Illinois transfer OT Andrew Dennis commits to Michigan State

Former Illinois 2024 signee Andrew Dennis has committed to Michigan State, via the NCAA Transfer Portal, per SpartanMag’s Kenny Jordan. Dennis initially entered the transfer portal on April 29.

Dennis played high school football at Mt. Pleasant (MI), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 226 overall recruit in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Dennis committed to Illinois on Nov. 27, 2023. The 6-foot-5, 290-pound OL also took visits to Penn State and Clemson during his recruiting process. Dennis first made a verbal commitment to Michigan State before flipping his pledge to Illinois.

“I have had a great relationship with the staff at Illinois for well over a year,” Andrew Dennis told On3 when he committed to Illinois. “I had a lot of the questions that had already been answered going into the visit, so I was excited to meet the guys on the team and see how I meshed with them. The style of play, the coaching, and the guys on the team made me realize that it was the right fit.

“They were very respectful toward me during the whole process and they didn’t push me, they were always supportive. They believed in me before any Power 5 program did. They’ve been there since the beginning.”

Now, Dennis is doubling back to his original commitment with Michigan State. He is the 16th player Michigan State has added in the transfer portal during or since the 2023 campaign. The team currently holds the No. 53 spot in On3’s Transfer Portal Team Rankings.

Jonathan Smith excited for fresh start at Michigan State

Along with a new roster, Michigan State will be led by a new head coach next season. On Nov. 25, the program named Jonathan Smith its next head coach. He was previously the head coach at Oregon State for six seasons.

Despite Michigan State’s roster turnover, Smith is thrilled about taking over the program.

“I’ve got confidence in this move,” Smith said. “I cannot overstate the idea of transition of the family all the way over here. I cannot overstate how important and confident I think we are in this thing. We are confident in this thing and it’s so exciting to be here and really get started.”

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.