Spartan Fans, Don't Sleep on the 3-Star Recruit

The majority of college football recruits are graded as three-star prospects, and experts still project them as possible NFL talents.
Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith leaves the podium after his press conference on the first
Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith leaves the podium after his press conference on the first / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA

Michigan State secured its third 2025 commit on Sunday in three-star linebacker Di'Mari Malone. Malone joins three-star quarterback Leo Hannan and three-star linebacker DJ White.

Michigan State hopes to secure other 2025 targets such as three-star athlete Desmond Straughton, three-star tight end Jayden Savoury and three-star offensive lineman Drew Nichols, to name a few. Those three players have also shown interest in Michigan State.

247Sports is at the top of the recruiting industry. The site explains a three-star recruit and what goes into the grade:

"When it comes to the three-stars, this is where a bulk of college football players will be ranked ... a prospect with a grade of an 89 can be a really, really good college football player and potentially even an NFL Draft pick. The same goes for an 88 or an 87. We always get asked why isn't this prospect a four-star? Well, if we made everyone a four-star, then the question would quickly become, why isn't this prospect a five-star? At some point you have to draw a line in the sand and take your calculated shots, and I think we are as equipped as anyone when it comes to having a grasp on the class nationally."

It is key to look at the player grade, rather than the amount of stars, too.

247Sports' highest possible grade is 110 -- it has never been reached. Baltimore Ravens All-Pro Jadeveon Clowney is the highest-graded player in the site's history with a 105.

The four-star rating spans the grade range 90 to 97.

247Sports says that an 89 graded three-star "should be valued as much as a four-star 90, and opinions are likely split as to whether or not that prospect should have a fourth star ... These are prospects with redeeming qualities that we think can get drafted or work their way into an NFL camp ... multi-year starters and impact players at the Power Four level."

88 grades project as "multi-year starters at the Power Four level and potential difference-makers with NFL upside." An 87 grade, per 247Sports, has long-term potential to be an impact player as well.

Hannan has an 89 grade, White has an 87. Malone's grade -- 88.

Highly graded three-star recruits -- such as Michigan State's three 2025 commits, have plenty of potential. It is also worth noting that these are grades given to 17- and 18-year-olds with plenty of maturity and development to go. Some boom, some bust.

One of the greatest players in recent memory for the Spartans, Thorpe Award-winning cornerback Darqueze Dennard, was a three-star recruit.

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