Tag: michigan state football recruiting

Michigan State listed in 2022 4-star QB AJ Duffy’s top 15 schools

Michigan State is still in the running for one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2022 class.

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Michigan State is still in the running for one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2022 class.

AJ Duffy of Moreno Valley, Calif. announced his top 15 schools on Sunday, and the Spartans cracked the list. MSU was joined by a few Big Ten schools, including Penn State, Northwestern and Nebraska. His full top 15 list can be seen below:

Duffy, who is listed as 6-foot-2 and 203 pounds, is a four-star recruit and the No. 5 pro-style quarterback in the class of 2022, according to 247Sports. The recruiting service also lists him as the No. 153 overall prospect.

According to Colton Pouncy of The Athletic, Duffy was one of the first players to get an offer from new head coach Mel Tucker after he was hired back in February.

Here are highlights from Duffy’s Hudl page:

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MSU Football picks up another commit in JUCO OT Brandon Baldwin

Brandon Baldwin is listed at 6-foot-7 and 315 pounds, and is ranked as the No. 4 offensive tackle in the JUCO rankings by 247Sports.

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Brandon Baldwin, a JUCO offensive tackle prospect in the 2021 class, has committed to Michigan State.

Baldwin announced his decision via Twitter on Monday afternoon — making him the second commit of the day and third in the last 24 hours for MSU. Four-star 2021 defensive tackle prospect Rayshaun Benny announced he’s going to be a Spartan on Monday, and offensive guard Kristian Phillips of the 2022 class committed on Sunday night.

Baldwin is originally from Southfield, Mich. and played his high school ball at Southfield A&T before attending Independence Community College in Kansas last fall.

Baldwin is listed at 6-foot-7 and 315 pounds, and is ranked as the No. 4 offensive tackle in the JUCO rankings by 247Sports. Baldwin chose Michigan State over offers from Maryland, Louisville, Eastern Michigan and Liberty.

Baldwin is the 18th commit in the 2021 class, and continues the trend of recruiting massive offensive linemen to East Lansing. He is the first junior college commit for MSU and has three years of eligibility remaining, according to 247Sports.

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Rivals National Recruiting Director projects 4-star DT Rayshaun Benny to MSU

Yet another recruiting expert forecasts the Spartans landing four-star defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny out of Oak Park, Mich.

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We continue to see positive vibes for Michigan State football on the recruiting trail, with yet another recruiting expert forecasting the Spartans to land four-star defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny out of Oak Park, Mich.

Mike Farrell — National Recruiting Director of Rivals.com — recently hashed out his thoughts on the intense recruiting battle for Benny and believes MSU is in store for some good news when he announces his commitment on Monday.

“This changed quickly, huh? At one point it looked like Kentucky was the biggest threat to Michigan because of the Justin Rogers connection, but Mel Tucker and his staff have done a great job selling the program and opportunity at Michigan State. And this will be another massive in-state blow to Jim Harbaugh and Michigan if it happens and it appears like it will,” Farrell wrote in an article published on Rivals.com.

Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney expressed a similar opinion in that same article, stating he likes the Spartans to land Benny but would “caution those who think Benny is an absolute lock to the Spartans now,” citing that nothing is ever certain in a battle of this nature.

Earlier this week, a handful of 247Sports crystal ball predictions flipped from Michigan to Michigan State, creating a lot of buzz on the recruiting trail. Penn State and Kentucky are also among his four finalists, but it appears this battle will come down to the Spartans and Wolverines at this point.

Benny is the No. 14 defensive tackle prospect in the 2021 class, and No. 6 overall recruit in the state of Michigan. Should Benny choose the Spartans next week, he will be the highest-rated player new head coach Mel Tucker has landed and the first four-star prospect, according to 247Sports.

Click here to read more of what Farrell and Gorney have to say about Benny’s recruiting battle.

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Report: West Bloomfield 4-star ATH trending towards MSU Football

The good news is continuing to come out for MSU football, with another potential big-time recruit reportedly trending towards the Spartans.

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The good news is continuing to come out for Michigan State football, with another potential big-time recruit reportedly trending towards the Spartans.

Corey Robinson of Rivals entered a futurecast on Tuesday in favor of Michigan State for four-star athlete Dillon Tatum of West Bloomfield. Tatum, who is listed at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, is the No. 14 ATH and No. 5 overall recruit in Michigan for the class of 2022.

