ANALYSIS: Michigan State's Mel Tucker had to play strong defense to secure this Top 25 class

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State’s recruiting class held firm at the No. 21 position in the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings despite charges from several directions from opposing programs trying to poach Michigan State commitments. 

Michigan State protected all eight of its four-star recruits as part of its 15-player class of high school signees and added a ninth in On3 Consensus four-star junior college offensive line recruit Keyshawn Blackstock. He committed to Michigan State on Wednesday and signed with the Spartans shortly thereafter. 

Michigan State’s class ranks No. 4 in the Big Ten in the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings, behind Ohio State (No. 4 nationally), Penn State (No. 14) and Michigan (No. 20).

Michigan State also announced the signing of six players from the transfer portal, including former five-star high school recruit Tunmise Adeleye (6-4, 275) of Texas A&M, who signed with Michigan State over Miami on Wednesday.

Adeleye is ranked the No. 4 edge lineman in the On3 Transfer Portal player rankings. 

“Physical player, outstanding pass rusher,” Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker said of Adeleye. “He is one of those guys that comes in ready to play. One of the highest-rated players in the portal, probably the highest-rated defensive lineman in the portal. So at the defensive end position, we really helped ourselves.”

Michigan State also is welcoming four in-state players from the transfer portal who will technically join the program as walk-ons. Because they are not on athletic scholarship, Tucker couldn’t mention them by name at this time, but running back Jaden Mangham, of South Florida, heads the list. He committed on Wednesday morning. He is the brother of rising Michigan State sophomore Jaden Mangham, who is a safety for the Spartans. SpartanMag.com has learned that both Manghams will wear jersey No. 1 in 2023.

The other in-state walk-on transfers whom Tucker couldn’t mention on Wednesday include tight end Jaylan Franklin of Wisconsin and originally from Brownstown, Mich.; linebacker Aaron Alexander from UMass, originally from Belleville, Mich.; and possibly safety Reggie Pearson from Texas Tech, originally from Detroit and River Rouge High School. 

Pearson plans to make a transfer decision on Thursday. Pearson (6-0, 200) played two years at Texas Tech, where he had 55 tackles in 2022. He has one year of eligibility remaining. He also played at Wisconsin, beginning in 2018.

“We have some in-state guys that we are not really able to call them out by name today but at the running back position we have a 6-foot-2, 230-pound guy coming that we know can help us in every phase of the game, especially in short yardage,” Tucker said in reference to Mangham, whom Tucker coached for one year at Colorado in 2019.

“We also have a 6-foot-5, 245-pound tight end we are adding to that room and a 6-foot-1, 215-pound linebacker,” Tucker said of Franklin and Alexander.

“And a 6-foot, 200-pound safety that is a big hitter that we are looking to add to the room as well,” Tucker said of Pearson, who is still being recruited by other schools.

Those in-state walk-ons were formerly scholarship players at Power Five schools and they will complement an incoming class of 15 high school signees, plus seven out-of-state walk-ons who will be on initial scholarships soon, including PK Jonathan Kim of North Carolina, TE Tyneil Hopper of Boise State, RB Nathan Carter of UConn, DE Tunmise Adeleye of Texas A&M, DT Jarrett Jackson of Florida State, DT Dre Butler of Liberty and DB Semar Melvin of Wisconsin.

Michigan State’s class moved up from No. 8 to No. 1 in the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings.

“There wasn’t a certain number of high school players we wanted to sign, we just didn’t want to reach for high school guys,” Tucker said. “If we weren’t 100 percent sure that we wanted them, we were just going to wait. We still have a few spots left; we weren’t just going to reach.”

There is high quality in those 15 high school signees, which includes these On3 Consensus four-star recruits:

* DE Bai Jobe, 6-3, 215, Norman, Okla.

* DE Andrew DePaepe, 6-5, 238, Bettendorf, Ia.

* LB Jordan Hall, 6-2, 224, Fredericksburgh, Va./Florida IMG

* OL Keyshawn Blackstock, 6-5, 300, Covington, Ga./Coffeyville, Kan., CC

* OL Stanton Ramil, 6-6, 310, Alabaster, Ala.

