Michigan State WR Antonio Gates Jr plans to enter NCAA transfer portal

Michigan State WR Antonio Gates Jr. plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, per On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

Gates Jr. has three years of eligibility remaining after spending two seasons in East Lansing. The Detroit native caught four passes for 49 yards for the Spartans in 2024.

According to Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press, Gates Jr. was no longer on the Spartans’ roster since before the Michigan game in October. Across two seasons with Michigan State, he caught nine passes for 131 yards and a touchdown. The lone touchdownn of his career came vs. Richmond during the 2023 season.

The son of longtime NFL tight end and multi-time Pro Bowler Antonio Gates, Gates Jr. was a four-star recruit coming out of the high school ranks, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He was the No. 290 player in the 2022 class.

Gates Jr. opted to enter the NCAA transfer portal after the 2023 season but later withdrew his name from the portal.

Michigan State finished the 2024 regular season 5-7 overall, falling just short of bowl eligibility after falling to Rutgers during Week 14. The Spartans lost four of their last five games after starting the season 4-3. It was Michigan State’s first season under head coach Jonathan Smith.

The portal officially opens on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. More than 2,800 FBS scholarship players entered their names into the NCAA’s transfer database during the 2023-24 school year. Removing those who withdrew or went pro, the final total sat at 2,707 transfers.

That means roughly 25 percent of all FBS scholarship players hit free agency in one year, per On3’s Pete Nakos.

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.