Spartan Nation

BREAKING: Oregon Tops Michigan State For Coveted 4-Star Linebacker

The Spartans thought they had pulled off an upset on the recruiting trail this week, but the Ducks rallied in the 11th hour to keep a West Coast kid home...

Matthew Lounsberry

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There was growing optimism throughout the week that Michigan State was on the verge of an upset on the recruiting trail with four-star Long Beach (Calif.) Poly linebacker Dylan Williams set to announce his college decision.

However, top contender Oregon made a late final push in the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder's recruitment and Williams ultimately elected to remain on the West Coast and commit to the Ducks over Mel Tucker and the Spartans.

Williams was a highly-coveted target with 31 scholarship offers including Alabama, Miami, USC, UCLA, Washington, Florida State, Michigan, Ole Miss, Penn State, Tennessee and Texas among several others. He is considered the No. 181 overall prospect, No. 17 linebacker and No. 17 player out of California in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

This is a disappointing result for Tucker and MSU linebackers coach Scottie Hazelton, who worked extraordinarily hard to secure a verbal commitment from Williams. Michigan State hosted a quartet of linebackers for official visits this past June — Williams, Fairfax (Va.) four-star Kristopher Jones, Los Alamitos (Calif.) four-star Kamar Mothudi and Belleville (Mich.) four-star Jeremiah Beasley.

Beasley committed to in-state rival Michigan on June 28, Oregon is considered the current favorite for now with Mothudi and Georgia is the favorite for Jones. If Michigan State misses on all four of these 2024 linebacker targets, it will be back to the drawing board for Hazelton and Tucker at the position.

Despite this recent miss on the trail, the Spartans have built a lot of recruiting momentum over the past several weeks. Since the start of June, the Spartans have landed 10 verbal commitments including four-star wide receiver Nick Marsh, four-star running back Anthony Carrie, three-star quarterback Henry Hasselbeck, three-star defensive backs Reggie Powers, Justin Denson, Syair Torrence and Camren Campbell, and three-star offensive linemen Mercer and Charlton Luniewski.

Michigan State had previously earned pledges from three-star cornerback Jaylen Thompson three-star offensive linemen Andrew Dennis and Logan Barnett, bringing its 2024 class up to 11 commitments. The Spartans' 2024 class currently ranks No. 51 in the country and No. 13 in the Big Ten, but those numbers are expected to improve over the next five months until National Signing Day.

Oregon has recruited extraordinarily well over the past two seasons under second-year head coach Dan Lanning. The Ducks signed the nation's No. 9 class in 2023, and are currently sitting at No. 8 in the country for the 2024 cycle.

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Matthew Lounsberry
MATTHEW LOUNSBERRY

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