Michigan State Regains Momentum On The Football Field, Recruiting Trail
Michigan State football had a rough October, to say the least. The Spartans went 1-3 in four games last month, and had off the field storylines emerge with the tunnel incident at Michigan Stadium.
The struggles on the field and bad publicity brought the Spartans recruiting momentum to a complete halt. This became evident when MSU lost two blue-chip recruits in October and another in early November, all on the offensive side of the ball.
The first domino to fall was Tampa (FL) Carrollwood Day offensive lineman Clay Wedin, who has already flipped to Auburn. However, with Auburn head coach Brian Harsin having been fired after Wedin committed, the four-star might reopen his recruitment yet again.
After Wedin’s decommitment, the Spartans suffered easily the largest loss in their class — New Caney (Texas) running back Kedrick Reescano, who has been one of the biggest risers in the country over this high school season.
Michigan State’s coaching staff deserves credit for identifying Reescano before his big boost in recruiting rankings, but that makes the loss of the talented tailback all the more difficult to swallow. Reescano was the second player to commit to this class, and seemed to be a lock at the time. However, he is off to a school closer to home, likely Ole Miss or Oklahoma State.
After Reescano decommitted, another early member of MSU’s 2023 class decided to reevaluate his options — Austin (Texas) Lake Travis quarterback Bo Edmunson.
There were different circumstances surrounding Edmundson’s decommitment however. Setbacks due to injuries have sidelined the quarterback for the majority of his senior campaign. With this in mind, Michigan State has elected to try for a bigger prospect, and a homegrown talent — Detroit (MI) King quarterback Dante Moore
Moore is committed to Oregon, but many indicate there is mutual interest between the five-star talent and the Spartans.
Additionally, Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, who has a close relationship with Moore, has been rumored to be a candidate for the head coach position at Arizona State. If those rumors come to volition, Michigan State’s chances to flip Moore from the Ducks would increase.
Coincidentally, the Spartans’ renewed efforts with Moore have coincided with more success on the football field so far in November. Michigan State has won back-to-back games, including a Top 25 win over Illinois.
While the offensive staff works on Moore and finding replacements for Wedin and Reescano, the defensive staff has already reignited momentum on the trail.
After a great visit and great talk with @Coach_mtucker I am glad to say that I am 1000% committed to Michigan State !!!! #GoGreen @ScottieHazelton @CoachTHollowell @mbqb1 @CoachHarriott @STA_Football @TheCribSouthFLA @C_Robinson247 @michiganstateu pic.twitter.com/NTmZceLnnT
— Jayvant💤 (@JayvantBrown) November 13, 2022
Fort Lauderdale (FL) Aquinas four-star linebacker Jayvant Brown committed to the Spartans this past weekend. A fast, sideline-to-sideline linebacker that can tackle in space, Brown is a player that could make his way onto the field as early as next season.
Michigan State is in the hunt for another cornerback as well, Cincinnati (Ohio) Winton Woods three-star Cameron Calhoun, who recently decommitted from Cincinnati.
Hometown hero out pic.twitter.com/r6TT6cTqEK
— Cameron Calhoun (@Camcalhoun01) November 13, 2022
It has been reported Calhoun is considering MSU amongst other Big Ten programs, including Michigan. While another cornerback isn’t necessary a need for the 2023 class, beating out a rival for a player like Calhoun would be a win in and of itself.
Michigan State has steadily improved defensively throughout the season, which is remarkable considering how many players have been lost due to injury or suspension on that side of the ball. Additionally, the defensive staff has been recruiting at a high level as well.
True freshmen safeties Jaden Mangham and Dillion Tatum, redshirt freshman defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, and true sophomore cornerback Charles Brantley are all Mel Tucker’s recruits. With the defense gradually getting better, the offense has done just enough these past two weeks for the Spartans to win. If Michigan State finishes the season strong their 2023 recruiting class will finish among the Top 20 in the country.
