Former Michigan State defensive tackle Jalen Hunt lands at University of Houston
East Lansing, Mich. – Former Michigan State defensive tackle Jalen Hunt announced on Monday that he has founding a landing spot, transferring to the University of Houston.
Hunt entered the transfer portal on Dec. 5 and has two years of eligibility remaining.
Hunt (6-4, 320, Belleville, Mich.) began the 2022 season as a third-string defensive tackle. He earned playing time as the season progressed and attrition sidelined multiple defensive tackles and defensive ends.
Hunt was hampered by off-season injuries and procedures to break into the playing group for the Spartans at mid-season.
He finished 2022 with nine tackles while playing in seven games. He started three games at defensive end after the Spartans lost Khris Bogle and Jeff Pietrowski to injury while Brandon Wright and Zion Young were suspended due to the tunnel scuffle at Michigan.
Hunt started three games at defensive end in 2022 against Illinois, Rutgers and Indiana but did not play in the season finale at Penn State.
Hunt played in 23 career games at Michigan State, with five starts.
Hunt was a three-star recruit, ranked the No. 18 in Michigan in the On3 Consensus, with a rating of 86.23. He originally committed to Iowa and signed with the Hawkeyes but enrolled at Michigan State in August of 2019, due in part to academic snags with the University of Iowa.
Hunt impressed former Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio in his first year in the Spartan program while redshirting and had the look of an underrated, late-bloomer. In 2020, under Mel Tucker, Hunt started one game and played in five during the seven-game COVID season. He missed the final two games of the year with an undisclosed injury.
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In 2021, he played 178 snaps and started one game, the season-opener at Northwestern. His role wavered as the season progressed, but he flashed play-making ability with key short-yardage stops against Michigan and Penn State which were key to Spartan victories in those games.
Hunt, who also starred as a big-bodied tailback in high school, has potential to help the Houston Cougars immediately. However, he will need to show a more consistent level of motivation than he had at Michigan State, along with good health.
Hunt is one of 11 scholarship players to enter the portal during the 2022-23 school year.
Others include: Linebacker Carson Casteel (to Vanderbilt), running back Elijah Collins (to Oklahoma State), wide receiver Terry Lockett (to Eastern Michigan), safety Tate Hallock (to Western Michigan), defensive end Jeff Pietrowski (to Wisconsin), defensive lineman Dashaun Mallory (to Arizona State), kicker Jack Stone (to Baylor), defensive end Michael Fletcher (to Appalachian State) and wide receiver Germie Bernard (to Washington).
Freshman defensive end Chase Carter has yet to land with a new school.
Michigan State has incoming transfers including defensive lineman Tunmise Adeleye (from Texas A&M), defensive tackle Deandre Butler (from Liberty), defensive tackle Jarrett Jackson (from Florida State), running back Nathan Carter (from UConn), running back Jaren Mangham (from South Florida), tight end Tyneil Hopper (from Boise State), kicker Jonathan Kim (from North Carolina), cornerback Semar Melvin (from Wisconsin), defensive end Ken Talley (from Penn State), tight end Jaylan Franklin (from Wisconsin), linebacker Aaron Alexander (from Massachusetts) and long snapper Mason Arnold (from Ohio State).
The On3 Transfer Portal Index, an algorithm which weighs a program’s additions and subtractions in the transfer portal, ranks Michigan State’s transfer activity No. 39 in the nation for 2023.
