BREAKING: Spartans Land Surprise Signing From Edge Rusher
The Michigan State Spartans have had a miraculous signing day. It was looking bleak, but they flipped four-star running back Jace Clarizio back from Alabama and retained cornerback Aydan West despite Ohio State and Virginia Tech's best efforts late in the stretch.
Now, they get a surprise signing that will provide a huge boost to their pass rush long-term. Kahuku, Hawaii native Leonard Ah You was a 2023 high three-star pass rusher listed as a linebacker. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound edge was committed and even enrolled at Oregon State while Jonathan Smith was there.
He then departed on a two-year mission. That mission is complete and he qualified for the 2025 class. In a covert operation, the Spartans were able to land Ah You while maintaining a low profile. It is an example of this staff's prowess on the recruiting trail, which has not been lost on anyone truly paying attention.
Ah You's measurables and tool kit make him the perfect fit for the rush end position in Joe Rossi's defense. Spartans rush ends coach Chad Wilt described it this past spring:
"It goes back to ... the jobs that they're going to be asked are very different," Wilt said. "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."
A big addition to a recruiting class that is already looking better than it did just days ago.
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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