Michigan State football recruiting - yikes

Submitted by Champeen on May 29th, 2019 at 9:33 AM

I was just sifting through the team recruiting rankings and noticed that MSU was way, way down this year.  Then remembered that they  were not very good last year either.  Curiosity caught me, and i had to dig a little deeper.

Year - Class ranking national - class ranking big ten - number of recruits rated 90+ in composite

2014 - #26 - #4 - 3

2015 - #23 - #3 - 3

2016 - #17 - #3 - 9

2017 - #36 - #6 - 1

2018 - #31 - #6 - 2

2019 - #30 - #7 - 2

2020 - #47 - #10 - 1 * this class of course not comlete yet, but does NOT look good *

 

I would initially say recruiting tank coincided with the hire of Harbaugh, but really, Harbaugh has not recruited the state very well either.  More and more of our states top kids are just leaving the state. But holy shit things are looking bleak in East Lansing.  Since the tank started in 2017 the results should now begin to be reflected on the field this year, and definitely next year.  In closing, fuck MSU!

 

 

JPC

May 29th, 2019 at 9:39 AM ^

MSU should have a solid defense again next year. Mork always recruits like shit, and his team is usually a lot better than it should be based on recruiting. 

I hope we kick the shit out of them at home this year because they're going to be at peak sparty after last year's game. 

Beilein 4 Life

May 29th, 2019 at 9:54 AM ^

Unless somehow they find NFL take time at the QB position, which Rocky doesn’t look hopeful to be, they will probably hover around .500 again. Mork’s teams are always good when Connor Cook or Kirk Cousins can bail them out (or for some reason, Brian Lewerke two years ago).

Bodogblog

May 29th, 2019 at 10:57 AM ^

The defense will be much better than solid, they will be elite again.  They need to find a corner, safety, and a LB, which they can do.  If they have injuries on that side of the ball, I think it gets bleak pretty quick, but they've been durable there. 

Now with 3 exceptional WR's with maybe a 4th in Sainristal, a good run blocking OL, and an offense that now seems willing to exploit weaknesses through the air, I think Michigan will do well against them.  

steve sharik

May 29th, 2019 at 1:44 PM ^

To your point, I think we can agree the MSU glory years were 2010-15, aligning quite well with the RR/BH years. Therefore the 2008 (MD's first full recruiting class) to 2012 classes were the foundation.

  • 2008 - #42, #9
  • 2009 - #22, #4
  • 2010 - #22, #4
  • 2011 - #32, #7
  • 2012 - #34, #5

How many of us looked at that and concluded MSU was in trouble?

MSU is recruiting a little better now than then. The difference is now Penn State and Michigan are both fully functional.

The point is: underestimate D'antonio at your own peril. Thankfully Harbaugh won't. And he'll win with cruelty.

M-Dog

May 29th, 2019 at 9:39 AM ^

Frankly, they have significantly overachieved given these rankings.

Dantonio is actually a very good coach for that program.

There, I said it.

 

Buck_Fan_19

May 30th, 2019 at 9:53 PM ^

Riling people up on 11W is never worth it, but I'm pretty sure he was joking anyways.

As a side note, I actually think all the UM fans who comment on 11W on a regular/semi-regular basis seem pretty knowledgable and usually contribute well to discussions. I don't do it too often, but that's actually the reason I started commenting on this site. I thought it'd be cool to read some outlooks of more UM fans and have a few good conversations about college football along the way.

RGard

May 29th, 2019 at 9:08 PM ^

I for one understand sarcasm/wry humor. 

I know I'm in a minority here and while Woody had serious anger management issues, he was a war hero.  He commanded ships in the US Navy during WW2.  For that, it makes hating him a lot more difficult at least for me.

Hail-Storm

May 29th, 2019 at 11:28 AM ^

I feel like these rankings don't appear out of line for MSU.  Michigan, OSU, PSU are usually going to be your top 3 recruiting programs in the conference.  Maryland is in a recruiting hotbed despite their issues, so that leaves a bunch of teams that can rank in the mid tier for BIG recruiting, which is where they reside.  low 30s seems like a good range for their recruits nationally.  MSU isn't going to get that recruit bump that other programs get when given an offer.  I don't see a cliff for MSU.  Dan Antonio will continue to make Michigan a priority for the season, and that will continually make them a danger every time they play Michigan.

Maize N' Ute

May 29th, 2019 at 9:39 AM ^

I don't know, man.  Those are probably fine rankings for MSU standards.  Mork has had a pretty good history of turning lesser guys into studs, particularly on defense and at RB.

wolve1972

May 29th, 2019 at 8:09 PM ^

One of the most misleading things a fan can look at is who offered a recruit/commit. Several of the powerhouses will throw out dozens of offers (even a hundred or two) but then won't let the kid commit - it serves as a backup plan in case they lose out on some of their major targets. Alabama has been notorious for this. So the real question that needs to be asked is how much of a priority was that kid to the other big-time schools that offered him ?