Michigan State football gets transfer LB Ken Talley from Penn State

Mel Tucker appears to have found another pass rusher for Michigan State football’s future.

Ken Talley, a four-star prospect from the 2022 class, announced via Twitter on Wednesday his intention to become a Spartan. He originally signed with Penn State but entered the transfer portal on Aug. 15, less than three weeks before the season began.

A message with an MSU team spokesman was not immediately returned. It is unclear if Talley would be eligible to play this season if he does enroll in East Lansing immediately, though recruiting website Blue White Illustrated reported he cannot play this fall because he left PSU too late during preseason camp.

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The 6-foot-2, 238-pound Talley, who went to Northeast High in Philadelphia, was listed as a linebacker on his since-removed bio on the Nittany Lions’ website. Talley was ranked the No. 24 edge rusher nationally and No. 273 players overall in the 2022 class according to 247 Sports’ composite rankings. He originally picked PSU over Michigan, Tennessee and Texas A&M and enrolled at the school in late July.

“I don’t think it’d be appropriate for me to talk about any of these guys in the specifics on why they’re,” Penn State coach James Franklin told reporters after Talley entered the portal. “That’s their personal business. We want them to be able to leave and go on and be successful. It didn’t work out for a variety of reasons.”

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At Northeast, Talley was a two-time captain and earned first-team All-American honors as a senior. He was a Class 6A all-state selection by PAfootballnews.com as a junior and the Pa. Football Writers Association as a senior. Talley had 95 tackles, 20 of them for a loss, with 12 sacks and 11 QB hurries last season for Northeast.

“He’s always got a big smile on his face. He plays with a passion that can’t be taught,” his high school coach, Eric Clark, told psusports.com before signing day in December. “I’ve never seen someone play with such passion and we’ve had great players come through our program and he’s special. I remember a play when he chased down one of the top track stars in the area to save a touchdown. He does some freakish plays on the field. From hard hits to physical plays, running sideline-to-sideline, he’s a game changer.”