Local four-star offensive lineman commits to Mel Tucker, Michigan State
Michigan State football has landed a four-star prospect in back-to-back days.
On Friday, Clarkston (Mich.) High School offensive lineman Cole Dellinger gave his verbal pledge to head coach Mel Tucker and the Spartans, becoming the 12th member of MSU's 2023 recruiting class.
Can’t wait to be a Spartan! #Committed #JuiceSquad pic.twitter.com/D6P98qzPSb
— Cole Dellinger (@cole_dellinger8) July 8, 2022
Dellinger's commitment comes less than 24 hours after four-star defensive end Bai Jobe, out of Oklahoma, gave his pledge to Michigan State. With these two commitments in two days, the Spartans move up to the No. 20 class in the 2023 cycle.
Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 280 pounds, Dellinger is ranked No. 16 among interior offensive lineman and No. 330 overall in the country. He's the fifth-best 2023 recruit out of the state of Michigan, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
Michigan State beat out Purdue and LSU in the 'Top 3' for Dellinger, who also had offers from Michigan, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh and others.
Dellinger becomes the third offensive line commit in the '23 class for the Spartans, joining fellow four-star Clay Wedin and three-star commit Johnathan Slack. Offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic was MSU's primary recruiter for Dellinger, and adds a nice piece to his 'Juice Squad' — the self-given nickname of the Spartans' offensive line.
The job that Tucker and his coaching staff have done in just two and a half years in East Lansing is remarkable. The Spartans signed a Top 25 class in 2022, coming off an 11-2 season, and have expounded on that momentum in 2023.
Dellinger is the Michigan State's eighth four-star commit in the Class of '23, out of a total of 12 total commitments. MSU signed five four-stars in the class of 2022, which was more than its three previous recruiting classes combined.
The Spartans have not signed more than five four-stars in one class since 2016, when former head coach Mark Dantonio used the momentum of his third Big Ten Championship to sign nine four-star prospects. However, Tucker's prowess as a recruiter have Michigan State knocking on the door of eclipsing that number in 2023.
Michigan State verbal commitments, Class of 2023
- Four-star EDGE Bai Jobe; Community Christian School; Norman, Okla.; No. 64 nationally, No. 9 EDGE, No. 1 in state of Oklahoma
- Four-star DL Andrew Depaepe; Pleasant Valley High School; Bettendorf, Iowa; No. 161 nationally, No. 24 Defensive Lineman, No. 2 in state of Iowa
- Four-star LB Jordan Hall; IMG Academy; Bradenton, Fla.; No. 200 nationally, No. 14 Linebacker, No. 41 in state of Florida
- Four-star IOL Cole Dellinger; Clarkston High School; Clarkston, Mich.; No. 330 nationally, No. 16 Interior Offensive Lineman, No. 5 in state of Michigan
- Four-star TE Brennan Parachek; Dexter High School; Dexter, Mich.; No. 335 nationally, No. 18 Tight End, No. 6 in state of Michigan
- Four-star RB Kedrick Reescano; New Caney High School; New Caney, Texas; No. 352 nationally, No. 23 Running Back; No. 63 in state of Texas
- Four-star IOL Clay Wedin; Carrollwood Day High School; Tampa, Fla.; No. 382 nationally, No. 21 Interior Offensive Lineman, No. 72 in state of Florida
- Four-star CB Chance Rucker; Ryan High School; Denton, Texas; No. 389 nationally, No. 40 Cornerback; No. 68 in state of Texas
- Three-star WR Demitrius Bell; Blackman High School; Murfreesboro, Tenn.; No. 432 nationally, No. 32 Wide Receiver; No. 13 in state of Tennessee
- Three-star IOL Johnathan Slack; Martin Luther King High School; Detroit, Mich.; No. 536 nationally, No. 36 Interior Offensive Lineman, No. 13 in state of Michigan
- Three-star QB Bo Edmundson; Lake Travis High School; Austin, Texas; No. 752 nationally, No. 36 Quarterback, No. 139 in state of Texas
- Three-star CB Eddie Pleasant III; Carrollwood Day High School; Tampa, Fla.; No. 768 nationally, No. 76 Cornerback; No. 116 in state of Florida
Twitter: @mlounsberry_SI
