Keeping with the Spartans: Michigan State Continues to Gain from the Portal

Keeping up with Michigan State’s portal frenzy has been a beautiful sight for sore eyes this year. A huge $401M boost, along with a new head coach who has discipline and excitement oozing from every pore of his body, has equated to a portal class like no other.

Michigan State is trying to keep pace with the trend being set by the Hoosiers: screw the masses and what people think of a program—just go get the right guys and win games.

Now, that is obviously much easier said than done, but with every passing 24 hours it seems like Pat Fitzgerald is building something extremely special in East Lansing. This same excitement was nowhere close to what it was when Jonathan Smith got hired. He brought an “electric” quarterback over and let the rest of the team vanish. Fitzgerald, meanwhile, was tasked with making talent reappear out of thin air, and my God, I think he’s doing it.

The transfer portal will come to an end this weekend and the two-week frenzy will be over—but not before the Spartans made huge strides. And just because we’re in the final week of the portal doesn’t mean there aren’t more moves to be made.

So let’s take a look at the latest Spartans to commit to East Lansing.

Eli Coenen – DL – Illinois

This big interior defensive lineman boasts a 6’7”, 290-pound frame. Coenen started out at Bemidji State, where he played two seasons—redshirting his freshman year and then playing a full season in which he started one game and appeared in all 13. He accumulated 20 tackles (10 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, one pass breakup, four quarterback hurries, and one fumble recovery.

He then transferred to Illinois with three years of eligibility remaining. Last season with the Illini, Coenen played in all 12 games, recording eight tackles (three solo), 0.5 sacks, and one quarterback hurry.

Now Coenen heads to East Lansing to make his mark with two years of eligibility left. Pat Fitzgerald has made it his personal mission to reinstall tough, physical players in the trenches, and adding a big-bodied unit like Coenen will only help.

Dion Crawford – LB – Buffalo

The 6’1”, 235-pound linebacker will be a huge addition to the linebacking room and a great player for Max Bullough (new LB coach and co-DC) to mold. These are the types of players who thrive on mentality, toughness, and a constant eagerness to learn and improve.

Crawford leaves the MAC as one of the most unlikable players to anyone who wasn’t on his team—because he was an absolute menace on the field. He finished his career at Buffalo with 171 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks. This past season, his best yet, Crawford recorded a career-high 81 tackles along with 5.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and one forced fumble.

Crawford said, “Coach Fitz, Coach Bullough, and Coach Rossi are electric individuals and match my mindset and energy.”

This is one of the best defensive signings the Spartans have landed, and I’m expecting huge things from Crawford this season.

KK Smith – WR – Notre Dame

Smith is listed at 6’0”, 177 pounds. He appeared in seven games and recorded three receptions across his first two seasons with the Fighting Irish, but last year he stepped into a more prominent role. Smith totaled 123 receiving yards and two touchdowns on just eight receptions, finishing with a 15.4 yards-per-catch average and showing he can be a home-run hitter from anywhere on the field.

The Spartans’ receiving corps, to me, still doesn’t really move the needle. They’ll need players who aren’t big names to step up and take over. With Nick Marsh leaving for Indiana, there are plenty of targets up for grabs. Could the fast and sneaky KK Smith be one of those guys? We’ll see.

Kenneth Williams – Kick Returner – Nebraska

The Spartans added another visitor to their schedule as well. Return specialist Kenneth Williams from Nebraska has visited East Lansing, and we’ll soon see the trickle-down effect of that visit.

Last season for the Cornhuskers, Williams returned 12 kicks for 395 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 32.9 yards per return and would bring even more home-run-hitting potential to special teams. LeVar Woods can do great things with elite special teams players, and Williams could be the next one if he commits to MSU.

We’ll continue to update you as Pat Fitzgerald and the Spartans keep upgrading the roster.