One of the central figures in one of the most memorable wins in Michigan State football history has decided to take his leave of East Lansing.
On his personal Twitter account Wednesday morning, Jalen Watts-Jackson announced that, "[a]fter much consideration,” he will be transferring from the Spartans. “I would like to thank Coach [Mark] Dantonio and the Spartan football program for the love and support over the past four years,” the defensive back wrote.
As Watts-Jackson will be leaving MSU as a graduate, he’ll be eligible to use his final season of eligibility at another FBS school if that’s the path he chooses.
Will Forever be a Spartan ✊🏽 pic.twitter.com/XZOXUpqyFX
— uncle watts (@jaywatts3) March 28, 2018
Watts-Jackson is the Spartan who recovered a botched Michigan attempt at a punt and returned it 38 yards for the game-winning score at the end of MSU’s dramatic 27-23 win in October of 2015. He suffered a serious hip injury on the play and didn’t see the field for the remainder of the year.
The past two seasons, he played in a total of 15 games.