — pairing very nicely with returning top receiver Nick Marsh and fellow transfer Omari Kelly.

Honorable MentionMichigan State's receiver Omari Kelly catches a pass during football practice on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in East Lansing.Here are a few other incoming transfers that you should keep a close eye on this fall as potential high-impact players for the Spartans:Omari Kelly – wide receiver from Middle Tennessee StateMatt Gulbin – offensive lineman from Wake ForestIsaac Smith – edge rusher from Texas TechLuka Vincic – offensive lineman from Oregon StateEvan Boyd – wide receiver from Central MichiganContact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.

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The new college sports agency is rejecting some athlete NIL deals with donor-backed collectives

By EDDIE PELLS – AP National Writer The new agency in charge of regulating name, image, likeness deals in college sports sent a letter to schools Thursday saying it had rejected deals between players and donor-backed collectives formed over the past several years to funnel money to athletes or their schools. Those arrangements hold no […]

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By EDDIE PELLS – AP National Writer

The new agency in charge of regulating name, image, likeness deals in college sports sent a letter to schools Thursday saying it had rejected deals between players and donor-backed collectives formed over the past several years to funnel money to athletes or their schools.

Those arrangements hold no “valid business purpose,” the memo said, and don’t adhere to rules that call for outside NIL deals to be between players and companies that provide goods or services to the general public for profit.

The letter to Division I athletic directors could be the next step in shuttering today’s version of the collective, groups that are closely affiliated with schools and that, in the early days of NIL after July 2021, proved the most efficient way for schools to indirectly cut deals with players.

Since then, the landscape has changed yet again with the $2.8 billion House settlement that allows schools to pay the players directly as of July 1.

Already, collectives affiliated with Colorado, Alabama, Notre Dame, Georgia and others have announced they’re shutting down. Georgia, Ohio State and Illinois are among those that have announced plans with Learfield, a media and technology company with decades of licensing and other experience across college athletics, to help arrange NIL deals.

Outside deals between athlete and sponsor are still permitted, but any worth $600 or more have to be vetted by a clearinghouse called NIL Go that was established by the new College Sports Commission.

In its letter to the ADs, the CSC said more than 1,500 deals have been cleared since NIL Go launched on June 11, “ranging in value from three figures to seven figures.” More than 12,000 athletes and 1,100 institutional users have registered to use the system.

But the bulk of the letter explained that many deals could not be cleared because they did not conform to an NCAA rule that sets a “valid business purpose” standard for deals to be approved.

The letter explained that if a collective reaches a deal with an athlete to appear on behalf of the collective, which charges an admission fee, the standard is not met because the purpose of the event is to raise money to pay athletes, not to provide goods or services available to the general public for profit.

The same would apply to a deal an athlete makes to sell merchandise to raise money to pay that player because the purpose of “selling merchandise is to raise money to pay that student-athlete and potentially other student-athletes at a particular school or schools, which is not a valid business purpose” according to the NCAA rule.

A deal, however, could be approved if, for instance, the businesses paying the players had a broader purpose than simply acting as a collective. The letter uses a golf course or apparel company as examples.

“In other words, NIL collectives may act as marketing agencies that match student-athletes with businesses that have a valid business purpose and seek to use the student’s NIL to promote their businesses,” the letter said.


AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports



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Angel Reese calls out Robert Griffin III, claims he’s lying ‘for clout’ in wake of Caitlin Clark take

Angel Reese called out Robert Griffin III for his take on her not liking Caitlin Clark. Without saying Griffin’s name, Reese went after him, who said he talked to people in her inner circle. “Lying on this app when everybody know the first and last name of everybody in my circle for clout is nastyyyy […]

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Angel Reese called out Robert Griffin III for his take on her not liking Caitlin Clark. Without saying Griffin’s name, Reese went after him, who said he talked to people in her inner circle.

“Lying on this app when everybody know the first and last name of everybody in my circle for clout is nastyyyy work,” Angel Reese wrote. This came after Griffin called out people who attacked Reese after she was named a cover athlete for NBA 2K26. In the X/Twitter post, the former NFL quarterback mentioned that he spoke to Reese’s inner circle about the Chicago Sky star not liking Cark.

