Michigan State adds highly sought after defensive line transfer
Michigan State landed one of the most sought-after prospects in the transfer portal on Dec. 20 when former Texas A&M defensive lineman Tunmise Adeleye committed to the Spartans.
Adeleye entered the portal on Dec. 1. and had schools lining up to receive a visit from the former four-star. Michigan State, Miami, USC, and California were the four main schools that Adeleye considered. He took official visits to East Lansing, Miami, and Cal, in that order, before deciding on his future home with the Spartans.
During his high school recruitment Adeleye was ranked a five-star by Rivals. He was ranked the No. 41 overall recruit, the No. 3 defensive end, and the No. 8 overall recruit in Texas by the 2021 On3 Consensus.
Out of Katy (TX) Thompkins High, Adeleye was once committed to Ohio State. He later flipped his commitment, joining the 2021 Texas A&M class which ranked No. 7 overall by the 2021 On3 consensus team rankings. Adeleye was the second highest ranked prospect in the Aggies class.
The four-star recruit did not play his senior year as he transferred to Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy shortly before COVID-19 cause their season to be cancelled. The four-star transfer then, at the time, transferred back home to the Houston area to finish out his schooling.
Once arriving in College Station (TX) Adeleye redshirted as a true freshman in 2021. In 2022, Adeleye played in two more games before suffering a season-ending injury.
His first collegiate appearance came against Sam Houston State in week one, registering one tackle. His second appearance came against Appalachian State in week two, tallying five tackles, four of which were solos. He was then injured in week three against South Carolina. He finished his Aggie career with six tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss.
The talent level of Adeleye is as high as any prospect in the portal, but with just four games of experience in his last three seasons of football, it is still unclear the immediate impact he will be able to provide to the Spartans in 2023.
With three years of eligibility, Adeleye will, at the very least, provide depth in the defensive tackle room along side senior Maverick Hansen, junior Simeon Barrow, sophomore Derrick Harmon, and freshman Alex VanSumeran.
Led by defensive line coach Marco Coleman, MSU is looking towards the portal for depth along the defensive line after the departures of Jacob Slade, Jalen Hunt, Dashaun Mallory, and Chase Carter.
Adeleye also worked with Michigan State pass rush specialist Brandon Jordan in Houston back in 2020. The connection to Jordan also played a big role in this recruitment.
