Michigan State football lands impressive Oregon DL transfer Ben Roberts

The 6-foot-2, 310-pound defensive lineman from Oregon was a four-star recruit in the 2022 class and played a total of 48 snaps for the Ducks over the past two seasons. He recorded five total tackles in nine games and was expected to make the jump into the two-deep for Oregon after a strong spring.

However, he opted to enter the portal and Michigan State was lucky enough to snag him.

There’s a chance we could see Roberts start for the Spartans this fall, but at the very least he’ll be in the two-deep along with D’Quan Douse, Alex VanSumeren, Maverick Hansen, and Ru’Quan Buckley, among others. This is a nice addition and Demetrice Martin’s presence on the staff had to help the Spartans. He was a defensive backs coach for the Ducks during Roberts’ two seasons in Eugene so there’s familiarity there.

Roberts is a big body and the nickname “Big Worm” is a plus. We should see him develop under this staff and become one of the better defensive linemen on the team. There’s a reason he was so highly-regarded out of high school.

The defensive line was looking a little thin a couple of weeks ago, but the additions of Roberts, Tyler Gillison, Jalen Satchell, and Buckley have helped matters. This group is coming together nicely and it could end up being a strength in 2024.

With this transfer, we can safely say that the Derrick Harmon trade is complete. Let’s hope Roberts out-performs expectations early on.