Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker just signed what turned out to be the best recruiting class the school has had since 2016.

The first two recruiting classes for Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker weren’t bad, by any means. The 2021 class was basically all done over Zoom because of COVID-19 and his second class finished 26th in the country. But his recruiting continues to improve as his third class was officially sewn up on Wednesday and it finished 23rd in the nation.

This was the best Michigan State recruiting class in the Tucker era and the best since Mark Dantonio landed the No. 18 class in 2016.

Landing the best recruiting class the school has seen in seven years is a good sign. After a 5-7 season, this class is going to combine with the 26th-ranked 2022 class to turn the program right back around.

Just how good is Tucker’s 2023 class compared to recent Michigan State classes?

• 2023: No. 23 nationally
• 2022: No. 26
• 2021: No. 45
• 2020: No. 46
• 2019: No. 33
• 2018: No. 30
• 2017: No. 35
• 2016: No. 18
• 2015: No. 23
• 2014: No. 27

Only three times in the past decade has Michigan State landed a top 25 recruiting class and two of those were in the glory days of Dantonio. Tucker’s classes have improved each season and if this trajectory continues, he could finish with the best recruiting class the program has seen in its history within the next year or two.

Michigan State brought in nine four-star recruits in this class which is something almost unheard of in East Lansing over the past decade, or so.

The only way to turn a program around and make sure that 5-7 seasons don’t happen again is by landing more talent. Tucker is making sure that this kind of season doesn’t happen again by catching up with the big boys in the Big Ten, talent-wise.

Michigan State actually finished third in the conference in average rating behind just Ohio State and Penn State. Not bad for what rival fans consider an “overpaid coach.”

Tucker needs to build on this.

Eighteen prospects are in East Lansing this weekend for Michigan State football Junior Day festivities.

As the first month of 2023 winds down, the next football recruiting dead period is on the horizon. Teams everywhere are hosting recruiting camps trying to build some much-needed momentum for the 2024 cycle (and beyond) before February’s no-contact period begins. Michigan State football is certainly no different.

They had already had a successful Junior Day weekend on the weekend of Jan. 14, which was headlined by an unofficial visit to campus from five-star defensive line prospect David Stone. This weekend’s festivities might even be in line to top that.

For this round of weekend visits, MSU has 18 total players on campus. Most notably, one again from Stone who decided to come back to East Lansing for another unofficial visit after posting on social media his tentative spring plans. He planned to come back to MSU this weekend, go down to Miami in March, and then also to Texas A&M’s spring game. The IMG Academy standout has been continuing to pick up offers left and right. He most recently received one from Ohio State. MSU is doing well in that recruiting battle still and getting two visits in three weekends certainly reinforces that thought.

Whether or not MSU can keep the same momentum moving forward remains to be seen. Expect Mel Tucker and staff to keep the full-court press on him for as long as possible.

Another reason getting Stone and other defensive line prospects on campus this weekend is notable is because this will be the first weekend that new defensive line coach Diron Reynolds is able to participate. Getting Diron a first crack at building some new relationships with these players will be key in how MSU will be able to recruit on the defensive front in the future. Reynolds, like most of Mel’s staff, has a wealth of coaching experience including time in the NFL.

Other notable 2024 prospects arriving this weekend include four-star receiver Brandon Heyward and four-star defensive back TyShun White. In total, seven players from the 2024 class made the trip for the weekend.

Michigan State is also hosting seven players from the 2025 class and three from the class of 2026. Many of these recruits are players that will most assuredly become high-ranking players in their classes once the 2025 and 2026 rankings get released.

Of the 18 total players on campus this weekend, five states are represented, showing Tucker’s determination to recruit nationally. While planning to recruit nationally is a main focus, Mel has not been slacking in going after some homegrown talent. Fifteen of the 18 players this weekend are from either Michigan or Ohio. This reaffirms Mel’s commitment to try to win the battles in the Midwest as well.

Hopefully this weekend’s visits continue to build some solid recruiting momentum for when the contact period opens up in March. Look for MSU to start scheduling some more unofficial visits in March. After that, official visits can start in April. The 2024 class is off to a strong start and could get even better soon.

Could Michigan State football be on the verge of landing its quarterback for 2024 in the form of four-star quarterback Davi Belfort.

Mel Tucker could be close to doing something unprecedented for the Michigan State football program. He could be closing in on a third straight four-star quarterback commit.

He already accomplished an impressive feat by landing two straight four-star quarterbacks from out west in Katin Houser (2022) and Sam Leavitt (2023). Both were also committed elsewhere when Tucker began recruiting them and they both flipped to the Spartans.

For 2024, however, Michigan State has its sights set on two big names at quarterback: Jake Merklinger and Davi Belfort.

Merklinger is the higher rated of the two while Belfort is an impressive athlete who seems to be much closer to a decision. And Michigan State could get good news from the latter.

On Monday, Belfort revealed a top three of Michigan State, Virginia Tech, and Texas A&M.

Breaking: Florida 2024 four-star QB Davi Belfort @DaviBelfort drops top three, committing soon. https://t.co/mjwN1oNndS pic.twitter.com/gdKk4xH1I6

— Ryan Wright (@RWrightRivals) January 16, 2023

This feels like a very winnable top three. Although Texas A&M recruits at a high level, Michigan State has developed a very good relationship with Belfort.

Height might be a slight concern as Merklinger has more of that prototypical build, but Belfort is a good athlete. He might be more of a running threat. Belfort stands just 5-foot-10, according to 247Sports, but the Miami prospect has an incredibly high ceiling. He was originally a 2025 prospect but reclassified to 2024 and is still a four-star, and he’s rising.

Belfort’s father, Vitor Belfort, is a famous MMA fighter and that would be a cool storyline in itself if he were to pick the Spartans.

Could Michigan State land its third straight four-star quarterback? It’s looking good here and I would not be shocked if Belfort chose MSU. Some prefer Merklinger, but if Belfort commits first, you definitely don’t say no.

Imagine back-to-back-to-back-to-back classes with Houser, Leavitt, Belfort, and Bryce Underwood. That would make Michigan State a legit contender nationally.

It looks like Michigan State could be close to landing its 2024 passer.