EAST LANSING, Mich—Michigan State freshman defensive end Tyson Watson has entered the transfer portal. Watson is the 16th Spartan to enter his name into the portal (15th scholarship player) in 2021 and the fourth player from head coach Mel Tucker’s 2021 recruiting class to announce his intentions to transfer. 

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— Tyson Watson (@TysonWatson14) December 24, 2021

Watson, a 6-foot-6, 270-pound defensive end from Warren, Michigan, committed to play for the Spartans on April 17, 2020. He was ranked as the No. 747 overall player in his class and the No. 18 overall player in the state of Michigan, according to 247Sports. He was also ranked as the No. 1 overall defensive end in the state of Michigan in his recruiting class. He did not see any time on the field as a freshman for the Spartans, playing behind Drew Jordan, Jacub Panasiuk, Drew Beesley, Jeff Pietrowski, Itayvion Brown and others.

He initially committed to MSU over other notable Power Five schools including Ole Miss, Indiana, Iowa, West Virginia, Purdue, Maryland, Minnesota, Iowa State, Tennessee, Kentucky and others.

Tucker’s inaugural recruiting class as head coach of the Spartans has now seen four players enter the transfer portal in defensive end Alex Okelo, safety Michael Gravely Jr., tight end Kameron Allen and Watson. He is the third Spartan defensive lineman to enter his name into the portal, along with Okelo and senior Jack Camper.  

Watson will have four years of eligibility remaining.