Jonathan Smith and his staff are prioritizing getting Michigan State football back into competition at Michigan State and Ohio State.
He and defensive coordinator Joe Rossi acquired one player from each state through the transfer portal on Monday to shore up a defensive line that has seen attrition in recent weeks.
Edge rusher Tyler Gillison announced on Twitter that he intends to transfer from Cincinnati to MSU next season. The 6-foot-4, 242-pound native of Pickerington, a suburb of Columbus, has three years of eligibility remaining.
Shortly after, the Spartans received a commitment from defensive tackle Luquan Buckley, according to On3.com. The 6-5, 295-pound Nebraska transfer from suburban Grand Rapids has two years of eligibility.
Gillison's older brother, Trenton, is a rookie tight end for Mark Dantonio who appeared in 25 games for the Spartans from 2018 to 2021 before transferring to Youngstown State and starting his collegiate career at Tennessee State last season. finished.
Tyler Gillison will redshirt for the Bearcats in 2022 and had 15 tackles, 2.5 for a loss, and broke up a pass in 10 games last season. Gillison, a three-star recruit, chose Cincinnati over West Virginia and Virginia Tech out of Pickerington Central High School. However, former MSU coach Mel Tucker and his staff did not offer him a scholarship.
Buckley appeared in eight games for the Huskers last season, had one QB rush and one tackle for loss, but Nebraska coaches moved him to the offensive line late in the season. He appeared in one game in 2021 while redshirting, but did not play in 2022.
Buckley, a two-way player at Godwin Heights High School in Wyoming, was selected by the Cornhuskers out of high school after his senior season in 2020, beating out MSU and others. He was rated as a three-star recruit as a defensive lineman and No. 14 player in college. He was selected by the state in 247Sports.com's comprehensive ranking system and was the fourth Michigan prep prospect drafted out of Nebraska since 1974. He is the youngest member of the Huskers' 2021 class, turning 18 two months into his first season in Lincoln.
The Spartans lost starting defensive tackles Derrick Harmon (Oregon State) and Simeon Burrow (Miami-Florida State) to transfers last week. Two of Tucker's highly-touted defensive end prospects, Bai Jobe and Andrew Depaepe, have also entered the transfer portal.
Smith also acquired Indiana transfer edge rusher Anthony Jones for next season. Two defensive tackle transfers, D'Quan Doucet (Georgia Tech) and Quindarius Dunnigan (Middle Tennessee State), enrolled in January.
Contact Chris Solari:csolari@freepress.com.follow him @chrysolari.
Subscribe to the Spartan Speak podcast and receive new episodes every week. apple podcast, spotify Or wherever you listen to podcasts. Listen to all your podcasts and daily audio briefings. freep.com/podcast.
