BREAKING: MSU Lands Elite Transfer EDGE From Rival
Michigan State has been on a roll Sunday. They added yet another player from the transfer portal, and this one is a big-time get. Wisconsin edge rusher Anelu Lafaele committed to the Spartans, per 247Sports' Justin Thind.
Lafaele was heavily recruited as a highly regarded four-star in the 2024 recruiting class, ranked the No. 27 edge prospect per 247Sports. Smith and Co. recruited him hard at Oregon State, but he ultimately committed to Wisconsin. He was a true freshman in 2024, so he has four years of eligibility left, per Thind.
The newest Spartan is 6-foot-3, 237 pounds and could be an impact player in the stand-up rush end position in Joe Rossi's defense. It fills a massive need the Spartans lacked in 2024 -- containment on the edge and pressure on the quarterback.
Chad Wilt, Spartans rush ends coach, explained the position earlier this year.
""It goes back to ... the jobs that they're going to be asked are very different," Wilt told reporters. "And some of those jobs you can't do from a three-point stance -- or, I shouldn't say can't -- extremely difficult to do from a three-point stance. So now we can do that from a two-point, and you don't know offensively that, 'Okay, hey, we're gonna be in our pressure package or we're gonna be in our base package here -- base calls.' So I think just allow those guys the freedom and flexibility, but then it also gives us, I think, another set of eyes that can see, right? Instead of having four guys down -- and those guys, once they put their hand in the stance, you can see a whole lot.
"And then, those guys for the rush ends, it that allows them to take a little bit of stress and pressure off the backers. 'Hey, what's the backfield set that they're in? Where are the tight ends' alignment? What are the details of the tight ends' alignment? Hey, the back moved, the back flipped sides.' Now, our rush ends can make some of those calls, and now, the backers don't have to."
Michigan State's pass rush was anemic in 2024. Lafaele could be a huge boost.
Michael France is Sports Illustrated's Michigan State recruiting beat writer, covering all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive Spartans recruiting coverage.
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