Reflecting on five Michigan head-to-head recruiting wins over Michigan State

Michigan has taken Michigan State behind the woodshed on the recruiting trail over the last few cycles, finishing higher in the team rankings and winning a few key battles along the way.

Here is a look at five memorable head-to-head victories.

WR Andrel Anthony, East Lansing (Mich.) High (2021)

It’s been almost three years ago since Anthony committed to Michigan over Michigan State just a few miles from the MSU campus in East Lansing. About a month before the decision, Anthony, then a high-three-star recruit, was being touted as a potential big win for new head coach Mel Tucker. On the flip side of the coin, Michigan had Anthony lower on the board before making a strong push late.

Anthony, whose mother is an MSU alum, was considered a lock to end up signing with the Spartans. However, that late move from Jim Harbaugh and company was enough to ultimately come away with the upset win.

“With Michigan State, we had just started building the relationships with the new coaches,” said Anthony’s father, Andrel Sr. “It was more of an unknown. As a parent, you try to watch for things. Something that stuck out to me is when Coach (Josh) Gattis gave me a call when I was sick. Same with Coach (Sherrone) Moore. You could tell they had genuine interest in my son. They always checked up on Andrel. They just gave us a good family vibe. That was really important.”

Anthony has since transferred out of the program. However, he did make a statement in the rivalry game as a true freshman, recording six receptions for 155 yards and two touchdowns.

DL Rayshaun Benny, Oak Park (Mich.) High (2021)

The late signing period in 2021 was one to remember as Michigan flipped the former Top 100 defensive lineman on recruiting’s biggest day.

Benny was trending to Michigan in the summer and early fall before the Wolverines got off to a rough start and suffered a tough loss to Michigan State. Instability also played a big role in Benny ultimately committing to the Spartans. However, Benny did not sign with Michigan State during the early window, leaving the door open for Michigan to make a run.

“I love the (Michigan staff),” Benny said. “Coach (Shaun) Nua, Coach (Sherrone) Moore and everybody. I’m in contact with all of them. That’s really why. My relationship with Coach Nua is really raw. I like him a lot.”

Benny is now entering his junior year at Michigan and should have a bigger role this season. He recorded 13 tackles last year.

EDGE Enow Etta, Colleyville (Texas) Heritage (2023)

Etta was one of Michigan’s top overall lands in the 2023 recruiting class. The Wolverines had to put in overtime to win the former On300 EDGE over as Michigan State was considered the leader for Etta for a lot of the offseason.

Michigan State had flashy cars on his official visit, pitched NIL and boasted about new pass rush specialist Brandon Jordan, who left after just one year with the program. But at the end of the day, Etta bought into Mike Elston’s track record as a talent developer and the value of a Michigan degree.

“Michigan really has the best of both worlds,” Etta said. “I want to do engineering and computer science. I believe they are the No. 7 engineering school in the country. On the football side, they just won the Big Ten championship last year. The football is a no-brainer. The academics are big. I don’t really see that anywhere else.”

Michigan State fans and even a certain Michigan fan tried to turn Etta against me and contributed to so much misinformation. However, Etta saw right through everything. It will always be one of my personal favorite recruitments.

DB Jacob Oden, Harper Woods (Mich.) High (2024)

Oden has been committed to Michigan since early February and is one of the biggest vocal leaders of the class. As Sound Mind Sound Body Director Curtis Blackwell once told me, Oden was born to be a Michigan Wolverine. After all, the On300 safety is the son of former Michigan walk-on fullback Rod Oden and grew up going to games in The Big House.

With all of that said, those on the Michigan State side seemed to have misplaced optimism early on in the process. Many may not remember this, but there were multiple predictions logged in favor of Michigan State for Oden before he ultimately sided with the Wolverines.

“Michigan is a great school and a great program,” Oden said. “They did everything right with me. Just a great coaching staff and all of that. They kept doing their thing this (past) year. They have the attitude to win a national championship.”

I put in a prediction for Michigan to land Oden way back in December of 2021 (!!!). I’m not sure why Michigan State ever had any confidence, but Oden is now a foundational part of a Michigan class that ranks in the Top 10 nationally.

LB Jeremiah Beasley, Belleville (Mich.) High (2024)

Beasley is the latest head-to-head win for Michigan on the recruiting trail. Michigan State was considered the early lead for Beasley. His brother, Maliq Carr, plays for the Spartans, and many expected Beasley to follow him to East Lansing. Beasley was slated to make a decision in March but pushed things back.

That allowed Michigan to take full control of this recruitment in the spring. The Wolverines impressed on multiple spring unofficial visits and got him back on campus for an official visit during Victors Weekend. The Wolverines completely sealed the deal there.

“Coach (Chris) Partridge is very nice and I like him,” said Beasley’s mother, Peggy Carr. “He’s a good communicator. I did ask him some very hard questions (on the official visit), and he answered all of them. I really appreciated that. He always stayed honest with us, and I think Jeremiah is in very good hands. Clink (Steve Clinkscale) is like one of my brothers, really. He was also really good throughout the process.”

Beasley always seemed like a Michigan-type kid. He’s a great student in the classroom and values the U-M education and life after football. He’s also a perfect scheme fit for what Jesse Minter does defensively. He was a key win for Michigan this cycle.