Over the last few days, the NCAA transfer portal has been more of an enemy than a friend to Michigan State’s football program. That changed on Tuesday morning.

That’s because the Spartans received a commitment from former Tennessee starting linebacker Quavaris Crouch, who entered the transfer portal following the 2020 season. He spent two seasons in Knoxville with the Volunteers, but has decided to transfer since the coaching change from Jeremy Pruitt to Josh Heupel.

Crouch made a short post on Twitter, “Kickin it up north!” with a photo in a Michigan State uniform to make the announcement.

A former 4-star prospect and ranked as the No. 61 overall player in the 2019 recruiting class, Crouch carved out a significant role for himself at Tennessee early in his career. As a true freshman, the linebacker appeared in all 13 games and made 1 start. He totaled 28 tackles and broke up 2 passes in his first year with the Vols.

Last season, Crouch started in all 10 games and collected 57 stops, the third-highest total on the team. He was also credited with 3 quarterback hurries, 2 tackles for loss and 2 forced fumbles during the 2020 campaign.

Crouch will bring much-needed experience at the linebacker position to East Lansing. He’ll likely be able to make a quick impact for the Spartans defensively.

Michigan State has seen eight players enter the NCAA transfer portal since Saturday, the final practice of the spring schedule. This time, though, Mel Tucker was able to use the database to his advantage.

Crouch will have three years of eligibility to use at Michigan State.