Free Press sports writer Chris Solari breaks down the Michigan State football recruits new coach Jonathan Smith expected to sign letters of intent Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period:
Signed
ATH Andrew Brinson IV
School: Gaither High (Tampa, Florida)
Vitals: 6-0, 175.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three-star; No. 1,020 overall, No. 88 ATH.
The buzz: Originally committed to Smith at Oregon State, Brinson possesses a blend of ability that could translate to either side of the ball. As a cornerback, he has speed to run stride-for-stride with receivers. As a safety or nickelback, he has hard-hitting downhill tackling ability. And his ball skills and quickness could allow him to shift to wideout or potentially return punts.
WR Nick Marsh
School: River Rouge.
Vitals: 6-3, 200.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Four-star; No. 116 overall, No. 20 WR.
The buzz: The gem of Smith’s first haul and No. 2 in-state prospect is a holdover from Mel Tucker’s staff, maintaining his commitment despite Tucker’s firing after reaffirming his pledge in July (he initially committed in December 2022 but reopened his recruitment in March). Marsh, who played in the U.S. Army Bowl on Sunday, possesses game-breaking skills as a pass catcher and kick returner, with excellent hands and elusive moves and speed.
WR/DB Austin Clay
School: Berea Midpark High (Cleveland).
Vitals: 6-1, 165.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three-star, No. 1,305 overall, No. 164 WR.
The buzz: Originally committed to Bowling Green, Clay flipped his pledge to the Spartans on Monday following his Division I All-State selection in Ohio. Clay is elusive with the ball in his hands at receiver and on special teams, a long-strider with good vision and cutback ability who also has speed to outrun coverage. There is some Justin Layne to his game on both sides of the ball, including toughness to make catches in traffic and ball-tracking ability that could allow for a move to defense.
QB Ryland Jessee
School: Helix High (La Mesa, California).
Vitals: 6-3, 200.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three-star, No. 1,757 overall, No. 98 QB.
The buzz: Originally committed to Utah State, Jessee also had Smith’s former team Oregon State pursuing him late in the cycle before picking and signing with MSU on Wednesday. Jessee uses his strong footwork to avoid pressure and roll the pocket, becoming a threat to run when his poise under pressure erodes, and he throws a good ball with velocity and touch as needed.
OL Charlton Luniewski
School: Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (Cincinnati).
Vitals: 6-6, 287.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three stars, No. 1,377 overall, No. 111 interior OL.
The buzz: Luniewski and his twin brother, Mercer, kept their pledges to MSU through the coaching change, and Charlton continued to grow and add bulk throughout his senior season and played both inside and outside. He used an 87-inch wingspan to fend off defenders and lower-body power to drive them off the line.
OL Mercer Luniewski
School: Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (Cincinnati).
Vitals: 6-7, 310.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Thre-star, No. 709 overall, No. 52 OT.
The buzz: Like his twin brother, Mercer possesses a massive frame with an 82-inch wingspan and the potential to develop into a quarterback protector at tackle. He delivers a wallop off the snap and plays through the whistle with a powerful initial strike to knock back defenders and then uses his arm length to keep driving them. Both twins are only scratching the surface after picking up football as a freshman in high school.
QB Alessio Milivojevic
School: St. Francis High (Wheaton, Illinois)
Vitals: 6-3, 220.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three-star, No. 1,163 overall, No. 67 QB.
The buzz: Originally committed to Ball State, the native of Naperville, Illinois — home of former MSU quarterback Payton Thorne — flipped to Smith and the Spartans on Sunday. Milivojevic has a strong arm and can drop passes over defenses, but he also uses his feet to evade pressure, extend the pocket and, when needed, take off and run with toughness.
CB Jaylen Thompson
School: Riverdale High (Murfreesboro, Tennessee)
Vitals: 6-1, 173.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three-star, No. 632 overall, No. 54 CB.
The buzz: Thompson spent nearly a year waiting to become a Spartan, and he maintained his pledge despite Tucker’s firing. He shows strong instincts to break and close on plays and ball skills in coverage to make plays, along with an ability to fly downhill and hit with force, whether it be on the corner or at safety.
RB Brandon Tullis
School: Memorial High (Frisco, Texas).
Vitals: 6-1, 205.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three-star, No. 1,507 overall, No. 111 RB.
The buzz: Originally committed to Smith at Oregon State, Tullis is a big-bodied, upright runner who displays good body control and balance. He generates plenty of power through contact with his leg strength and shows ability to make plays in the passing game with soft hands.
RB/LB Makhi Frazier
School: McKinney High (Texas).
Vitals: 5-11, 215.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three-star, No. 1,592 overall, No. 119 RB.
The buzz: Originally committed to Smith at Oregon State, Frazier runs with a low center of gravity and power to get through traffic, flashing good vision and stop-start cutback ability to get through holes while playing behind USC commit Bryan Jackson. Frazier also is a downhill thumper on defense who was The Dallas Morning News’ No. 3 linebacker and No. 41 player on its top 100 rankings.
