MSU's Rival Michigan Loses Another Massive In-State Target
The Michigan State Spartans have established firm footholds within their home state under Jonathan Smith. The abysmal Mel Tucker era nearly severed all of those ties, when Tucker focused his attention on competing with the SEC for talent. A mission that utterly failed.
The Michigan Wolverines were high on in-state tight end Lincoln Keyes. The four-star talent from nearby Saline was dominant on the camp circuit this spring. I spoke to him about his SEC camp tour, which left him impressed with the intricacies of major Southern Division I football.
"I've learned that all the SEC schools have fantastic facilities. Stuff that really stood out to me at Georgia and Alabama is like, how hard the players are working," Keyes said. "Like I was there at 8 o'clock at night in Georgia, and they're still getting extra reps in. That showed a lot to me about how hard they are working and stuff ... There was a lot of good competition down there, I was really impressed with who I was going against I thought all of the guys were really solid."
The Wolverines were in the running to nab Keyes. They fell short, as Keyes has committed to Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs -- perhaps the de facto SEC power with the retirement of the great Nick Saban at Alabama.
This marks another instance where the Sherrone Moore-led Wolverines have lost big on the recruiting trail. And to another SEC school, no less. The prize of their 2025 haul, high four-star safety Ivan Taylor, just flipped to Alabama. Taylor was about as elite as it got for the position.
"A high-IQ safety prospect with elite NFL bloodlines and a top-flight testing profile," Andrew Ivins of 247Sports wrote. "Will eventually need to add some mass and improve play strength, but should be viewed as a potential multi-year starter for a top 25 program. Likely to find a home at the third level of a defense, but sticky enough in man-coverage possibly warrant a look as an inside corner on Saturdays."
The Wolverines couldn't even get No. 1 2025 prospect Bryce Underwood, despite his in-state connection and a $10 million offer. What does that say about the current maize and blue?
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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