“People in Angel’s inner circle called me and told me I was right and Angel Reese has grown to hate Caitlin Clark because of the media always asking her about Caitlin and being constantly compared to her,” Griffin wrote. “Some people made it about race, but I never did and never will. Instead of becoming the villain in anyone’s story, I decided to just not.”

What Robert Griffin III said about Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark

Robert Griffin III originally shared his take on Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark in May after Clark fouled Reese in the Sky vs. Indiana Fever game. Reese went after the Clark before she was calmed down by the Sky coaches.

“So why do I think Angel Reese hates Caitlin Clark? It could be the fact that Aliyah Boston had to save Angel Reese from ending her career… After the foul, Caitlin Clark put on Angel Reese, and Angel Reese tried to hit her,” Griffin said at the time. “But if it wasn’t for Aliyah Boston putting her arms in the way, Angel Reese would not be playing basketball anymore, because she was going to sucker punch Caitlin Clark. Now, you tell me a time when you’ve seen somebody get fouled on a basketball court in a professional league, where they try to almost sucker punch somebody that they were friends with, because of a hard foul?”

Reese and Clark have been competing against each other since they were in college. Reese played at LSU, and Clark played at Iowa. Reese and LSU defeated Clark and Iowa in the 2023 National Championship Game, and the two went on to enter the WNBA in 2024. Clark was named WNBA Rookie of the Year last season, and Reese finished second in Rookie of the Year voting.



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NCAA basketball committees consider March Madness expansion

The idea of expanding the tournament picked up steam in the spring when NCAA President Charlie Baker said it could add value. WASHINGTON — The committees for men’s and women’s Division I basketball met this week to discuss possible expansion of the March Madness tournaments, but made no immediate decisions or recommendations. “The still viable […]

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The idea of expanding the tournament picked up steam in the spring when NCAA President Charlie Baker said it could add value.

WASHINGTON — The committees for men’s and women’s Division I basketball met this week to discuss possible expansion of the March Madness tournaments, but made no immediate decisions or recommendations.

“The still viable outcomes include the tournaments remaining at 68 teams or expanding the fields to either 72 or 76 teams in advance of the 2026 or 2027 championships,” Dan Gavitt, the NCAA senior vice president of basketball, said in a statement Thursday.

The idea of expanding the tournament picked up steam in the spring when NCAA President Charlie Baker said it could add value and that he’d like to see the issue resolved in the next few months.

He said the NCAA has had “good conversations” with TV partners CBS and Warner Bros., whose deal runs through 2032 at the cost of around $1.1 billion a year. Baker also mentioned increasingly difficult logistics involved with adding teams to what is now known as the “First Four” — a series of four games played on Tuesday and Wednesday of the first week to place four teams into the 64-team bracket.

Though there has been no concrete plan for how expansion would work, speculation has centered on bringing more at-large teams, likely from major conferences, into the 64-team bracket. Such a move that would come at the expense of champions of lower-level conferences.

Currently, two of the First Four games involve 16 seeds — teams that automatically qualify by winning lower-ranked conferences — while two more involve at-large teams often seeded 11 or 12. For instance, in 2021, UCLA made the Final Four as an 11 seed that also played in the First Four.

“I don’t accept that that model just continues in the future,” Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey said at league meetings in May.

He used the example of North Carolina State advancing to the Final Four as an 11 seed in 2023 as how bubble teams from big conferences can make long runs in the tournament.

“You could go ask my colleagues in the (automatic qualifier) conferences what should happen, and I’m certain they want that split to continue for life,” Sankey said. “But you’ve got some really, really good teams … that I think should be moved into the tournament.”

Any recommendation for expansion would have to be approved by the NCAA’s Division I board, which next meets in August.

AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball



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New college sports agency is rejecting some athlete NIL deals with donor

The new agency in charge of regulating name, image, likeness deals in college sports sent a letter to schools Thursday saying it had rejected deals between players and donor-backed collectives formed over the past several years to funnel money to athletes or their schools. Those arrangements hold no “valid business purpose,” the memo said, and […]

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New college sports agency is rejecting some athlete NIL deals with donor

The new agency in charge of regulating name, image, likeness deals in college sports sent a letter to schools Thursday saying it had rejected deals between players and donor-backed collectives formed over the past several years to funnel money to athletes or their schools.

Those arrangements hold no “valid business purpose,” the memo said, and don’t adhere to rules that call for outside NIL deals to be between players and companies that provide goods or services to the general public for profit.

The letter to Division I athletic directors could be the next step in shuttering today’s version of the collective, groups that are closely affiliated with schools and that, in the early days of NIL after July 2021, proved the most efficient way for schools to indirectly cut deals with players.

Since then, the landscape has changed yet again with the $2.8 billion House settlement that allows schools to pay the players directly as of July 1.

Already, collectives affiliated with Colorado, Alabama, Notre Dame, Georgia and others have announced they’re shutting down. Georgia, Ohio State and Illinois are among those that have announced plans with Learfield, a media and technology company with decades of licensing and other experience across college athletics, to help arrange NIL deals.

Outside deals between athlete and sponsor are still permitted, but any worth $600 or more have to be vetted by a clearinghouse called NIL Go that was established by the new College Sports Commission.

In its letter to the ADs, the CSC said more than 1,500 deals have been cleared since NIL Go launched on June 11, “ranging in value from three figures to seven figures.” More than 12,000 athletes and 1,100 institutional users have registered to use the system.

But the bulk of the letter explained that many deals could not be cleared because they did not conform to an NCAA rule that sets a “valid business purpose” standard for deals to be approved.

The letter explained that if a collective reaches a deal with an athlete to appear on behalf of the collective, which charges an admission fee, the standard is not met because the purpose of the event is to raise money to pay athletes, not to provide goods or services available to the general public for profit.

The same would apply to a deal an athlete makes to sell merchandise to raise money to pay that player because the purpose of “selling merchandise is to raise money to pay that student-athlete and potentially other student-athletes at a particular school or schools, which is not a valid business purpose” according to the NCAA rule.

A deal, however, could be approved if, for instance, the businesses paying the players had a broader purpose than simply acting as a collective. The letter uses a golf course or apparel company as examples.

“In other words, NIL collectives may act as marketing agencies that match student-athletes with businesses that have a valid business purpose and seek to use the student’s NIL to promote their businesses,” the letter said.

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Robert Griffin III fires back at Angel Reese over liar accusation, Caitlin Clark ‘hate’

Robert Griffin III is not backing down from Angel Reese, who went after him for claiming to have spoken to her inner circle about the Caitlin Clark hate. On X/Twitter, the former NFL quarterback told Reese that she should “tighten” her circle instead of “trying to check” him. “I spoke up in support of Angel […]

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Robert Griffin III is not backing down from Angel Reese, who went after him for claiming to have spoken to her inner circle about the Caitlin Clark hate. On X/Twitter, the former NFL quarterback told Reese that she should “tighten” her circle instead of “trying to check” him.

“I spoke up in support of Angel Reese against racism not to start drama,” Robert Griffin III wrote. “But I won’t let anyone twist the truth just because it’s inconvenient to them. Instead of trying to check me, just tighten up your circle. They calling me and saying you hate Caitlin Clark, not the other way around. I have zero interest in being the villain in anyone’s story. I just want to have fun, tell the truth and celebrate sports. But I won’t pretend or lie just to protect feelings.”

This began on Thursday morning when Griffin went after the fans who were attacking Angel Reese for being on the cover of NBA 2K26. In the social media post, Griffin said people in Reese’s inner circle talked to him about her relationship with Caitlin Clark.

“People in Angel’s inner circle called me and told me I was right and Angel Reese has grown to hate Caitlin Clark because of the media always asking her about Caitlin and being constantly compared to her,” Griffin wrote. Reese saw the post later in the morning and went after Griffin.

