Michigan State has landed a commitment from former Indiana State tight end Kai Rios. Rios announced his commitment to the Spartans via social media on Sunday.
Rios spent three seasons with the Sycamores before entering the transfer portal on April 18. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.
He pledged to the Spartans following a visit over the weekend where he received an offer. Rios arrived in East Lansing on Friday evening and spent Saturday on MSU's campus befoe leaving on Sunday morning.
The 6-foot-6, 260-pound tight end committed to Michigan State over offers from Kent State and North Dakota. Rios had additional trips planned to South Dakota State and North Dakota, but he will no longer be taking those visits. He also had interest from New Mexico, South Alabama and Vanderbilt, as Brendan Flaherty, the Commodores' tight ends coach, visited Rios at Indiana State.
Last season with the Sycamores, Rios played in 11 games, collecting seven catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. The Rock Island, Illinois native averaged 8.7 yards per reception.
Rios recorded a season-high two catches for 23 yards and a touchdown on Oct. 12, 2024 against Murray State and one catch for 26 yards on Sept. 7 against Eastern Illinois.
According to Pro Football Focus, Rios played 396 offensive snaps and 31 snaps on special teams in 2024.
He recorded one catch for eight yards in 2022. Rios redshirted as a true freshman in 2022.
The acquisition of Rios comes after Michigan State briefly received a commitment from former Idaho tight end Mason Mini in January. However, just two days after pledging to the Spartans, Mini flipped to home-state program California and signed with the Golden Bears.
With the addition of Rios, Michigan State tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator Brian Wozniak brings more talent and depth to his tight ends room heading into the 2025 season. Rios will join Jack Velling, Brennan Parachek, Michael Masunas, Wyatt Hook, Charlie Baker, Jaxson Wilson and incoming three-star true freshman Jayden Savoury.
The commitment to MSU will be a step up in the competition level for Rios, with Indiana State playing in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
With Rios now in the fold, Michigan State has added five transfers during the spring portal window thus far. He joins former Texas Tech rush end Isaac Smith, former Hope College rush end Jack Lamancusa (preferred walk-on), former UTSA cornerback Anthony Pinnace and former Bowling Green safety Tracy Revels. In total, MSU has gained 21 transfer players since the conclusion of the 2024 season.
To keep up with all of Michigan State's transfer portal activity, please view the Spartans Illustrated transfer portal tracker.
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