Tag: rakeem johnson

It is time for the youth movement with Michigan State football

It is time to bench two veterans for more youthful players to round out MSU’s season

Michigan State football went on the road and dropped a pivotal game against Illinois on Saturday afternoon, 38-16, in a game that played a touch closer than the score.

Another tough loss for the Spartans in Jonathan Smith’s first year, this one in particular showed that there is a ton of things the Spartans need to fix and clean up.

For starters, there are two to three key positions that NEED to see changes.

Ashton Lepo at the right tackle position is a liability. While the offensive line unit as a whole has not been productive, Lepo has been abysmal. Graded consistently as the worst on the Spartans offensive line by PFF, Lepo has an awful 43.8 pass block rating by PFF.

Who replaces Lepo?

True freshman Rakeem Johnson has shown the ability to be an effective offensive lineman at this level, and quite frankly, it cannot get worse than Lepo – making it time to give Johnson a serious shot at the tackle spot to build for next year.

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Michigan State football true freshman thrust into starting

MSU is now forced to play a true freshman on the offensive line

It is no secret to the Michigan State football fanbase that the offensive line has taken a beating with the injury bug in the 2024 season. The Spartans have lost Kris Phillips and Gavin Broscious for the season, while Stanton Ramil is now dinged up.

With Ramil dinged up, the Spartans were forced into throwing true freshman Rakeem Johnson into a starting role. He slotted in as the starting left tackle for the Spartans against Ohio State.

https://twitter.com/JustinThind/status/1840175674188865563

Johnson was thought to be the center of the future, the man in line to take over for for Tanner Miller next year, but now, he is the man to be a Swiss army knife on the Spartans offensive line.

Michigan State football true freshman OL next in line to step up

For depth on the OL, MSU may have to turn to a diamond in the rough true freshman to fill the void:

Michigan State football has lost two right guards to injury, leaving an already shallow unit even more depleted. With Kris Phillips and Gavin Broscious out, the Spartans will first turn to veteran Dallas Fincher to fill the void left at the starting right guard spot.

After Fincher, the Spartans may have to turn to an unlikely source to fill other voids on the offensive line.

Rakeem Johnson, a native of Boise, Idaho, was brought over by the Spartans staff in the 2024 recruiting class. He was rated a middle to low three-star by various recruiting services, but the Spartans may have found a diamond in the rough.

Johnson was the first freshman off the bench in MSU’s win over Prairie View A&M on Saturday, playing 24-of-68 offensive snaps for the Spartans at right tackle. He showed the talent the MSU coaching staff raved about throughout camp.

Outside of the presumed starting five on the offensive line (Brandon Baldwin, Luke Newman, Tanner Miller, Dallas Fincher, Ashton Lepo) MSU only has Stanton Ramil as a backup offensive lineman with any experience or as someone who has shown the needed skills.

The true freshman from Boise is going to have to mature quickly and give the Spartans meaningful snaps at a crucial position.

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Top-tier Idaho OL Rakeem Johnson signs with MSU football

One of the top players from Idaho in the 2024 class has signed with Michigan State

One of the top players from Idaho in the 2024 class has signed with Michigan State.

Three-star interior offensive lineman Rakeem Johnson signed his national letter of intent with the Spartans on Wednesday. The early signing period opened on Wednesday, with 17 prospects in the 2024 class signing with the Spartans.

Johnson ranks as the No. 85 interior offensive lineman in 247Sports’ rankings for the 2024 class. He’s also listed as the No. 2 player from Idaho.

Johnson was previously committed to Oregon State but flipped to Michigan State to follow new head coach Jonathan Smith and his staff. He also held notable offers from BYU, Washington State, Cal, Air Force and Boise State.

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2024 IOL Rakeem Johnson makes commitment to Michigan State football

BREAKING: MSU lands IOL Rakeem Johnson

New Michigan State offensive line coach Jim Michalczik has seen his recruiting work pay off today, now gaining his second commitment of the day. The Spartans got the pledge of Rakeem Johnson, an interior offensive lineman from Boise, Idaho. The former Oregon State commit was considering BYU and Cal before deciding to commit to MSU.

Johnson is 6-foot-3, weighing 255 pounds and is a 3-star prospect. He projects as a guard or center.

Johnson joins Andrew Brinson, Austin Clay, Justin Denson, Carter Enyard (PWO), Makhi Frazier, Wyatt Hook, Charlton Luniewski, Mercer Luniewski, Nick Marsh, Alessio Milivojevic, Payton Stewart, Jaylen Thompson, Brand Tullis, Jadyn Walker and Keshawn Williams as members of the Spartans 2024 recruiting class.