Highly-rated Michigan State freshman OL enters transfer portal

Michigan State’s roster is likely to go through more turnover than usual this season as Mel Tucker enters his second year on the job.

That reality became more apparent on Friday morning as the Spartans confirmed former 4-star offensive lineman Devontae Dobbs has entered the transfer portal.

Michigan State spokesman confirms Devontae Dobbs entered the transfer portal. That means the three highest-rated signees from the 2019 class (Dobbs, Julian Barnett and Luke Fulton) are all in the portal.

— Matt Wenzel (@mwenzel2) December 18, 2020

Dobbs was a prized recruit in the 2019 class. He was rated as the No. 1 offensive guard and the No. 51 overall player that year, according to 247Sports Composite rankings.

Dobbs attended Belleville High School, which is less than 100 miles from Michigan State’s campus in East Lansing. He was the highest-rated recruit in the Spartans’ 2019 recruiting class.

Michigan State signed another 4-star prospect from Belleville in the 2019 class, cornerback Julian Barnett, but he’s also since entered the portal.

The Spartans went 2-5 this season with wins over Michigan and Northwestern. While those two wins were meaningful, it was probably a slower start than Tucker hoped for in his first year at the helm.

Dobbs played in four games in 2019 but did not see the field in 2020.

Michigan State’s 2021 recruiting class is well underway. The Spartans have signed 17 prospects in the Early Signing Period and currently rank as the No. 33 class in the country, according to 247Sports Composite rankings.

Spenser Davis

Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.