Robinson said he doesn’t anticipate anything is “imminent” for Tatum, but “felt like Michigan State has been in a very favorable position for him for a few months.”

Tatum currently holds offers from countless Power Five programs, including Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Georgia, Florida and Penn State.

There are currently no crystal ball predictions entered for Tatum on 247Sports at this time.

On Monday, a handful of crystal ball forecasts from 247Sports flipped from Michigan to Michigan State for four-star defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny. The Oak Park, Mich. 2021 prospect is expected to announce his commitment on Nov. 9.

Should Michigan State land both of these recruits, it would bode really well for what new head coach Mel Tucker is looking to build in East Lansing. Especially, with both being top talents from the state of Michigan.

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Multiple 247Sports experts predict MSU Football to land 4-star DT Rayshaun Benny

For the longest time, Michigan had been the popular pick by 247Sports recruiting analysts to land Rayshaun Benny, but that changed on Monday

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Could the Spartans already be reaping the recruiting benefits from Saturday’s upset of in-state rival Michigan? Apparently that’s the case in the battle for big-time recruit Rayshaun Benny out of Oak Park, Mich.

For the longest time, Michigan had been the popular pick by 247Sports recruiting analysts to land the four-star defensive tackle from Oak Park — but that changed on Monday afternoon. Four of the seven crystal ball predictions flipped within a five-minute range from Michigan to Michigan State — including lead experts Allen Trieu, Steve Wiltfong and Sam Webb.

Benny had originally planned on announcing his commitment a few weeks ago, but later announced he was delaying his decision. At the time, it appeared that could bode well for the Spartans — who are among his four finalists with Michigan, Penn State and Kentucky. Now, it’s even more interesting to see so many crystal ball predictions flip in such a short amount of time.

Benny is ranked as the No. 15 defensive tackle in the 2021 class, and No. 6 overall prospect in the state of Michigan. Should MSU land Benny, this would be the first major in-state recruit for Mel Tucker and his staff.

Keep an eye out on this one — it will be interesting to see if the Spartans can in fact land this top recruit or if these crystal ball predictions are just smoke.

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MSU picks up two crystal ball predictions for 4-Star 2023 RB Sedrick Irvin Jr.

Irvin, who is listed at 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 8 running back and No. 92 overall prospect in 2023 class

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Older Spartan fans remember Sedrick Irvin tearing it up for Michigan State in the late ’90s, and if all goes as a few recruiting analysts are forecasting we could be seeing his son doing the same in a few years.

Michigan State has picked up a pair of crystal ball predictions for 4-star and top 100 2023 running back prospect Sedrick Irvin Jr. from 247Sports recruiting analysts Allen Trieu and Sean Scherer. Irvin, who is the son of former MSU legend Sedrick Irvin, was handed an offer from the Spartans back in August and would be a huge get for Mel Tucker if he eventually picks to play his college ball in East Lansing.

While a pair of analysts currently pegs Michigan State to land Irvin, he is refuting those claims. Irvin, who plays at Gulliver Prep in the Miami area, took to Twitter on Friday to say he’s going to “enjoy the recruiting process” before issuing any kind of top schools list or commit.

Irvin, who is listed at 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 8 running back and No. 92 overall prospect in the 2023 class. As you can expect, Irvin has already received numerous scholarship offers from premier programs across the country, including Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State and Tennessee.

So what can we make of these early crystal ball predictions? Well, Trieu is normally spot on with his predictions — nearly 95% accurate all-time — so you have to think there’s a reason why he likes Michigan State to land Irvin. Not to mention his father’s ties to the program could lead to an inside track for Irvin. But we also need to keep in mind that it’s still extremely early in the recruiting process, and Irvin has made it clear he’s in no rush to commit. Mix in the fact that it’s only a matter of time before even more programs come calling for his talents so there will only be more and more competition for MSU.

So with that being said, it’s nice to see MSU getting the early nod on Irvin but don’t get too excited as there’s still a long way to go in this recruiting battle. It should be really interesting to see how it all plays out in the next two years.

Check out highlights from Irvin’s freshman season below or click here to see more of his highlights on his Hudl profile page.

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MSU offers 6-foot-5 TE/DE from Ohio in 2023 Class

MSU is the latest big-time program to offer Luke Montgomery, including Penn State, West Virginia and Cincinnati.

