MSU kicker Jack Olsen transfers to Northwestern

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MSU head coach Mel Tucker runs out of the tunnel with his team before a game/ Photo Credit: MSU Athletic Communications

Nathan Stearns, Football Beat Reporter

EAST LANSING— On Tuesday evening, MSU kicker Jack Olsen became the latest Spartan to formally leave the program as he announced his transfer to Northwestern. Olsen entered the transfer portal on April 24, a day after the 2021 spring game.

He originally committed to MSU on June 15, 2019, as a three-star recruit out of Wheaton, Illinois. 247Sports rated Olsen as the No. 4 overall kicking prospect and the No. 34 recruit in Illinois within the 2020 recruiting class. He held offers from Army, Illinois State, Miami (OH) and Yale before choosing MSU.

Olsen did not appear in a game in 2020 for the Spartans, and with the return of veteran kicker Matt Coghlin, he was facing an uphill battle for consistent playing time. MSU currently has two kickers under scholarship, Coghlin and redshirt senior Cole Hahn, who served as the Spartans’ kickoff specialist in 2018 and 2019 before getting injured after appearing in the season-opening game against Rutgers in 2020.

Tight end Tommy Guajardo, defensive ends DeAri Todd and Jasiyah Robinson, defensive tackle Chris Mayfield, offensive lineman Damon Kaylor, quarterback Theo Day, long snapper Bryce Eimer, running back Andre Welch and wide receiver Javez Alexander are currently still in the transfer portal. Every player, with the exception of Welch and Alexander, entered the portal after the spring game on April 24.