DotComp: Transfer news sign of the times, or of trouble?
By Jim Comparoni
SpartanMag.com Publisher
EAST LANSING - It’s too bad the transfer portal didn’t exist four years ago.
If it had existed in 2015, maybe some third-stringers would have been more inclined to leave and Michigan State might have had room to sign more than 20 players in 2016.
The 2016 class turned out to be a turd for the Spartans. But maybe there would have been a few more difference-makers in the bunch if Michigan State had been able to sign four additional players that year, and four more in 2015 and four more in 2017. If so, the current season might look better than the current 4-3 record with a date against Top 10 Penn State on the horizon.
Michigan State had a reputation earlier this decade for keeping unproductive players, rather than casting them aside like Alabama and Michigan have done.
During the 2016 recruiting cycle, Michigan State gained commitments from 18 of its 20 recruits before Sept. 1, 2015. With those commitments in hand, Michigan State went on to have an 11-1 record in the regular season. The Spartans beat Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game and advanced to the inaugural College Football Playoff.
MSU’s brand was strong. The Spartans had the power to sign 10 more quality prospects that year to go along with the 18 early commitments, including maybe a few more four-stars. But Michigan State didn’t have scholarship room. The Spartans had to stop at 20. Mark Dantonio - sometimes ethical to a fault - refused to clear room. He’s respected by college and high school coaches for doing it that way.
That approach earned Dantonio credibility in the Spartan locker room. Players weren’t treated like numbers. They loved him. That’s one of the reason third-string seniors never wanted to leave. That’s why scholarship room was tight.
This year, players are leaving. Junior wide receiver Cam Chambers became the fifth player to enter the new NCAA transfer portal since the start of the season. Only Tennessee has lost more players to the transfer portal this year than Michigan State.
Are they leaving because the love for Dantonio isn’t as strong? Is it because the bond within the team isn’t as tight? Is it because Michigan State isn’t winning championships like they did in ’14 and ’15?
By Jim Comparoni
SpartanMag.com Publisher
EAST LANSING - It’s too bad the transfer portal didn’t exist four years ago.
If it had existed in 2015, maybe some third-stringers would have been more inclined to leave and Michigan State might have had room to sign more than 20 players in 2016.
The 2016 class turned out to be a turd for the Spartans. But maybe there would have been a few more difference-makers in the bunch if Michigan State had been able to sign four additional players that year, and four more in 2015 and four more in 2017. If so, the current season might look better than the current 4-3 record with a date against Top 10 Penn State on the horizon.
Michigan State had a reputation earlier this decade for keeping unproductive players, rather than casting them aside like Alabama and Michigan have done.
During the 2016 recruiting cycle, Michigan State gained commitments from 18 of its 20 recruits before Sept. 1, 2015. With those commitments in hand, Michigan State went on to have an 11-1 record in the regular season. The Spartans beat Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game and advanced to the inaugural College Football Playoff.
MSU’s brand was strong. The Spartans had the power to sign 10 more quality prospects that year to go along with the 18 early commitments, including maybe a few more four-stars. But Michigan State didn’t have scholarship room. The Spartans had to stop at 20. Mark Dantonio - sometimes ethical to a fault - refused to clear room. He’s respected by college and high school coaches for doing it that way.
That approach earned Dantonio credibility in the Spartan locker room. Players weren’t treated like numbers. They loved him. That’s one of the reason third-string seniors never wanted to leave. That’s why scholarship room was tight.
This year, players are leaving. Junior wide receiver Cam Chambers became the fifth player to enter the new NCAA transfer portal since the start of the season. Only Tennessee has lost more players to the transfer portal this year than Michigan State.
Are they leaving because the love for Dantonio isn’t as strong? Is it because the bond within the team isn’t as tight? Is it because Michigan State isn’t winning championships like they did in ’14 and ’15?
