The last two marquee recruits of the Mark Datonio era have entered the transfer portal at Michigan State. The latest was the highest-rated offensive recruit of Dantonio's 13-year tenure: OL Devontae Dobbs.
Dobbs, who did not dress for a game this season, entered the portal on Friday, according to the Free Press. He was Michigan State's top recruit in 2019 and the top-rated guard in the country, according to 247 Sports.
It's unclear if Dobbs' lack of playing time under first-year head coach Mel Tucker was due to injury or performance issues, or both. He played in four games last season under Dantonio.
Dobbs' decision comes a week after CB Julian Barnett, the Spartans' No. 2 recruit in 2019 and Dobbs' teammate at Belleville, made the same move. Neither player lived up to expectations at Michigan State.
It's not all bad news for the Spartans on the transfer front. Michigan State landed two players this week via the portal: former four-star RB Harold Joiner from Auburn and grad-transfer quarterback Anthony Russo from Temple.
"The portal is here. It is not going away," Tucker said Wednesday. "We're going to embrace it. I've gotten players out of the portal, and I've seen guys go into the portal. That's part of college football now."