* DL Jalen Thompson, 6-3, 240, Detroit

* TE Brennan Parachek, 6-6, 235, Dexter, Mich.

* CB Chance Rucker, 6-1, 180, Denton, Texas

* OL Cole Delliinger, 6-3, 295, Clarkston, Mich.

Plus QB Sam Leavitt, 6-2, 195, of Portland, Ore., who is a four-star recruit according to On3 Player Rankings, but didn’t make On3 Consensus four-star status, which takes into account the rankings of all three major recruiting web sites.

When asked how much defense he had to play in preserving those nine commitments, Tucker said he and his staff had to work to protect all of them, and the three-stars as well, and some of the transfers.

“It’s a jungle out there,” Tucker said. “I mean it was brutal. It was all day every day. They were trying to flip guys today, trying to flip guys this morning.”

Tucker planned to wear a coat and tie for Wednesday’s Signing Day press conference, but wore casual athletic attire because he said he had no time to change clothes due to the hectic defense of his committed players.

Who did Michigan State have to fight for the hardest to preserve?

“Phew,” Tucker said. “All of them. All those guys. Some guys we had to flip, so we are fighting for those guys. We either had to flip them or we had to get them and keep them and people were trying to flip them from us, or it was going down all the way to yesterday to get them to say yes and get their stuff in so we can post it.

“I’m telling you, no one was (safe). I mean Parachek, guys were still trying to flip that guy. It’s all night.”

It was like that on the road during the final days of the latest contact period.

“Guys were committed and we were going to in-home visits like they weren’t committed,” Tucker said. “Guys who had just committed and just posted, I said, ‘Go to their house. Let’s go. Go to their house. Hit ‘em. Let’s go hit ‘em.’”

Michigan State’s aggressive, high-reaching approach to national recruiting, beginning with official visits from 26 four-star recruits in June set the foundation for this Top 25 class. Michigan State had commitments from 10 of those 24 at one point, but five of them de-committed during the fall: (WR Demetrius Bell, DB Jaylon Braxton, DB Colton Hood, RB Kedrick Reescano, OL Clay Wedin). 

Michigan State cooled off on Bell and was okay with seeing Wedin move on. Michigan State continued to pursue Reescano up through last week. When he committed to Ole Miss, Michigan State focused on Nathan Tucker from the portal and 10.3 100 meter man Jaelon Barbarin, a three-star from Simi Valley, Calif.

After losing out on Baxton and Hood, Michigan State was pleased to flip three-star Sean Brown, of Simi Valley, Calif., who had been committed to Arizona.

“At 6-3, 190, he has rare size for a cornerback,” Tucker said of Brown. “He is a 10.7 100-meter guy. With his size and speed and length and ball skills, he could probably be a Power Five receiver as well. He has a bright future. He has great versatility. I can’t say enough about him. I’m really excited to get a chance to work with him.”

Michigan State ended up signing seven of those 26 four-star recruits who visited in June, and then added Leavitt and Blackstock during fall visits. 

Tucker was satisfied to finish the class and get on with the process.

“This class has the size and speed I’m looking for,” he said. “We have nine players who are 6-4 and taller in this class and seven mid-year high school guys at this time.

“We were looking for guys that were tough, disciplined and unselfish and every single one of these guys has those core values. This class from top to bottom is very, very strong. We have a very good mix of experienced guys and high school guys that have the potential to be NFL guys.”

Tucker said he expects his coaching staff to remain unchanged in 2023.

“I don’t plan on making any changes,” he said. “But there are always opportunities (for coaches to leave) and I’m not going to hold them back.”

Michigan State has 10 players who were on scholarship last year as seniors who have an extra year of eligibility. Tucker said offensive linemen J.D. Duplain and Nick Samac will be back, as well as defensive end Khris Bogle.

He stopped short of saying that running back Elijah Collins will be back. Players such as linebackers Jacoby Windmon and Aaron Brulé have not made a decision.

Tucker didn’t mention defensive end Brandon Wright or safety/running back Harold Joiner when briefly discussing depth at various position groups.

“I think some guys, after they see what we did today, they will want to come back and be a part of it,” Tucker said.