Michigan State football welcomes 14 new additions to campus

Monday was another big day in the makeover of Michigan State’s football roster.

Fourteen new faces officially began the summer semester, with 11 newcomers on campus from the NCAA transfer portal as well as three freshmen from the 2021 recruiting class.

A team spokesman confirmed the arrival of 14 players, including defensive back Charles Brantley, defensive back AJ Kirk and offensive lineman Kevin Wigenton. The Spartans welcomed a new group of transfers, including running back Harold Joiner (Auburn), linebackers Ben VanSumeren (Michigan) and Quavaris Crouch (Tennessee), defensive backs Chester Kimbrough (Florida), Marqui Lowery (Louisville), Khary Crump (Arizona) and Ronald Williams (Alabama), and wide receivers Maliq Carr (Purdue) and Christian Fitzpatrick (Louisville).

Itayvion Brown, a linebacker from Minnesota, is the only announced transfer who has yet to arrive on campus.

Linebacker Samih Beydoun (Army) and tight end Powers Warren (Mississippi State) also joined the team as transfers, but will do so as walk-ons.

“We’re in the process of cementing (our) culture right now,” coach Mel Tucker said last week on WVFN radio in Lansing. “That’s a culture I feel good about. Our newcomers — the high school guys and transfers that are coming this summer — we'll be able to indoctrinate them into our way of doing things here, and I feel like we'll be able to move forward together going into fall camp.”

It’s the latest step in the Tucker’s shuffling of the roster after going 2-5 in his first season at Michigan State, a season cut short by COVID-19. Since the season ended, the roster has been in flux with the departure of 25 players.

The Spartans also have been busy bringing in players. In addition to Monday’s arrivals, six transfers joined the team in January and went through spring practice along with four freshmen who enrolled early.

Among the transfers included five scholarship players: quarterback Anthony Russo (Temple), defensive end Drew Jordan (Duke), running back Kenneth Walker III (Wake Forest), offensive lineman Jarrett Horst (Arkansas State) and defensive back Kendall Brooks (North Greenville). Walk-on defensive back Spencer Rowland from Division III Wheaton College also joined after the new year.

The early-enrolled freshmen included quarterback Hamp Fay, tight end Kameron Allen, offensive lineman Ethan Boyd and defensive back Michael Gravely Jr.

mcharboneau@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @mattcharboneau