Michigan State football and the recruiting staff are having a great night. Alongside two commits, three more players are trending to MSU.
Michigan State football continued its recruiting push under Jonathan Smith. Justin Thind and 247Sports made official “crystal ball” projections for the Spartans to land a trio of players on Sunday. All three come at major Spartan needs. Wisconsin transfer linebacker Jordan Turner and former Oregon State commits Kekai Burnett and Rustin Young are now projected to be wearing the green and white next year.
Jordan Turner would solidify Joe Rossi’s linebackers
Jordan Turner has been one of the better Wisconsin players the last few seasons, recording over 60 total tackles each year. Originally from Farmington, Mich., Turner would be coming home to a linebacking core that loses Aaron Brule to the pros and Jacoby Windmon to the portal.
In 2022, Turner earned honorable mention All-Big Ten status, recording a pair of sacks, an interception, and 64 tackles. To cap that season off, Turner earned the Defensive MVP of the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. This year was much of the same under new coach Luke Fickell, with Turner recording 61 tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble.
The linebacker position is precariously thin, as there is no assured third linebacker behind Jordan Hall and Cal Haladay. Brule is out of eligibility, Windmon is in the portal, and special teams backer Sam Edwards recently participated in senior day. Additionally, Darius Snow and Ma’a Gaoteote both are returning off of injuries that kept them out from all, or most, of the 2023 season. The Spartans are currently projected to also land class of 2024 linebacker Brady Pretzlaff, but a player with the game experience of Turner would be a huge boost.
The Spartans currently only have landed one player from the portal thus far in quarterback Aidan Chiles. That said, a “quarterback of the defense” in linebacker Jordan Turner certainly helps. Turner’s Wisconsin Badgers have seen a lot of new Spartan defensive coordinator Joe Rossi’s (formerly of Big Ten West foe Minnesota) system previously, and now Turner has the chance to create havoc in it.
Rustin Young would be a crucial offensive line pickup
The next projected player for the Spartans was offensive lineman Rustin Young who is a player I have written about multiple times in the last few weeks. The tackle from Hawaii is a people mover, and 247Sports is very high on Young. He ranks No. 212 in the nation on their board, and No. 22 among tackles. The composite is less kind, putting the tackle at No. 652 and No. 53 for his position.
Young has had a great relationship with the staff, dating back to Oregon State. Jim Michalczik has been heavily pursuing the Hawaiian since touching down in East Lansing with Jonathan Smith. After this coaching change, Young kept his commitment but did express interest in the Spartan staff, along with Arizona State and Auburn. Young decommitted from the Beavers on Dec. 6. The Spartans brought him in for a visit last weekend, and this crystal ball projection indicates it was a great visit.
Michigan State football does have some depth at the tackle slot, but the offensive line, particularly the tackles, was not the most productive in 2023. Spencer Brown and Keyshawn Blackstock each went down to the SEC through the portal. Ethan Boyd and Brandon Baldwin each followed into the portal, but Michalczik convinced the pair to stay. Ashton Lepo and Braden Miller each are also in the tackle conversation but have not seen much of the field yet. A highly-touted player out of high school, Stanton Ramil, will also be back after missing the season due to a leg injury.
Kekai Burnett’s high motor could lead to a quick route to the field
Kekai Burnett was the final crystal ball projection from this list, and he is another can’t-miss Hawaiian for this staff. He was another former Oregon State commit, locking in with the Beavers in July. However, Smith leaving and bringing Burnett’s primary recruiter, Legi Suiaunoa, changed the recruiting picture. Burnett decommitted on Dec. 1, and his recruiting has since become a battle between BYU and the Spartans. Burnett visited the Cougars last week, and then Michigan State this previous weekend. It appears this last visit has pushed the Spartans to land the No. 1,273 prospect and No. 87 edge rusher in the 247Sports Composite.
Just like Young, 247Sports thinks higher of Burnett, as the defensive Hawaiian ranks No. 42 among edge rushers.
Burnett is a player with a high motor, fighting through blocks and diagnosing plays for Punahoa High School. In his junior season, he recorded eight sacks in 10 games. Among the highlights for his senior season include a diagnosed screen, with Burnett peeling off the block to stop the screen before it got going. He does not give up on a play no matter if he is double-teamed or stopped at the line, and this tenacity is much needed.
The Spartans losing Brule and Windmon also affected the edge rushers, as both took considerable snaps there and were quite productive. Additionally, one of the Spartans best young edge rushers, Zion Young, is in the portal. Tunmise Adeleye also left the team following Mel Tucker’s firing but is not in the portal or the Spartans’ roster. Khris Bogle is also among the Michigan State football players in the portal.
Burnett would join a room that has a lot of hyped talent, but little production on the field thus far. Bai Jobe and Andrew Depaepe likely return for their second season after seeing little of the field in 2023. James Schott, Ken Talley, and Avery Dunn are all among the players who have seen small bouts of playing time on the field, but not a ton of production. Additionally, Talley and Jalen Thompson each took considerable reps at defensive tackle on Saturdays this fall. Dunn did record three sacks in 2022, but only had half of a sack this season. Brandon Wright might be returning for a final season, but he was carted off in the Spartans’ final game and his injury and eligibility status is up in the air. In summary, Burnett enters a room with a bunch of question marks for roster positioning. It’s his to capitalize on.
The Spartan staff has shown that they will reward the players who put the effort in at practice, too. The aforementioned Zion Young entered Michigan State as the No. 1,385 prospect in the class and was one of the first on the field. With the effort Burnett has shown in his high school tape, Burnett’s mindset to grind through blocks can lead to a quick route onto the field in 2024.
Each of these three players projected to the Spartans gives a lot of reason to be excited for next year, and I hope to see them all in the green and white in the fall.
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