Michigan State lands former Cass Tech WR Jameel Gardner Jr. as transfer

Hours after Michigan State football’s spring practices came to an end, Pat Fitzgerald added another new piece for the upcoming season.

The Spartans picked up a portal commitment from wide receiver Jameel Gardner Jr. on Saturday, April 18. The former Cass Tech star, who began his career at Kent State before spending the past two seasons at Jackson State in Mississippi, has one year of eligibility remaining.

The 2022 grad did not start playing football until his sophomore season in high school but quickly blossomed into a three-star recruit.

Jackson State's wide receiver Jameel Gardner, Jr., (7) runs the ball during the game against Alcorn State in Jackson, Miss., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.

The 6-foot, 186-pound Gardner caught 32 passes for 483 yards and two touchdowns last season in 12 games for Jackson State. In 2024, he caught 12 passes for 145 yards and a TD in nine games for the Tigers.

As a redshirt freshman in 2023 at Kent State, where he was a teammate of current MSU receiver Chrishon McCray, Gardner caught 24 passes for 298 yards and a touchdown while starting eight of his 12 games for the .