Mel Tucker praises new running backs Jalen Berger, Jarek Broussard

Last year, Michigan State coach Mel Tucker struck gold in the transfer portal, landing Kenneth Walker III from the transfer portal. But the 2021 Doak Walker Award winner is now in the NFL, and the Spartans now have to replace that production.

That’s where Jalen Berger and Jarek Broussard enter the conversation.

Both players headed to East Lansing via the portal — Berger as a mid-year transfer from Wisconsin and Broussard from Tucker’s previous stop in Colorado. At Big Ten Media Days, Tucker lofted some high praise on the duo and shared his expectations for Michigan State’s revamped running backs room.

“Berger came us to midyear,” Tucker said. “We got him in January. He’s a very talented young man, very talented. He really bought in right away to our culture and what we’re all about. He’s really started to bond with his teammates, and he’s really opened up. So we’ve gotten to know him over these past several months, and he is a very versatile guy. He’s an excellent runner, and he’s excellent in terms of receiving the ball out of the backfield. He’s a competitor, and I’m glad we got him.

“Jarek Broussard, he played for us at Colorado when I was there. Tremendous, tremendous back. Also excellent ball skills, can catch the ball out of the backfield. Super hyper-competitive. We got him this summer, and he’s a guy that can do a lot of things. Those two guys were obviously portal guys for us that made our team better and made our running back room more competitive.”

Mel Tucker weighs in on NFL comparisons in recruiting

As the transfer portal landscape continues to evolve around college football the comparisons are rolling in to the NFL model. “Free agency” has been thrown around, coaches are now tasked with balancing the high school recruiting trail with the portal.

Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker has been in those NFL circles, and shared his approach to the current recruiting landscape.

During his opening press conference at Big Ten Media Days, Tucker — a former NFL defensive coordinator — discussed his approach to recruiting. He’s had success both at the high school and transfer levels on the trail, notably landing Wake Forest transfer and 2021 Doak Walker Award winner Kenneth Walker III last year and bringing in the No. 24 recruiting class in the country from the class of 2022, according to the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking.

Tucker has found a balance, and it stems from his NFL days.

“We embrace the portal,” Tucker said. “We’re going to build our team through the high school ranks. It’s very similar to what we did while I was in the NFL. You want to build through the draft. You complement or supplement your roster through free agency.

“So the high school ranks, for us, is the draft. The portal is free agency.”