The Michigan State football transfer leads the country in an important statistic

The biggest story for Michigan State football this season will undoubtedly be the impact of their transfers, and how could it be otherwise considering Jonathan Smith brought in one of the largest transfer classes in the country.

Everyone knows the big names that have transferred like Aidan Chiles, Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams and Jack Velling, but how about we give some love to arguably the best transfer linebacker in the country?

Wayne Matthews is a transfer linebacker who could very well become the leader of Michigan State’s defense. Matthews comes to East Lansing from Old Dominion, where he had a dominant season in 2023. That included 135 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

Those stats were good enough for 247Sports to rank him as the fourth-best transfer linebacker in the country and the 87th transfer overall.

But perhaps the most impressive stat of all is that he leads all transfer linebackers in the country in total tackles as of 2023. In fact, Matthews didn’t just lead all transfers, he dominated them. Matthews’ 135 tackles were 24 more than the second-place finisher. That’s a crushing of the competition.

Michigan State could use his services this season, as the Spartan defense has struggled in recent years, and I imagine Matthews will get every chance he can get.

The Spartans’ linebacker corps is probably the best on defense, thanks in large part to the addition of Matthews. I expect him to be a starting lineup this season along with Darius Snow. Those two together will be a fearsome sight for the rest of the Big Ten.

Time will tell which transfers will have the biggest impact on the pitch, but if you had to bet, Matthews would be a solid choice.