Michigan State lands North Carolina DB Lejond Cavazos via transfer portal
Michigan State received a transfer portal commitment from former North Carolina defensive back Lejond Cavazos on May 13, following a weekend official visit. Cavazos spent the past two seasons with the Tar Heels after beginning his career at Ohio State. He has one season of eligibility remaining.
The defensive back is ranked the No. 1648 player and No. 208 cornerback in the portal, per the On3 Industry Rankings.
Cavazos (6-0, 200) battled an injury throughout the 2023 season and only appeared in one game, against Syracuse. Reports indicate that Cavazos is healthy heading into the 2024 season.
Cavazos appeared in 11 games in 2022, his first season at North Carolina. He registered three starts in the final three games of the season. Cavazos had 18 tackles, one tackle for loss and two pass breakups that season.
He also appeared in 11 games for the Buckeyes in 2021. He tallied eight tackles and two pass breakups that season as a redshirt freshman. He appeared in just one game the previous year.
Overall, the redshirt senior defensive back has logged 25 tackles (15 solo), one tackle for loss and four pass deflections in his career.
Cavazos has played both cornerback and safety during his collegiate career. It’s unclear what position Michigan State’s coaching staff recruited him at. But with the departure of junior safety Jaden Mangham and the addition of former Arizona State cornerback Ed Woods earlier this offseason, it couldd be likely that the Spartans view him as a safety to add depth to that room.
Michigan State’s safety room currently features returning starter Malik Spencer and one-time starting cornerback Dillon Tatum. Redshirt junior Khalil Majeed will head into 2024 with considerable experience at the position. Should Cavazos play safety, he will compete for a spot in the two-deep, with Brandon Lewis and Armorion Smith, among others, also in the room.
Cavazos could also provide some depth at nickelback. Redshirt senior Angelo Grose is the likely starter at the position, but Cavazos could bolster the depth in the room alongside other candidates like redshirt sophomore Caleb Coley and junior Ade Willie.
