Michigan State has landed a huge verbal commitment from former Tennessee Volunteers linebacker Quavaris Crouch. He is the 14th transfer portal commitment for the Spartans since December. Crouch might be one of the biggest splashes for MSU, as he fills a major position of need and already comes in with significant on-field experience at the SEC level. He was listed at 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds at the time of his departure from Knoxville.
Last year, as a sophomore, Crouch started all 10 games for Tennessee. He had 57 tackles, two forced fumbles, and two tackles for loss. Against fifth-ranked Texas A&M, Crouch had a career-high 11 tackles. He also matched this total against Kentucky. As a true freshman in 2019, Crouch also managed to see the field quite a bit, accumulating 38 tackles, two pass break-ups, and half a sack.
As a recruit, Crouch had offers from Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan, and 15 others. He was ranked 61st in the nation by the 247Sports Composite rankings. At the time, Crouch was listed as an “Athlete” as he was also a very talented running-back, indicating the level of athleticism he’ll be bringing to the Michigan State defense. He played high school football at Harding University High in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was rankled as the number one recruit in the state. As a high school junior, he ran for 3,246 yards and 33 touchdowns as a tail-back, while accumulating 48 tackles and 14 sacks. He was named the North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year.
It is safe to assume that Crouch will be an instant-impact starter for Michigan State next year. After the loss of Antjuan Simmons to the NFL Draft, Michigan State’s linebacker room needed serious help. Mel Tucker, Ross Els, and the rest of the staff answered the call by landing Crouch, former Michigan LB Ben VanSumeren, former Minnesota OLB/DE Itayvion Brown, and 2021 signee Ma’a Gaoteote. Combining these additions with returning guys like Chase Kline and Noah Harvey should give the Spartans a formidable linebacker room heading into next season. Additionally, none of these aforementioned guys will be seniors next year except Harvey.
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