Jacoby Windmon's two seasons with Michigan State football were both cut short.
His next game could be in the NFL.
The linebacker signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent on Saturday night, becoming the team's first Spartan in 2023 after agreeing to a deal after the conclusion of the seventh-round, 257-pick NFL Draft in Detroit. He became a player.
Here are MSU's undrafted players who have reportedly agreed to terms as free agents.
Drafted Spartans:C Nick Sammack, selected by Baltimore in the 7th round.
Aaron Brühl to the New Orleans Saints
Linebacker Aaron Brule received a minicamp invite from the New Orleans Saints on Sunday and is on his way home.
The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Brule had 8 1/2 of his 64 tackles for loss last season, including a team-leading five sacks. The New Orleans native played in all 12 games for the Spartans, starting the final nine and adding two pass breakups, a QB rush and a forced fumble.
Brule transferred to East Lansing from Mississippi State in 2022 and started two of the 12 games that season. He recorded 30 tackles, six and a half stops, four sacks and recovered a fumble. With the Bulldogs, Brule started 19 of 40 career games and recorded 141 tackles and 7 1/2 sacks. With both programs, Brule was also a special teams contributor.
JD Duplain to New York Giants
According to Houston's KPRC-TV, offensive lineman J.D. Duplain has been invited to the New York Giants' minicamp.
Duplain, a member of the Spartans' 2019 class and a Mark Dantonio recruit, returned to MSU for his fifth season after graduating in May 2023. The 6-foot-4, 305-pound native of Strongsville, Ohio, played left guard the last 12 games this season and was named All-Big Ten honorable mention for the third time in the last three seasons. was awarded.
Duplain started 47 games in his career from 2019 to 2023, second only to Joel Foreman's school record of 49 games (2008-11) and ended his career with 42 consecutive starts. is second in school history behind Shane Hanna's 44 games (1991-94). Duplain played 3,007 snaps in 54 career games.
Harold Joyner III to Indianapolis Colts
Swiss Army knife Harold Joyner III has received an invitation to the Indianapolis Colts' minicamp as a linebacker, according to MSU.
Joyner joined MSU as a running back transfer from Auburn in 2021, but was converted to safety and linebacker before returning to the offensive backfield in 2023. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound native of Birmingham, Ala., has emerged as a valuable contributor elsewhere. He earned 544 reps on special teams over three years, but only 169 snaps on offense. Joyner finished his Spartan career with 21 carries for 50 yards rushing, 10 catches for 58 yards receiving at running back, and 10 tackles in punt and kickoff coverage.
Joiner's impressive pro day at MSU in March caught the attention of scouts, scoring him an 8.27 on a 10-point scale on the Relative Athletic Score (RAS) test. His explosive power in both the vertical jump and broad jump was considered elite, and his combined speed grade was rated excellent.
Tre Mosley to the Cincinnati Bengals
Wide receiver Tre Mosley agreed to a contract with the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday night, according to MSU. Terms were not made public.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound product of Pontiac and West Bloomfield High School had 126 catches for 1,464 yards and 10 touchdowns in five seasons with the Spartans. Mosley started seven of eight games in 2023, but suffered a season-ending left hand injury that limited him to 28 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns.
His best season came in 2021 as a No. 3 option alongside current NFL receivers Jaden Reed and Jaylon Naylor, where Mosley caught 35 passes for a career-best 530 yards and three touchdowns. Recorded. He matched those 35 grabs in 2022 with 359 yards, including a career-high four touchdowns.
Two other former Spartans who transferred out of the program also reportedly signed NFL free agent contracts with the Cincinnati Bengals: defensive back Michael Dowell will leave for Miami (Ohio) after the 2021 season; Quarterback Rocky Lombardi transferred to Northern Illinois after the 2020 season.
Jacoby Windmon to Pittsburgh Steelers
Windmon played in just three games in 2023 before suffering a season-ending pectoralis major injury. The 6-foot-2, 250-pound New Orleans native recorded 15 tackles and had two sacks for a loss.
Windmon, who joined from UNLV as a transfer before the 2022 season, distinguished himself by becoming the first MSU defensive player to win Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors three times. He started the first eight games between defensive end and linebacker, but missed the final four in 2022 due to his involvement in an altercation in the Michigan Stadium tunnel after the Wolverines' 29-7 win in Ann Arbor. He was suspended from the match.
At the time of his suspension, Windmon led the nation with 49 tackles, six forced fumbles and a team-high five-and-a-half sacks. He also had an interception and a fumble recovery, according to Pro Football Focus, and was named a second-team All-American edge defender by midseason, but did not earn postseason Big Ten honors.
Windmon played three seasons at UNLV, earning All-Mountain West honors twice before transferring to MSU. He chose to return to the Spartans instead of being selected in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Contact Chris Solari:csolari@freepress.com.follow him @chrysolari.
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