Michigan State nets top Juco offensive lineman Keyshawn Blackstock
Michigan State received yet another addition to its 2023 class on Dec. 21, this time from the junior college route, adding offensive lineman Keyshawn Blackstock.
The 6-foot-5, 300-pound offensive lineman spent the 2022 season at Coffeyville (KA) Community College, where he established himself as one of the most sought after offensive line recruits in the country.
Blackstock is ranked the No. 5 overall recruit, and the No. 1 interior offensive lineman by the On3 2023 Juco rankings.
The four-star added nearly 40 total offers, including Auburn, Florida, Penn State, and many more. He cut his list down to five schools on Dec. 14, including Michigan State, Oregon, Tennessee, USC, and Oklahoma. He announced his commitment to Michigan State on signing day, Dec. 21.
Mel Tucker and Chris Kapilovic have put on the full court press to land Blackstock leading up to signing day. Kapilovic visited Coffeyville (KA) to watch Blackstock in the Division 1 NJCAA playoffs on Dec. 3.
Coffeyville CC lost to Hutchinson CC (38-7), but Blackstock and Kapilovic quickly grew a strong bond.
He took an official visit to Michigan State the weekend of Dec. 9. He did not take any visits the following weeks.
Blackstock will have three years of eligibility remaining. SpartanMag.com caught up with Coffeyville Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach, Cody Oates before Blackstock’s visit to Michigan State. You can read that full conversation here.
“Keyshawn has probably grown as fast as any kid I have had throughout all my years coaching offensive line,” Oates told SpartanMag. “I knew Keyshawn would be a really good player, that is why I recruited him. I did not know he would be this good this fast. He came along a lot faster than I expected. A lot of that has to do with Keyshawn’s makeup. He has rare intangibles that not every kid has. His competitive nature, how bad he wants to win is remarkable. There are not many kids that have it the same way as he does.”
Oates believes physicality sets Blackstock apart from other recruitable junior college o-linemen. Blackstock also knows how to use his hands effectively independent of his footwork.
“Keyshawn likes to run into other people very hard,” Oates laughed. “He just really enjoys the contact portion of the game. That is becoming harder and harder to find. Other than that, Keyshawn moves his feet and his hands independently of each other better than most kids. If you think of a pass set, as you retreat from the line of scrimmage, but also have the ability to use your hands in a forward motion as your feet move backwards, it is a hard thing to master. He does that naturally very well. He is able to use his hands in pass pro phenomenally well. Not very many people have that god given ability to do what he does.”
The 6-foot-5, 300-pound lineman has the versatility to play across the offensive line, and has experience at each position.
“He has even played some center,” Oates said. “I made him play a lot of center in the spring. I mean he has played guard. He is smart enough to play anything at a pretty high level, just a darn good football player. Each school talks a little different. He knows it doesn’t really matter what position he is recruited as, as long as he is playing and developing into the best player as possible. I think his heart is at tackle. He has had a lot of success there. But he is smart enough to know if someone asks him to play guard to put the best five out there, he will do that because he wants to win games.”
The Michigan State 2023 class now holds 15 commitments, ranking No. 19 overall in the 2023 On3 Consensus team rankings.
