There is no threat.
Yep, I said it again. I wrote this exact opening line when Michigan went down to East Lansing in late July and snatched Michigan State’s top recruiting target, wide receiver Andrel Anthony, right from its own backyard.
While a lot has changed since then, the fact remains the same — Michigan has no reason to worry about its little brother when it comes to the recruiting trail.
Despite Michigan State beating Michigan on the field, despite question marks surrounding head coach Jim Harbaugh, despite a defensive staff overhaul, Michigan was STILL able to deliver a knockout blow on National Signing Day, flipping Rivals100 Oak Park (Mich.) High defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny.
Michigan State pitched Benny on building his brand in East Lansing and ushering in a new era under head coach Mel Tucker. Instead, the cigar burned out. Benny is now part of a rejuvenated movement at Michigan and should be an early impact player for the Wolverines in the trenches.
The victories with Anthony and Benny prove that Michigan can take who it wants in a head-to-head battle with Michigan State. There were no other real recruiting battles with the Spartans this cycle. As it stands right now, Michigan is miles ahead of MSU from a pure recruiting standpoint.
Let’s look back at Anthony. The three-star East Lansing (Mich.) High wide receiver literally lives a stone’s throw from Spartan Stadium. His mother is a Michigan State alum. His high school head coach is a Michigan State alum. His father is from East Lansing. The entire city bleeds green.
On top of that, Michigan State was considered a lock to land him in the weeks leading up to his decision. Yet, he still went blue. The same could be said about Benny. Optimism appeared to be fading in Ann Arbor before Michigan ultimately stole Benny on NSD.
Tucker has been known as a plus recruiter throughout his coaching career, but his first full cycle with Michigan State has been a dud. Michigan State not only lost Anthony and Benny in the most heartbreaking ways possible, it also has an extremely mediocre 2021 class, which is ranked eighth in the Big Ten.
Meanwhile, Michigan appears poised to move back into the Top 10 in the Rivals national recruiting rankings after today’s festivities. Michigan State is obviously no threat there.
Michigan should be more concerned about Ohio State, Notre Dame and Penn State when it comes to big recruiting battles.
Michigan State is, well, irrelevant.
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