U-M Clemons, Thaw enter portal; MSU gets Old Dominion LB
The dust has officially started to settle on Michigan football’s national championship as moves are beginning to be made for next season.
The first dominos to fall after U-M’s 34-13 victory over Washington were wide receivers Darrius Clemons and Jake Thaw, who have both entered the transfer portal. Clemons was a top 150 recruit and the state of Oregon’s top-rated player coming out of Portland in 2021 per 247Sports composite rankings, however he never quite caught on in Ann Arbor.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound wideout caught four passes for 40 yards in 18 games across two seasons, that includes three catches for 33 yards this season and a career-best performance at Nebraskaa, where he caught two passes for 29 yards.
There does appear to be room opening up in the wide receiver ranks with Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson both headed to the NFL draft, however the top two incumbents figure to be rising senior Tyler Morris and rising sophomore Semaj Morgan. Fellow rising sophomores Frederick Moore and Karmello English could also figure into the mix, as could spring practice standout Payton O’Leary.
Thaw, 6-1 and 192 pounds played in 15 games on special teams as a senior this season. He may now be most known for his muffed punt near the goal line against Alabama in the final minute of the Rose Bowl, though it should be highlighted he was able to recover the loose ball and avert disaster.
“I don’t look at the recovery aspect of it,” Thaw told reporters at team media day prior to the national championship. “That play’s probably gonna stick with me forever, and not in a good way. I do appreciate the people who have kind of spun it in a positive way, but I look at it all in the negative of what I should’ve done.
A Westport, Connecticut, native, Thaw had 11 fair catches and fielded 16 punts for 111 return yards this year.
“For those that have kept unwavering support — thank you. And for those that have not, I understand,” Thaw posted on social media. “I made the biggest two mistakes of my life on the biggest stage, and I won’t ever forgive myself. I’ll always love and cherish @UMichFootball and this fanbase. Go Blue.”
In another post Thaw wrote he has three years of eligibility remaining and his recruitment was “wide open.” Last month, running back CJ Stokes and defensive back Cam Calhoun announced their decisions to enter the portal.
MSU gets Old Dominion LB out of portal
Add another inbound transfer to Michigan State’s defense. New coach Jonathan Smith picked up his 11th player from the portal Wednesday with a pledge from former Old Dominion linebacker Wayne Matthews III.
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound native of Largo, Maryland, finished second on the Monarchs as a third-year sophomore and earned third-team All-Sun Belt honors with 135 tackles in 13 games this season, registering 3.5 sacks among his 9.5 tackles for a loss while forcing three fumbles and breaking up three passes. He ranked 11th in the FBS in total tackles this season.
Matthews has two years of eligibility remaining after playing three games and redshirting for ODU in 2021. He had 13 tackles and a forced fumble over 10 games in 2022.
The additions of transfer Matthews and Jordan Turner from Wisconsin help offset the losses of Jacoby Windmon to the NFL draft and Aaron Brule to graduation.
Matthews and Turner join a returning linebacker corps that includes starter Cal Haladay, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining with his NCAA-approved COVID season waiver for 2020 when he played as a true freshman. Jordan Hall, an honorable mention freshman All-America selection by College Football Network, also is expected to return for his second season.
Redshirt junior Darius Snow withdrew his name from the transfer portal Dec. 6 to return for his fifth season of eligibility, and redshirt freshman Aaron Alexander returns for his second season with the Spartans after arriving via transfer from Massachusetts before the 2023 season. Smith also signed three-star prospect Brady Pretzlaff from Gaylord last month for 2024.
Spartans’ schedule opens up
Michigan State’s 2024 schedule has been altered because of a ripple effect across the college football landscape.
Louisiana backed out of its game against MSU originally scheduled to be played Sept. 14 in East Lansing, now leaving the Spartans with an open date for Week 3 of the season.
Two MSU sources said a replacement opponent is being finalized and will be announced once the contract is signed. Typically, contracts are agreed upon multiple years in advance — for example, the MSU-Louisiana game was agreed to in May 2021 — which adds some complexity for the Spartans to change their schedule nine months out.
The Ragin Cajuns added a Sept. 28 game at Wake Forest on Wednesday morning, which replaced the Demon Deacons’ game against Army that originally was scheduled for Nov. 16. Army joining the American Athletic Conference forced the service academy to alter its 2024 schedule and previously signed contracts.
MSU is scheduled to open the Jonathan Smith era Saturday, Aug. 31 against Florida Atlantic, though that is a game that typically gets moved to a Friday game to kick off Labor Day weekend.