More on Robert Griffin III and Angel Reese

“Lying on this app when everybody know the first and last name of everybody in my circle for clout is nastyyyy work,” Reese wrote. It’s clear Reese doesn’t believe that Griffin spoke to anyone close to her about Clark.

In May, Griffin said that Reese hates Clark and explained his reason. “It could be the fact that Aliyah Boston had to save Angel Reese from ending her career,” Griffin said about an incident between Clark and Reese during a Chicago Sky vs. Indiana Fever game. “After the foul, Caitlin Clark put on Angel Reese, and Angel Reese tried to hit her. But if it wasn’t for Aliyah Boston putting her arms in the way, Angel Reese would not be playing basketball anymore, because she was going to sucker punch Caitlin Clark. Now, you tell me a time when you’ve seen somebody get fouled on a basketball court in a professional league, where they try to almost sucker punch somebody that they were friends with, because of a hard foul?”

Reese, who played at LSU, is having a strong start to her WNBA career. The 23-year-old is averaging 13.3 points and 12.8 rebounds this year. In 2024, Reese finished second in Rookie of the Year voting (behind Clark) after averaging 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds.



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Texas Athletics, Learfield partner to launch Longhorn Sports Agency to manage NIL …

Texas Athletics announced in late June that it would be partnering with Learfield to launch the Longhorn Sports Agency, an initiative to “optimize (Name, Image and Likeness) operations and maximize opportunities for Longhorn student-athletes”. Learfield is the top media company in the world of college athletics, with ties to over 1,200 universities and connections to […]

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Texas Athletics, Learfield partner to launch Longhorn Sports Agency to manage NIL ...

Texas Athletics announced in late June that it would be partnering with Learfield to launch the Longhorn Sports Agency, an initiative to “optimize (Name, Image and Likeness) operations and maximize opportunities for Longhorn student-athletes”.

Learfield is the top media company in the world of college athletics, with ties to over 1,200 universities and connections to over 12,000 national and local brands. These connections will significantly assist Texas when it navigates what remains of the NIL world after the House v. NCAA settlement on June 6.

“The Longhorn Sports Agency reflects our commitment to building an industry-leading infrastructure that supports our student-athletes and strengthens the Texas brand,” Texas Athletics director Chris Del Conte said.

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The partners plan to run the Longhorn Sports Agency using three objectives. The first is to create “on-campus NIL leadership,” making advising opportunities readily available for student-athletes on the Forty Acres. 

The second is to assist athletes in creating content campaigns, with the aim of building and eventually monetizing a strong personal brand for each student-athlete. 

Lastly, the Longhorn Sports Agency will provide access to “deal facilitation and compliance technology through the Compass NIL platform”. 

Compass NIL is an app that stores all NIL exchanges in one place, providing athletes with a platform to receive deal opportunities, make agreements and receive payment from those deals through a digital wallet. Created by Learfield, this platform plays a vital role in the structure of the Longhorn Sports Agency.

“With the House settlement and the current landscape of college athletics, it’s critical to accelerate innovation, and we’re proud to support Texas as they continue to lead with a bold, future-focused approach to NIL,” said Solly Fulp, Learfield’s executive vice president of NIL growth and development.

Following the three initiatives, with the assistance of Compass NIL, Texas Athletics will staff the agency with NIL executives accordingly, including a director of NIL business development, an associate of business development and an NIL marketing partnership manager. 

These executives will work with a group of Learfield staff, consisting of two supervising producers, an editor and a social content producer. The Learfield content creation team and Texas Athletics NIL executives will work with Longhorn Network and Longhorn Sports Properties to maximize athlete profit through storytelling and personal branding. This group of staff will work under Lucas Motta, vice president of Longhorn Sports Properties.

“Everything we do at Texas is about setting a high standard, and NIL is no different,” Del Conte said. “This initiative is about doing NIL the right way, with intention, innovation and the full backing of our partner, Learfield, who knows how to achieve excellence in NIL.”

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