Michigan State Football Recruiting news: Spartans add two preferred walk-ons, kicker Evan Johnson enters transfer portal

The Michigan State Spartans added to the program’s 2022 recruiting class on Wednesday after picking up two preferred walk-on commitments in offensive lineman Devin Runnels and punter Ryan Eckley.

Runnels is a massive offensive lineman, standing at 6-foot-7 and 335 pounds, according to his Twitter bio, and perfectly fits the size that Mel Tucker has been trying to commit to bringing into the roster. He’s listed as a two-star on 247Sports, and is the 105th-ranked player in Michigan out of Beecher High School in Flint.

Update: Runnels de-committed from Michigan State on Jan. 23 after receiving a scholarship to Mississippi Valley State (FCS).

Eckley is listed as a five-star punter, according to Kohl’s Kicking and should be a fitting replacement after current Spartan punter Bryce Barringer leaves after next season. Both Runnels and Eckley will come into the program as preferred walk-ons without scholarships, but there is always a chance for players to earn scholarships later in their careers — especially for punters

In kicking-related news, Spartan kicker Evan Johnson entered the transfer portal on Thursday. The move is unsurprising, as Johnson has seen little playing time even when Matt Coghlin was dealing with an injury the past few weeks, and with a very talented true freshman kicker in Jack Stone coming in next season, it’s likely the best move for Johnson to make. He only saw action once in his career, last week during the Penn State game, and made one of his two PATs.