Michigan State football recruiting: 5 things to watch in 2020
Chris SolariEAST LANSING – Michigan State football’s focus for 2019 was to rebuild its offensive and defensive lines.
But with its 2020 class, the Spartans' goal will be to add more speed at the skill positions to complement that size in the trenches.
MSU has finalized its 19-player 2019 signing class, with wide receiver Tre’Von Morgan the only addition on National Signing Day on Wednesday. The class ranks 30th nationally and seventh in the Big Ten, according to the 247Sports Composite team rankings.
[ Meet Michigan State football's 2019 signing class ]
It was a very Mark Dantonio-like class, with two 4-stars in offensive lineman Devontae Dobbs and cornerback Julian Barnett, and the other 17 players rated as 3-star prospects.
The Spartans do not have a 2020 commitment yet. Coaches hosted a number of junior recruits during MSU’s basketball game Saturday against Indiana, and their attention has been more focused on beginning to build that group and address some areas of need.
Here's a look at what the Spartans address with its 2020 class:
Edge rusher
This has been a position of need since Dantonio dismissed Josh King and Auston Robertson in 2017 (both players would have been seniors this fall). However, that attrition allowed MSU to develop Kenny Willekes into an All-American, and he rewarded the Spartans with another year this fall as a senior.
Jacub Panasiuk and Jack Camper are back opposite Willekes, and Dantonio and his staff landed two pass rushers for 2019 whom they like in Michael Fletcher and Adam Berghorst.
Keep an eye on 3-star prospect Billie Rogers, a 6-foot-4, 230-pounder from Muskegon, and 4-star Braiden McGregor, a 6-5, 248-pound standout from Port Huron Northern.
Tight end
MSU lost out on adding a tight end to the 2019 class when Brett Seither from Florida picked Georgia over the Spartans, Alabama, Penn State and TCU.
The Spartans return Matt Dotson as a junior this fall, and Trenton Gillison was able to preserve a redshirt and got some playing time. Noah Davis missed all season with an unspecified injury as well.
MSU’s offense tends to feature a pass-catching tight end, and the dropoff in production at the position in 2018 should make the Spartans enticing. Clay Caudill, a 6-5, 230-pound 3-star recruit from Mansfield, Ohio, is one to watch.
Speed back
The decommitment of Aaron Young, who opted to go to Rutgers and play alongside his brother, left the Spartans one running back short on their 2019 class. Brandon Wright and Anthony Williams Jr. are bigger backs in the mold of LJ Scott, who decided to enter the NFL draft and not return for a fifth season.
The Spartans have lacked a true speed back since Jeremy Langford and have used more wide receivers in the run game rather than a change-of-pace back since Nick Hill’s graduation in 2014.
Going national
MSU went more regional in the past two recruiting classes, focusing heavily on Ohio players. This year, with Michigan and Ohio State honing in on a number of the top in-state players and Penn State continuing to build in-roads, the Spartans may need to look elsewhere to build its class.
One name to keep in mind is 4-star wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad III, the son of former MSU and NFL great. The Muhammads live in North Carolina, but the former Carolina Panthers receiver grew up in Lansing.
Under the radar
Unlike Michigan and Ohio State and some of the other national bluebloods, Dantonio and his staff often have unearthed hidden gems regionally and nationally. And oftentimes, those high major programs try to swoop in and seize an unheralded prospect after they receive an MSU offer.
The Spartans have had success with lesser-ranked recruits, becoming ‘3-star U’ and turning a handful into NFL prospects such as Le’Veon Bell, Darqueze Dennard and Trae Waynes. They also have built pro players out of 0-star recruits, including Jack Conklin previously and Willekes currently. So just because recruits are not showing up on recruiting services rankings right now does not mean they won’t once MSU gives them attention.
Contact Chris Solari at csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.