The transfer portal is an ever-evolving way of adding players to a college football roster. This year, the NCAA added transfer portal windows, which ran from Dec. 5, 2022 to Jan. 18, 2023 and April 15 to April 30, 2023.

After each portal window, I graded how head coach Mel Tucker and the Michigan State staff did considering its incoming transfers and outgoing transfers. After the winter window, I gave the Spartans a B grade. After the spring window, I gave the Spartans a C- grade. That averages out to an overall grade of C+.

Additionally, Michigan State picked up a couple of junior college players and (offensive lineman Keyshawn Blackstock and long snapper Drew Wilson), signed the No. 37-ranked 2023 recruiting class and made several staff changes during the offseason. Tucker added two key full-time assistant coaches in cornerbacks coach in Jim Salgado and defensive line coach Diron Reynolds. MSU also revamped its recruiting/personnel department, now lead by Mark Diethorn and his staff.

Now that both transfer portal windows have come and gone and the portal movement has died down, and other moves have been made, it’s time to take a look back at the best acquisitions through the transfer portal and JUCO ranks for the Spartans during this offseason. We rank these moves from five to one.

I also ranked the five biggest losses of the offseason including portal and coaching departures. To read that, click here.

Mangham comes to East Lansing after previously playing at South Florida and at Colorado, where he played under Tucker in 2019. Mangham is the older brother of current MSU defensive back Jaden Mangham, and said in February that his heart led him to the Spartans. He was the leading rusher for South Florida in 2021 as he totaled 671 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. Mangham is a physical back at 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds who will be key in short-yardage situations. He brings more of a "thunder" element to the table, which will make a nice combination with the returning Jalen Berger and UConn transfer Nate Carter.

Carter and Mangham are essentially interchangeable at No. 4 and No. 5 on this list as both were great pickups by Tucker and running backs coach Effrem Reed. He said it was a "leap of faith" that lead him to Michigan State. Carter, 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, certainly isn’t as big as Mangham, but he is a steady back with great acceleration and balance as Spartans Illustrated film review expert Chase Glasser highlighted here. Carter is also younger than Mangham. He comes into East Lansing as a redshirt sophomore, so he will have multiple years of eligibility remaining. Carter received a lot of praise from coaches and players alike throughout the spring. No matter how you slice it, adding Carter and Mangham to the backfield is great for the offense.

The transfer portal took all kinds of twists and turns for the Spartans this offseason. It seemed as if everything was mostly going according to plan until April 30 when three 2022 starters entered on the same day: quarterback Payton Thorne, wide receiver Keon Coleman and cornerback Charles Brantley. Luckily for the Spartans, they caught a big break when Brantley decided to withdraw his name just two days later and return to East Lansing. Whether or not Brantley truly wanted to leave at the time or if he was just going over his options is unknown. Clearly, he ultimately decided that sticking with the Spartans was the right call, though. Either way, getting a cornerback that has started 12 career games and played in 19 total to stay is a big time victory for Tucker and the staff. In 11 starts in 2022, Brantley had 48 tackles and one interceptions. He might be best known for his interception against Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara to seal the win over the Wolverines in 2021. Brantley brings back two years of experience in the defensive secondary for MSU.

Tucker’s second-best addition, in my eyes, was junior college (JUCO) offensive lineman Keyshawn Blackstock out of Coffeyville Community College in Kansas. Blackstock was the No. 1-ranked offensive lineman in the JUCO rankings, according to Rivals. Offensive line was a group that struggled last season. Part of that could be attributed to injuries, though. Blackstock has a chance to be inserted into the starting lineup at right or left tackle from day one, or even play guard if needed. At the very least, he'll be a heavily-used rotational player in the trenches. Either way, Blackstock is a welcome addition and adds quality depth at the very least. However, we expect him to get plenty of reps in 2023.

Adeleye arrived in East Lansing in January, transferring in from Texas A&M. The former five-star recruit out of high school (2021 class) is relatively inexperienced at the college level. He only recorded six tackles in three games played during his time in College Station. Recruiting services don’t throw five-star labels around to anybody, though. Adeleye earned that status for a reason. He has a ton of potential and has the opportunity to slide right in as a starting defensive end for the Spartans this fall. Adeleye isn’t just limited to the defensive end spot. He is versatile and athletic. He can play on the edge or in the interior, noting that he line up all over the field for the Spartans in the spring. “Everywhere – from nine (technique) all the way to zero (technique)," Adeleye said in the spring about which spots he has been learning on the defensive line. Adeleye is a valuable asset and can be used in a variety of defensive packages. He also has a chip on his shoulder. Adeleye will take his “underdog mentality” into the season and he wants to be a three-down guy for the Spartans. Defensive line was a position group that Tucker addressed heavily in the portal and Adeleye was the best addition out of the bunch.

Discuss this article in our premium forums by clicking here.

You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

For video content, including our Red Cedar Radar podcast, find us on YouTube and consider subscribing.