ATH Keshawn Williams
School: Riverdale High (Murfreesboro, Tennessee).
Vitals: 6-1, 180.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three-star, No. 1,570 overall, No. 141 CB.
The buzz: The lone player to commit after Tucker’s firing and before Smith’s hiring, joining his high school teammate Jaylen Thompson in MSU’s class, Williams starred at cornerback and wide receiver for Riverdale. On defense, he does not shy away from contact as a tackler and uses his ball skills and instincts to jump routes. On offense, Williams pairs his speed and elusiveness as a route-runner with good hands and body control to make tough catches.
OL Rakeem Johnson
School: Bishop Kelly High (Boise, Idaho).
Vitals: 6-3, 255.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three-star, No. 1,256 overall, No. 101 interior OL.
The buzz: Originally committed to Smith at Oregon State, Johnson plays with good knock-back power at the point of attack and showed agility and speed to pull while playing tackle in high school. He’ll move inside at the collegiate level and need to put on bulk, but that shouldn’t hamper his foot quickness and athletic ability.
OL Payton Stewart
School: Kelso High (Washington).
Vitals: 6-7, 270.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three-star. No. 884 overall, No. 64 OT.
The buzz: Originally committed to Smith at Oregon State, Stewart blocks with an edge and feistiness about him, using his long arms to fight off defenders and remaining aggressive through the whistle. Adding more weight will be a priority, but new offensive line coach Jim Michalczik liked Stewart’s frame and upside enough to recruit him twice.
TE Wyatt Hook
School: Homestead High (Cupertino, California).
Vitals: 6-6, 235.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three-star, No. 1,309 overall, No. 70 TE.
The buzz: Originally committed to Smith at Oregon State, Hook has a frame to add bulk as a blocker but already shows soft hands and ability to make tough catches in traffic. His connection with new MSU assistant coach Brian Wozniak initially drew him to the Beavers, who relied on tight end play in new Spartans coordinator Brian Lindgren’s offense.
QB Ryland Jessee
School: Helix High (La Mesa, California)
Vitals: 6-3, 200
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three-star, No. 1,757 overall, No. 98 QB.
The buzz: Originally committed to Utah State, Jessee also had Smith’s former team Oregon State pursuing him late in the cycle before picking and signing with MSU on Wednesday. Jessee uses his strong footwork to avoid pressure and roll the pocket, becoming a threat to run when his poise under pressure erodes, and he throws a good ball with velocity and touch as needed.
DE Kekai Burnett
School: Punahou School (Honolulu, Hawaii).
Vitals: 6-2, 235
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three-star, No. 1,280 overall, No. 41 EDGE.
The buzz: Originally committed to Smith at Oregon State, Burnett shows a quick get-off on the snap, advanced pass-rush moves and strength to overpower and shed blockers. He flashed lateral speed to pursue opposing quarterbacks off the edge and in run situations.
OL Rustin Young
School: St. Louis High (Honolulu, Hawaii).
Vitals: 6-5, 275.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three-star, No. 656 overall, No. 51 OT.
The buzz: Young, who was the highest-rated prospect in Smith’s Oregon State class, decommitted after the coaching change and picked the Spartans less than 24 hours before the signing period opened. The familiarity with Michalczik and other former Beavers commits helped lure Young, one of two players from Hawaii in the class, to pick MSU. He shows good power and footwork as a blocker, using strong hands and upper-body strength to wall off edge rushers.
CB Justin Denson
School: Wyoming Seminary Upper School (Kingston, Pennsylvania).
Vitals: 6-1, 180.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three-starNo. 746 overall, No. 59 CB.
The buzz: One of six Mel Tucker recruits who maintained their commitment to MSU after his firing, Denson had offers from Alabama, Tennessee and other power programs. He shows the athleticism to move around the defensive backfield, unafraid of contact and good tackling ability to play safety, with enough quickness in coverage and strong ball skills to work outside.
LB Brady Pretzlaff
School: Gaylord.
Vitals: 6-3, 225.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three-star, No. 676 overall, No. 60 LB.
The buzz: A late flip from Minnesota, who plans to enroll in January. Pretzlaff was a first-team Free Press all-state selection this season after posting 126 tackles, 31 of them for a loss, with eight sacks in helping the Blue Devils to an 11-1 record this season.
Committed
LB Jadyn Walker
School: Portage Northern.
Vitals: 6-foot-2, 210.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three stars; No. 1,070 overall, No. 93 LB.
The buzz: After committing to MSU on Sept. 9, the day before Tucker was suspended, Walker stuck with his pledge and shined his senior season. A ball-attacker with a tremendous initial burst off the snap, he plays with a high motor and tenacity as a tackler, both in the backfield and in the open field, showing ability to chase opponents sideline to sideline.
Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.
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2023-12-21 05:48:47
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