Reflecting on three recent Michigan recruiting wins over Michigan State

Michigan and Michigan State are heated rivals on the field. However, the two programs don’t run into each other on the recruiting trail as often as you would think.

Only a handful of head-to-head battles have occurred over the last few cycles, with Michigan, for the most part, getting the best of Michigan State.

Here is a look back at three big recruiting wins for the Wolverines.

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

Michigan State was the heavy favorite for Anthony for several weeks heading into his summer decision. The Spartans made him their top overall target in the 2021 class and did everything possible to keep the East Lansing native at home. On the flip side of the coin, Michigan had several wide receiver options on the board and didn’t really make a full press until closer to his announcement. In fact, U-M started trending just days before he made the call. Anthony made it official by picking the Wolverines at a ceremony at his high school — just a few miles from the Michigan State campus. It was a downright embarrassing loss for the Spartans on their own home turf. Interestingly enough, East Lansing never granted us media access to see Anthony play live (our Clayton Sayfie did see Anthony in the stands for a game). Of course, Anthony has flashed at Michigan, with his biggest game coming against Michigan State last season (155 yards and two touchdowns).

Why Michigan: “Just the vibe I got from Day 1 was a lot different. I really liked (Mel) Tucker’s staff, but I haven’t been able to build a relationship with them like with Michigan since my sophomore year. Just being around the coaching staff and the players, they love to talk to me. They just showed a lot of love and interest in me. They came to my basketball game. That was crazy because you don’t see Harbaugh at your basketball games often. They’ve just been on me since my sophomore year. I had Coach (Sherrone) Moore waiting outside of my physics class my sophomore year. I had no idea either. It was awesome.”

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

No recruitment has been more fun to cover than Benny. While Benny, a four-star prospect, committed to Michigan State in November of 2020, he did not sign with the Spartans during the early signing period. Soon after, I expressed plenty of confidence in Michigan flipping Benny before the final bell. On signing day morning in February, Michigan State writers put up and took down Benny preview content, while I put in a pick in favor of Michigan. And yes, Benny did flip from Michigan State to Michigan and signed with the Wolverines. U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh, former defensive line coach Shaun Nua, top recruiter Sherrone Moore and newly hired Ron Bellamy all did a fantastic job with Benny down the stretch and sealed the deal. From Michigan State fans attacking me to another Michigan reporter messaging me and saying he had the real scoop to getting banned from the MSU Rivals message board, it was certainly one of my favorite days as a recruiting reporter.

Why Michigan: “I love the coaches. Coach Nua, Coach Moore and everybody. I was in contact with all of them. That’s really why. My relationship with Coach Nua is really raw. I like him a lot. (Harbaugh) talked about the difference at Michigan. He tells me the difference between them and other universities and what they can do for me. He has NFL experience, so he knows what it takes me to get there.”

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

Michigan State was considered the leader for Etta for a lot of the offseason. It’s no secret the Spartans have made NIL a focal point this cycle. Michigan State had flashy cars on his official visit, pitched NIL and boasted about new pass rush specialist Brandon Jordan. Etta, however, saw right through the hype. Michigan defensive line coach Mike Elston is a known and respected developer of talent, and Etta truly values the transformational process offered at U-M. Simply put, Michigan is the superior program both on and off the field. Like Benny, Etta’s recruitment did have plenty of twists and turns. There was a situation where MSU fans and a want-to-be Michigan reporter convinced Etta that I was leaking information, resulting in an ‘F EJ Holland’ message that was spread across Twitter — we still laugh about that. There was also a frustrating decision delay due to a graphic holdup. But a dramatic summer has led to a quiet fall. Etta is locked in with U-M and has been a vocal leader for the class.

Why Michigan: “Michigan really has the best of both worlds. 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.”