East Lansing, Mich. - He hasn’t played for more than a year, but Ricky White is the most noteworthy Michigan State player to hit the transfer portal this season.

White, the breakout star of Michigan State’s 2000 victory at Michigan, leaves Michigan State without having suited up for a game since Nov. 14, 2020 when he saw action at Indiana but did not touch the ball.

In August, head coach Mel Tucker said White was not participating in team activities. White missed the last three games of the 2020 season with an undisclosed injury and sat out spring practice for undisclosed reasons.

White indicated on social media last summer and into the fall that he was holding out hope of returning to the Spartans, but those hopes vanished with Monday’s entrance into the portal.

White hasn’t played since Nov. 14, 2020 when he saw action but did not touch the ball against Indiana.

White’s short but seismic career at Michigan State reached a high point in the victory at Michigan on Oct. 31 of 2020 when he had eight catches for 196 yards, which was a single-game freshman school record. He had catches of 50, 40, 31 and 30 yards against the Wolverines. He was named Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week after that game and Pro Football Focus named him National True Freshman of the Week.

However, he would have only one reception as a Spartan after that game, which was a 22-yarder at Iowa the following week.

White was one of only two four-star recruits as part of Mark Dantonio’s last recruiting class at Michigan State in 2020. Michigan State gained a commitment from him in June of 2019 as a rising three-star prospect. He rose to No. 26 in Georgia and No. 227 in the nation after leading Marietta (Ga.) High School to the Georgia Class 7A state championship. He had 97 catches for 1,319 yards as a senior.

Michigan State defensive back Michael Gravely entered the portal last week. Gravely also was held from team activities during the off-season, according to Tucker’s comments in August. Gravely, a member of Tucker’s first Michigan State recruiting class in 2021 out of Cleveland Glenville, never saw the field for the Spartans.

Michigan State senior wide receiver C.J. Hayes also entered the portal on Monday. Hayes did not see playing time this year. Hayes has a COVID super senior year of eligibility remaining.

Hayes never saw the field for Michigan State during the Tucker era. He missed the 2020 season with an undisclosed injury.

Hayes started two games for Michigan State in 2019 and had 13 catches on the year for 141 yards. He played 373 snaps as Michigan State battle dinjury problems at the wide receiver position all year.

In 2018, he had one reception and played 78 snaps in eight games.

Hayes was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. He graduated with a degree in communications in December of 2020 as was on the roster this season as a graduate student while pursuing a master’s degree in sport coaching and leadership.

Michigan State has had eight scholarship players who were part of the program in August enter the transfer portal. In addition to White, Gravely and Hayes, cornerback Kalon Gervin, linebacker Chase Kline, defensive end Alex Okelo, defensive back Michael Dowell and defensive back Emmanuel Flowers have entered the portal.

Walk-on kicker Evan Johnson also entered the portal last week.

WHAT IT MEANS

Michigan State might miss White’s wide receiver talent next fall, but the Spartans didn’t miss him all that much this year in going 10-2 and ranking No. 3 in the Big Ten in yards per pass attempt at 8.4. However, one wonders how much more offensive firepower the Spartans might have had with White joining Jayden Reed and Jalen Nailor in pass patterns, especially after Nailor went down with a hand injury during this year’s victory over Michigan.