Just hours after firing coach Jonathan Smith, Michigan State has made its first planned roster departure.
Sophomore running back Makhi Frazier, who led the Spartans in rushing this season, announced via social media that he intends to enter the transfer portal. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
The NCAA changed the portal timeline this year by removing a spring window and compressing it to a two-week period from Jan. 2-16. Teams with major coaching changes also have a 15-day window open to players and begins five days after the announcement or appointment of a new coach.
Multiple reports Sunday indicated that Michigan State plans to hire former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald to replace Smith.
Frazier, a former three-star recruit from Texas, committed to play for Smith at Oregon State before moving to East Lansing as part of its first signing class. He played mostly on special teams as a true freshman before beginning the fall as a backfield starter.
Frazier finished the 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 averaged 100 yards on the ground twice this season – in a win against Western Michigan and in 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.
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