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Ohio has always been a hotbed for premier high school football prospects, and Michigan State is looking to strike on another in Luke Montgomery.

Montgomery, a 6-foot-5 and 260-pound tight end/defensive end 2023 prospect from Findlay, Ohio, announced on Thursday night that he’s received a scholarship offer from Michigan State. The Spartans were the latest power five school to hand out a scholarship to Montgomery, with a number of big-time programs showing interest in Montgomery in the past two weeks — including Penn State, West Virginia and Cincinnati.

Montgomery — who has football in his blood with his father, Mike, playing linebacker at Miami (Ohio) in the 1990s — has yet to receive a star rating from 247Sports but appears to be on the track to eventually being highly rated. Along with Penn State, West Virginia and Cincinnati, Montgomery also already has offers from Toledo and Western Michigan, and has received interest from Notre Dame and Ohio State, according to 247Sports.

Montgomery recently spoke with The Toldeo Blade about his uptick in scholarship offers and expressed it’s always been a dream of his to play football at the next level.

“I’m just very blessed. I know that doesn’t happen to many kids. God paved the path for me, and I’m just blessed to be in this position right now. Growing up and seeing Ben [Roethlisberger, a Findlay alumnus] and watching Penn State and Ohio State and all these schools, it’s been a dream to play Division I, and I’m just grateful and blessed for Findlay for putting me in position to succeed and get there,” Montgomery told The Toledo Blade earlier this month.

With Montgomery as only a sophomore, it’s good to see Michigan State jumping into the mix early as that can go a long way in landing a recruit. Especially if it’s someone who appears to be gaining more and more traction on the recruiting trail.

Check out highlights of Montgomery from his sophomore season below:

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Locked On Spartans: A surprise commitment and a QB breakdown

Wil and Matt react to Michigan State landing a football commit, AJ Kirk, seemingly out of nowhere.

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Wil and Matt react to Michigan State landing a football commit, AJ Kirk, seemingly out of nowhere. Then they breakdown MSU’s quarterback competition. Learn more about your ad choices.

You can find the episode on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

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Locked On Spartans: A surprise commitment and a QB breakdown

Wil and Matt react to Michigan State landing a football commit, AJ Kirk, seemingly out of nowhere.

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Wil and Matt react to Michigan State landing a football commit, AJ Kirk, seemingly out of nowhere. Then they breakdown MSU’s quarterback competition. Learn more about your ad choices.

You can find the episode on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

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4-star Oak Park OL/DL Rayshaun Benny lists MSU in top 4, plans to commit ‘soon’

Rayshaun Benny, a four-star lineman from Oak Park, Mich., has Michigan State, Michigan, Penn State and Kentucky as four finalists.

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Rayshaun Benny, a four-star offensive and defensive lineman from Oak Park, Mich., announced on Saturday he’ll be committing “soon” and Michigan State is still in the running to land this highly-touted prospect.

Benny took to Twitter on Saturday afternoon to reveal Michigan State, Penn State, Kentucky and Michigan are the four programs that cracked his finalists’ list, and hinted at his verbal commitment coming in the near future.

Benny, who is listed at 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds, is ranked as the No. 6 overall prospect in the state of Michigan and  No. 188 nationally in the class of 2021, according to 247Sports. He is also ranked as the No. 14 defensive tackle by the recruiting service.

Allen Trieu, a national recruiting analyst for 247 Sports, is really high on Benny and considers him not only a player who will make an impact in college but forecasts a career in the NFL as well.

“Build wise, he looks like an inside-outside swing guy on the hoof. Has played both sides of the ball in high school and plays with tenacity and has good functional strength already. Runs his feet on contact and plays with good balance. Has good feet and athleticism in pass protection but has to get stronger in his punch and improve hand technique. Can play guard or right tackle in college. Natural athleticism and intangibles are that of a multi-year Power 5 starter and will have an opportunity to play on Sunday,” Trieu writes of Benny on his 247Sports’ profile.

According to 247Sports, Benny has been on four unofficial visits to Michigan State since the Spartans offered him in May of 2019. Benny has offers from numerous power five programs across the country, and previously cut his list to eight schools in July. Arkansas, Arizona State, LSU and Tennessee were the four schools removed from his latest finalists list released on Saturday

247Sports has Benny leaning towards Michigan, with all six of their crystal ball predictions as the Wolverines landing him.

Check out Benny’s highlights from his junior season at Oak Park High below:

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