Michigan State football adds defensive end Quindarius Dunnigan from transfer portal

Jonathan Smith continues to hit the recruiting trail hard in his first month as Michigan State football's head coach.

Quindarius Dunnigan, a graduate transfer defensive end from Middle Tennessee State, announced his commitment to the Spartans online early Wednesday morning. The news came as Michigan State was announcing its 2024 recruiting class on the first day of the early signing period.

Dunnigan enrolled at MSTU in 2019 as a two-star prospect, according to 247sports, and played in three seasons in his time there, also redshirting twice. He had 68 total tackles, 5½ sacks, and 17 tackles for loss in his career, including 35 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and three sacks in 2023, earning him second-team All-Conference USA honors. He also had eight pass breakups — the most of any defensive lineman in the country.

Dunnigan redshirted as a true freshman after appearing in one game. He played as a rotational defensive lineman in eight games in the COVID-altered 2020 season, before missing all of 2021 due to injury. He did not miss a single game in 2022 or 2023, including starting 11 games in 2023. The two redshirts mean Dunnigan has two years of eligibility remaining as a graduate transfer.

IMPORTANT TRACKER: Michigan State football 2024 recruiting class: What to like about each player

He will slot into an MSU defensive line that has been left barren with so many departures so far this offseason. Defensive ends Zion Young and Khris Bogle, defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, and EDGE/linebacker Jacoby Windmon have all entered the transfer portal this offseason and have yet to commit somewhere else at this point.

Dunnigan is the fifth player and the second defensive player to commit to MSU under Smith since the transfer portal opened on Dec. 4. Michigan State also picked up commitments from linebacker Jordan Turner (Wisconsin), wide receiver TJ Sheffield (Purdue), tight end Jack Velling (Oregon State) and quarterback Aidan Chiles (Oregon State).

Chiles and Velling followed Smith and the offensive coaching staff from Corvallis to East Lansing. Smith has also been successful in flipping former Oregon State commits to Michigan State in the lead-up to early national signing day on Wednesday while filling out the class with other players from the Midwest. MSU currently sits at No. 51 in 247sports rankings for the 2024 high school recruiting class, along with the depth added through the portal.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football adds DE from Middle Tennessee State in portal