East Lansing — With the transfer portal set to open on Friday, a number of Michigan State football players declared their intention to enter it on New Year’s Eve.
Twelve Spartans made announcements Wednesday that they will enter the transfer portal: Wide receivers Chrishon McCray and Evan Boyd; offensive linemen Kristian Phillips, Cole Dellinger, Justin Bell, Mercer Luniewski and Charlton Luniewski; defensive lineman Jalen Thompson; cornerback Aydan West; edge rusher David Santiago; quarterback Ryland Jessee; and tight end Wyatt Hook.
There are now 31 Spartans in the portal. Michigan State’s portal departures also include: quarterback Aidan Chiles; wide receiver Nick Marsh; running back Makhi Frazier; tight end Michael Masunas; offensive linemen Rashawn Rogers and Gavin Broscious; linebackers Darius Snow, Semaj Bridgeman and Marcellius Pulliam; defensive backs Ade Willie, Justin Denson Jr., Jeremiah Hughes, George Mullins, Elisha West and Tracy Revels; edge rushers Stone Chaney and Tyler Gillison; long snapper Kaden Schickel and kicker Connington.
The portal window closes Jan. 16, with an extra five-day window for players who play in the national championship game. Pat Fitzgerald’s Dec. 1 hire as MSU’s new football coach opened another 15-day portal window five days after his hiring, but that window closed Dec. 23.
McCray had one Football Bowl Subdivision offer out of high school, to Kent State, where he emerged as an explosive receiving threat. The Indiana product scored 13 touchdowns across two seasons at Kent State, then transferred to Michigan State last season and scored three TD over the course of the season as the starting slot receiver. His 24 catches for 330 yards ranked fourth among the Spartans’ receiving leaders. McCray has one more season of NCAA eligibility.
With McCray’s entrance to the portal, the only Michigan State player with a receiving touchdown set to return to the roster is Kai Rios, the fifth-string tight end, who caught a 1-yard touchdown in a season-ending win over Maryland at Ford Field, the final game of Jonathan Smith’s 5-19, 4-14 Big Ten tenure as Michigan State coach.
Boyd, from East Lansing, also transferred in for 2025 from Central Michigan. He played a backup role, often subbing in for Nick Marsh, and made three catches for 54 yards.
Phillips, nicknamed “Big Dooley,” cracked the starting lineup as an offensive guard this season after coming back from a torn ACL in last season’s opener against Florida Atlantic. He played 240 snaps across the first six games before leaving a homecoming loss to UCLA with what looked to be a right leg injury. He did not return for the rest of the season. Phillips will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
In his third year with Michigan State, Thompson (River Rouge) played the seventh most snaps (421) of any Michigan State defensive player in 2025, even as he missed the UCLA game with an injury. He made 29 total tackles, 15 of which were solo, as he set career highs in both categories.
Dellinger came to Michigan State as a four-star recruit out of Clarkston in the 2023 class, but injuries kept him off the field. He dressed in seven games this season but did not play a single snap. He repped at center in warmups and late in the season was Michigan State’s third-stringer, behind Matt Gulbin (graduating) and Cooper Terpstra (portal).
Antonio Johnson and Rakeem Johnson are the only players on the roster who repped at center on game day warmups, though Rakeem started at right guard late in the season.
West, one of Michigan State’s top young contributors, earned a role as a starter as a freshman and played the most snaps of any returning defensive back. West was a three-star recruit out of California who made 19 tackles this season and factored in on a sack. He had one pass defended and no interceptions.
Santiago, who previously played at Air Force, is transferring after one season at MSU. Santiago had 24 tackles with 1 1/2 sacks and one pass defended.
Bell redshirted last season as a freshman out of Dakota High School. Mercer repped as the fourth-string right guard late in the season and his twin brother Charlton repped at right tackle. Bell has four seasons of eligibility left while the Luniewski brothers have three each.
Jessee and Hook, who played only on special teams, both dressed in 10 games this season, missing USC and Nebraska.
@ConnorEaregood
