EAST LANSING- Since its conception in 2018, the transfer portal has grown increasingly prevalent in the collegiate realm, becoming a haven for athletes to pursue opportunities elsewhere.
While rules have been modified over the years and NIL has muddied the waters, the transfer portal has been a source of constant benefit to schools across the country, Michigan State included.
Tyson Walker, Joey Hauser, and Nate Carter have proven to be transfer gold mines for the Spartans in recent seasons, though plenty more athletes have quickly made their presence felt in green and white. Despite numerous impact transfers making stops in East Lansing, these three stand out to date during the 2024 calendar season.
Meg Hughes, F (women’s soccer)
The No. 5 Michigan State women’s soccer team has continued to smash program records in 2024, whether that be on the pitch or the ever-growing attendance rates at DeMartin Stadium.
Sitting at 9-1-5 and on the heels of a Big Ten title last season, the success on the field has only grown due to new additions by head coach Jeff Hosler. Former Providence star Meg Hughes has been a catalyst to a historic season in front of the Red Cedar Rowdies.
The graduate transfer was an All-Big East player in four straight seasons at Providence before making her way to a Spartan squad hungry for postseason success.
In her final season of eligibility, Hughes leads the Spartans with 16 points and is tied for the team lead with six goals on the year.
While the Massachusetts native has enjoyed individual success, the tantalizing transfer tandem of Hughes and midfielder Emily Mathews has turned heads in their lone season at MSU.
Hughes and Mathews are tied for the team lead in goals as the pair have terrorized opposing goalkeepers for a Spartan squad that is sitting pretty atop the Big Ten standings.
Gabby Mueller was the key addition from the portal for Hosler’s unit a season ago, and Hughes has only been the latest standout add for the women’s soccer team vying for yet another conference crown.
Akasha Anderson, OH (volleyball)
The Michigan State volleyball team has not lived up to expectations thus far in 2024, with the Spartans having dropped seven straight matches and are winless in conference play.
Despite the struggles endured in head coach Leah Johnson’s third season at the helm, MSU was still home to one of the top impact transfers in the Big Ten in outside hitter Akasha Anderson.
The rising junior transferred over from Auburn, where she was named an all-conference player as a true freshman and started every game she appeared in a season ago, tallying 356 kills.
Anderson has racked up double-digit kills in five of her last six matches, leading Michigan State’s dormant offense with 176 kills in her lone season in East Lansing.
The statistical success for Anderson does not end there. The Virginia native also leads MSU in kills per set (2.98), points (208.0), and points per set (3.53) in what has been as dominant of an initial season in green and white as they come.
Anderson and fellow transfer Taylor Preston joined forces to forge one a fearsome hitting attack for Michigan State as two of just three Spartans with over 100 kills on the season.
The former Gatorade State Player of the Year has started all 17 games she suited up for this season, and has wasted no time in becoming arguably the most important offensive player for MSU upon her arrival.
Jordan Turner, LB (football)
When Jonathan Smith was hired to be the next head coach for MSU football, a point of contention for improvement was addressing a porous Spartan defense.
MSU possesses a record of 3-3 after six games, and the 37th-ranked defense at Spartan Stadium is a significant improvement from a season ago.
Joe Rossi has done wonders as the new defensive coordinator in East Lansing, as Michigan State found a crucial addition in the portal in redshirt senior linebacker Jordan Turner.
Turner was no stranger to Big Ten action, spending his prior three seasons of collegiate eligibility at Wisconsin and came to MSU to provide some much-needed experience to the front seven for the new staff.
Turner leads all Spartan defenders with 37 tackles, 3.0 sacks, and 6.5 tackles for loss in 2024. The standout season from the Farmington Hills native becoming a captain and instant leader on the defensive side of the football.
Turner’s most impressive showing of the season came when No. 3 Ohio State came to town on Sept. 28. The standout linebacker accrued a season-high six tackles and an interception that set up Michigan State’s lone touchdown of the night.
While other transfer additions such as Aidan Chiles or Jack Velling may garner more attention among the Spartan faithful compared to Turner, it was Turner who boasted a career year in his first with MSU.
