Just hours after coach Jonathan Smith was fired, Michigan State has its first planned roster departure.
Sophomore running back Makhi Frazier, who led the Spartans in rushing this season, announced via social media he intends to enter the transfer portal. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
The NCAA altered the portal timeline this year by eliminating a spring window and condensing it to a two-week span from Jan. 2-16. There’s also a 15-day window open to players on teams with a head coaching change and that begins five days after a new coach is announced or hired.
Multiple reports on Sunday indicate Michigan State is planning on hiring former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald to replace Smith.
Frazier, a former three-star recruit from Texas, was committed to play for Smith at Oregon State before following him to East Lansing as part of his first signing class. He played mostly on special teams as a true freshman before opening the fall as the backfield starter.
Frazier finished this season with 116 carries for 520 yards and two touchdowns while missing three of the last four games, including Saturday’s 38-28 season-ending win against Maryland in Detroit. He topped 100 yards on the ground twice this season – in a win against Western Michigan and a loss against Michigan.
Michigan State used a three-man backfield this fall in Frazier, fellow sophomore Brandon Tullis and graduate transfer Elijah Tau-Tolliver, who finished his final college season strong.