Michigan State gets transfer commits from Wisconsin LB Jordan Turner, Purdue WR TJ Sheffield
For his most recent roster additions, new Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith didn’t have to look beyond the Big Ten.
Linebacker Jordan Turner and wide receiver TJ Sheffield — who entered the transfer portal from Wisconsin and Purdue, respectively — have committed to the Spartans, decisions each player announced Monday night on social media.
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Turner, a Farmington native and Farmington High School graduate, was an all-Big Ten honorable mention inclusion and the MVP of the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in 2022, a season in which he had 68 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception and a forced fumble.
In 2023, the 6-foot-1, 238-pound Turner played in 11 of Wisconsin's 12 games and finished with 61 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble.
The 5-11, 190-pound Sheffield is a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining, while Turner has two seasons remaining.
Last season, Sheffield, a Thompson’s Station, Tennessee native was second on Purdue in receptions (32), receiving yards (381) and touchdown receptions (two). His most accomplished season statistically came in 2022, when he racked up 46 catches for 480 yards and four touchdowns. Over the past three seasons, he has 114 receptions for 1,186 yards and 11 touchdowns.
At their previous stops, both players encountered some trouble.
Last June, Turner had two driving-related citations: one for driving 117 miles per hour — 47 miles per hour over the speed limit — on an interstate. The other was for an OWI. Turner was indefinitely suspended from the team last June before being reinstated after 10 days. Sheffield, who was a team captain last season for the Boilermakers, was charged in 2021 with biting the forearm of a paramedic who was trying to strap him to a stretcher.
Sheffield and Turner are the third and fourth transfers to commit to Michigan State since Smith’s hiring, joining former Oregon State quarterback Aidan Chiles and tight end Jack Velling.
Sheffield's experience and past production should provide a nice boost to the Spartans’ offense, which finished last season 99th among 133 FBS programs with 199.8 passing yards per game. Turner, meanwhile, should offer some much-needed help to a Michigan State defense that gave up 28.3 points per game last season, ranking it 89th in the FBS.
Coming out of high school, Sheffield was a three-star recruit and the No. 73 wide receiver in the 2019 class, according to 247Sports’ Composite rankings. He was rated by 247 as the No. 43 wide receiver and No. 235 player overall in the transfer portal. Turner was a three-star recruit as well, and the No. 31 inside linebacker in the 2020 class. He had not received a ranking from 247 among players in the transfer portal, as he had entered the portal just five days before his Michigan State commitment.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Michigan State gets transfer commits from Jordan Turner, TJ Sheffield
