Category: Mel Tucker

Former Michigan State CB Shakur Brown signs with Pittsburgh Steelers as UDFA

Michigan State cornerback Shakur Brown will sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent.

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Michigan State fans were rightly disappointed on Saturday as they watched the team’s historic, 80-year NFL draft streak come to an end.

Shakur Brown was probably more disappointed, however, it only took him a few minutes after the draft to find his new home, the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he will be joining a fellow Spartan, Justin Layne, in the defensive backfield.

Brown will join the team as an undrafted free agent (UFA), where he could find a nice path toward playing time similar to what Justin Layne has experienced.

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No Michigan State football players selected in 2021 NFL draft, ending historic streak

Michigan State’s historic, 80-year NFL draft streak has come to an end after no Spartans were taken in the 2021 draft.

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Welp. The historic, 80-year NFL draft streak for the Michigan State football program has ended. No Spartans were selected in the 2021 NFL draft. Shakur Brown, Antjuan Simmons and Naquan Jones were passed over by teams this year.

Ironically, it is the legacy of one of the best coaches in MSU history that led to the streak. Mark Dantonio’s teams were lacking top level talent toward the end of his time with the Spartans and that has culminated in a disappointing end to the streak.

However, Mel Tucker already has a nice nest egg of talent that should soon start a new streak.

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Michigan State football cuts ties with 3-star recruit Steffan Johnson following arrest

Michigan State released a statement on Friday saying that they cut ties with Steffan Johnson following his arrest.

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On Wednesday night, Michigan State football 3-star recruit Steffan Johnson was arrested and accused of a sex crime. That news was publicized on Thursday. And on Friday, the Spartans released a statement informing the public that they are cutting ties with Johnson and he will not be part of the MSU program.

The release from the program stated:

“Michigan State football informed Steffan Johnson today that he will not be a member of the Spartan program.”

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This is a decisive, quick decision that needed to happen as Johnson was slated to join the program this summer.

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Michigan State football lands commitment of Seaholm HS long snapper Michael Donovan

The Spartans were able to replace an open long snapping position with a Seaholm high school standout.

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Yesterday, Michigan State football lost a long snapper in Bryce Eimer, who entered the transfer portal with a slew of his teammates on Monday. On Tuesday, they made sure to secure his replacement, landing the commitment of 4.5-star Rubio Long Snapping prospect Michael Donovan from Seaholm High School.

Donovan is the No. 39 ranked long snapper in his class and has good size at 6’3″, 230-pounds.

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Michigan State football lands commitment of Seaholm HS long snapper Michael Donovan

The Spartans were able to replace an open long snapping position with a Seaholm high school standout.

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Yesterday, Michigan State football lost a long snapper in Bryce Eimer, who entered the transfer portal with a slew of his teammates on Monday. On Tuesday, they made sure to secure his replacement, landing the commitment of 4.5-star Rubio Long Snapping prospect Michael Donovan from Seaholm High School.

Donovan is the No. 39 ranked long snapper in his class and has good size at 6’3″, 230-pounds.

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Why Michigan State football has had so many transfers

Taking a look at why we have seen seven players transfer out of the Michigan State football program in the last two days.

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Michigan State football is seemingly in the midst of a ‘black Monday where it has seen seven members of its roster transfer out of the program.

On the surface, this is something that can feel concerning, even during an age of college athletics where transfers are going to happen much more frequently, but when digging deeper you will find this is a good thing for the program.

When coaching turnover takes place, it is expected there will be defections from the program, and we have seen some of that so far. This is not necessarily the case in what is happening right now.

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As spring ball has concluded, Mel Tucker has now had a full year in the program to evaluate the talent on the roster he inherited and make decisions on what he wants his roster to look like. This, in turn, will cause a shake-up in the depth chart, leading to some players being left behind.

Ultimately, the majority of the transfers we will see are guys who are buried on the depth chart and wouldn’t be featured on the first or second-team anytime soon.

It is in the best interest for both the coaching staff and the players in making the move to transfer, Mel Tucker deserves to build a roster with the guys he wants and players deserve a chance to get on the field and this situation allows both to happen.

I would expect to see several more transfers in the coming days as Tucker solidifies what he wants in a roster.

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Michigan State Redshirt Freshman TE Tommy Guajardo enters transfer portal

The Spartans have now lost 21 players through the transfer portal this season alone after Tommy Guajardo put his name in the transfer portal

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The Spartans have now lost 21 players through the transfer portal this season alone after Tommy Guajardo announced he put his name in the transfer portal this afternoon. This comes just a few days after former Purdue tight end and wide receiver Maliq Carr announced he is transferring to MSU.

Guajardo was a 3-star tight end in the class of 2020 and was No. 30 tight end and No. 22 player in the state of Michigan. He redshirted in 2020 and did not see any play time.

Guajardo did see the field in the Spring game, but ultimately decided this was the best move for his future. He thanked coach Dantonio and Tucker for giving him this opportunity and thanked the program.

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WATCH: Mel Tucker speaks to media following Michigan State football spring practice

Mel Tucker spoke to the media after Michigan State’s spring practice. You can watch that here.

Michigan State football had their first open spring practice under Mel Tucker this weekend, and it was a unique one. Opting out of the normal spring game format, Tucker instead showed off a regimented, fast-paced, intense Mel Tucker practice, giving fans a taste of how things look behind the scenes.

After the scrimmage, Tucker spoke to the media about his team.

You can watch that full video below:

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WATCH: Highlights from Michigan State’s Spring Game on Saturday

MSU wrapped up spring practice on Saturday with their annual spring game at Spartan Stadium in front of approximately 6,000 fans.

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Michigan State wrapped up its spring practice schedule on Saturday with their annual spring game at Spartan Stadium in front of approximately 6,000 fans.

“You can tell there was a little extra pep in their step, seeing the fans out there,” Michigan State head football coach Mel Tucker said after Saturday’s practice. “Our fans are so important to us, they are so passionate about the Green and White and Spartan football…That’s what Michigan State football is all about, just playing hard nose football, just everybody moving in the same direction, just pulling for the Spartans. It was excellent to see our fans back out there.”

Saturday’s spring game was more of an open practice, but there were still a number of highlight reel plays. Here is a short video clip that summarizes Saturday’s event:

Michigan State will now turn its focus to offseason workouts in preparation for the 2021 season. The Spartans open the season at Northwestern on Sept. 4.

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Michigan State offers WR/DB Sam Mason of Covina, Calif.

Michigan State has handed out a scholarship offer to 2022 wide receiver and defensive back Sam Mason of Covina, Calif.

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Michigan State has handed out a scholarship offer to 2022 wide receiver and defensive back Sam Mason of Covina, Calif.

Mason announced the scholarship on Twitter on Saturday. According to 247Sports, Michigan State is the first school to offer Mason.

Mason is listed at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, and plays at Charter Oak High.

Mason is currently unranked on 247Sports but that could change with Michigan State showing interest in this currently under the radar prospect. I’d assume the Spartans won’t be the last school to hand out an offer to Mason.

Check out highlights of Mason from this past season below:

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