Tag: MSU Spartans recruiting

Locked On Spartans Podcast: Winter or spring football it is for the Big Ten.

Discussing a plan for winter or spring football in the Big Ten.

[jwplayer DYUZYpdN-er0jUifI]

Wil and Matt break down Michigan State’s newest football commit and talk about the Big Ten football players and their parents trying to get football reinstated.

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

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=516986277]

Five-star 2022 center Enoch Boakye commits to Michigan State basketball

Boakye is the third five-star prospect to commit to Michigan State in the last month.

Tom Izzo’s heater continues.

Michigan State has secured the commitment of five-star class of 2022 center Enoch Boakye. Boakye is the third five-star prospect to commit to Izzo and the Spartans in less than a month, joining top overall 2022 prospect Emoni Bates and Max Christie, the No. 12 player in the class of 2021.

Boakye announce his commitment on Instagram Live. He chose MSU over offers from Arizona, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and a number of others.

In his Instagram video he thanked the MSU coaching staff and said he’s ready to come in and compete from day one to try and win a national championship. Boakye is the first Canadian prospect to join MSU since 2005 and cited Izzo traveling to see him in Canada a number of times as a big reason he chose the Spartans.

The six-foot-ten big man out of Mississauga, Ontario is rated as the No. 18 player in the entire class of 2022 and the No. 3 center by 247Sports. Boakye is a player considering re-classification into 2021 so his path to MSU isn’t quite set in stone yet.

MSU’s 2022 class was already ranked No. 1 in the country with Bates as its sole member. That lead will grow with the addition of Boakye when the class ratings are updated.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1363]

Five-star 2021 shooting guard Max Christie commits to Michigan State

The top-15 prospect picks MSU over heavy recruitment from Duke, Illinois, Northwestern and many others.

Tom Izzo is on a heater.

One week after securing the commitment of five-star super recruit Emoni Bates, Izzo and the Spartans landed another five-star pledge from Rolling Meadows (Ill.) shooting guard Max Christie.

Christie announced his decision on a Twitter interview with Andy Katz of Fox and Big Ten Network.

Christie told Katz that his relationship with Izzo was a big factor in his pledge. “My relationship with coach Izzo, I felt like it was great. I felt like it was a place where I was needed and a place that I wanted to go to.”

Christie also said he and his family enjoyed the process of going through virtual visits because they could include his family and the entire coaching staff. MSU is the only school Christie took an official visit to with COVID-19 shutting down visits. He was on campus for a weekend to watch Michigan State beat Ohio State on senior day.

Christie, listed at 6-foot-6, is ranked by the 247Sports composite rankings as the top player in Illinois, the top shooting guard in the nation, and the No. 13 overall recruit in the country. Christie chose the Spartans over co-favorites Virginia, Villanova, Purdue and Ohio State among many other offers. Duke was thought to be in the lead for much of Christie’s recruitment, but Izzo and co. were able to complete the turnaround the last handful of months.

Christie is the fifth-highest ranked recruit Tom Izzo has secured in the “composite rankings” era (post-2002) behind Bates, Shannon Brown, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Miles Bridges.

On his 247Sports plater evaluation, Christie is–funnily enough–compared to Gary Harris, who spent two years with MSU before being drafted in the NBA lottery by the Denver Nuggets.

Of Christie, recruiting analyst Brian Snow writes, “He has good size and length, and while he needs to get stronger, that will come in time. Right now is at his best as a shooter, where his height and long arms allow him to shoot over nearly every defender. But if a bigger player is on him, he is also athletic enough and good enough with the dribble to go past them. A highly skilled prospect who can play anywhere on the perimeter. Hard worker who shows tremendous IQ on the court. Has the making of being an impact wing at the college level and a first-round NBA draft choice.”

Snow projects Christie as an eventual first-round draft pick.

Christie is technically the second player in the 2021 class to pick MSU. Fellow shooting/combo guard Pierre Brooks committed to the Spartans back in April. Although Bates is right now in the class of 2022, there is thought that he will reclassify and join the class of 2021, which would make that class Izzo’s best ever.

Max may not be the only Christie to don the green and white. MSU has an offer out to Max’s younger brother Cam, a class of 2023 prospect.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1363]

Michigan State lands 3-star 2021 IMG Academy tight end Jake Renda

MSU lands quarterback to tight end convert Jake Renda. Renda will play for IMG Academy this year.

For the first time in six weeks Michigan State football has landed a recruit.

Three-star tight end Jake Renda out of New Jersey is the latest class of 2021 football player to choose Mel Tucker’s Michigan State Spartans.

Renda, who is heading to football powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida next year, chose MSU over power five offers from Boston College, NC State, and Arizona.

Renda is rated by 247Sports as a three-star prospect. Renda does not have a composite ranking in the service because he isn’t rated by all of the recruiting sites. There is a good explanation for all of this. Renda has been playing quarterback during his football career at Lawrence (NJ) Notre Dame, but has switched to tight end after transferring to play at IMG Academy. All of Renda’s power five offers have come in the last month, with MSU offering June 23. While Renda is committed, it’s a fair bet to say that his recruiting isn’t over with the move to IMG.

Renda is the second tight end in the 2021 class, joining North Forney (TX) standout Kameron Allen.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1362]

Michigan State football hosts Louisiana safety Jah’von Grigsby on virtual visit

Mel Tucker and his staff are getting creative on the recruiting trail during the COVID-19 pandemic

Mel Tucker and his Michigan State football staff have been getting creative while recruiting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The staff hosted three-star safety prospect Jah’von Grigsby on a virtual visit this weekend.

Grigsby is not listed in the 247Sports composite rankings–a fact that I’d venture to be guessed will change soon–but is a three-star prospect and boasts a pretty impressive short list of offers that is growing quickly. The Baton Rouge product has power five offers from Auburn, Miami, Purdue, and Vanderbilt. Grigsby is ranked by 247 as the 23rd-best player in talent-rich Louisiana.

Michigan State is hosting 4-star QB Kaidon Salter, one of the top dual-threat prospects in the country, on a virtual visit this Sunday.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1362]