4-Star OL Chooses the Michigan Wolverines Over the Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State lost to Michigan again. This time, it was on the recruiting trail for one of the top offensive linemen and top players in Michigan who was available in the 2025 recruiting class. Coach Jonathan Smith and the Spartans recently offered offensive lineman Avey Gach a scholarship as the four-star athlete was considering committing to the Spartans. Gach, a native of Franklin, Mich., committed to Michigan over the Spartans and multiple other Big Ten schools.
According to 247Sports, Gach is ranked as the 13th-best interior offensive lineman and the 196th-best overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting class. The site also ranks Gach as the second-best player from Michigan. Gach would have undoubtedly been one of, if not the best recruit, Coach Smith would have signed in his short time in East Lansing had Gach signed.
Along with Michigan State, Gach chose Michigan over Ohio State and Wisconsin, among other schools. While Gach had been projected to choose Michigan over the last few weeks, Coach Smith and the Spartans could have scored a significant victory had they secured Gach’s commitment. Michigan State could have used Gach’s signing to bolster their recruiting efforts of other top-tier offensive players on the recruiting trail.
As Coach Smith and his coaching staff began their recruiting process, they prioritized in-state players and players from the Midwest in hopes of luring them to East Lansing. While Coach Smith’s plan makes sense, multiple other quality schools in the Midwest are recruiting the same players, and many of those schools are currently in better situations than the Spartans.
Considering the number of players on the Spartans roster that have entered the transfer portal over the last few weeks, recruiting has become even more critical for Coach Smith and his coaching staff. The Spartans have lost many of their players and continue to lose out on valuable recruits on the recruiting trail. Coach Smith was already facing an uphill battle that seemingly got more difficult by the day, as recruiting had yet to fall in the Spartans’ favor much under Coach Smith. The Spartans must find a way to win more on the recruiting trail if they hope to win more on the field.
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Ezekiel is a former Sports Editor from the Western Herald and former Atlanta Falcons beat writer.