Where's the threat? Michigan State 'scared' to recruit legacies, can't beat Michigan on trail

Michigan has dominated Michigan State on the recruiting trail over the last few years.

This cycle is no different. Michigan has the No. 12 class nationally, while Michigan State has the No. 13 class in the Big Ten. It’s a striking contrast between two rivals. Of course, it makes sense.

The Wolverines are the defending national champions. The Spartans are trying to work their way out of irrelevancy.

Tuck came and went. So did Instagram superstar Brandon Jordan. Nobody has seemed to be able to save Sparty. And the recruiting results don’t seem to inspire much confidence in the future.

Michigan State finished with the No. 43 class nationally last cycle. This cycle is even worse. Not only is Michigan State outside of the Top 10 in the Big Ten, but it’s also outside of the Top 45 nationally. Yuck.

Michigan State can’t even land its own legacies.

Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy offensive lineman Kaden Strayhorn, arguably the top center recruit in the country, is the son of former MSU player Jason Strayhorn, who is a popular media figure around East Lansing.

Jason serves as a Michigan State football analyst and is also the host of the This is Sparta MSU Podcast. Kaden, should have been a lock, right?

Wrong.

Michigan State was too afraid to recruit him. No, that’s not a troll… it’s a fact. The Spartans felt like they couldn’t compete for him.

“Michigan State, obviously, they’re my first offer, but since this new coaching change that they had, they’ve been very scared to recruit me because of certain offers that I have — like Georgia and Miami, stuff like that,” Kaden told our friend Isaiah Hole with WolverinesWire before his pledge to U-M. “They feel that they can’t compete to get me so the way that they are is like if they feel they can’t compete then why try at all? I think it’s kind of silly, but that’s how it is with them.”

That’s flat out embarrassing.

But even if Michigan State did try, there is no guarantee the Spartans would have been able to land him. Kaden was set on building his own legacy.

“My dad has been handling it well,” Kaden said with a laugh. “He’s been getting a lot of hate on his Michigan State podcast. But he’s been supportive of me. I’ve always been the type of person that wants to make my own way. The main thing is making my own legacy. That’s what Coach (Sherrone) Moore told me. That’s what I want to do.”

Four-star Birmingham (Mich.) Groves offensive lineman Avery Gach wanted to build his own legacy, too.

Both of Gach’s parents attended Michigan State, but that wasn’t enough to sway his decision. He saw the benefits of siding with Michigan and the recent offensive line production.

This fact is Michigan is obviously the superior program both on and off the field. If you want to develop, especially as an offensive lineman, while getting an elite education, the choice is obvious.

“The coaching staff is amazing,” Gach said after his commitment. “They produce offensive linemen (into) NFL Draft picks. They just came off a national championship, which was awesome to watch. I love the facilities, the people are great, the culture.”

Michigan is also in a strong position to land another Michigan State legacy next cycle in Top 100 Portage (Mich.) Northern offensive lineman Gregory Patrick, who has visited half a dozen times and was just on campus last month.

Overall, Michigan vs. Michigan State recruiting battles are few and far between. And the few that do pop up usually go U-M’s way.

So where’s the threat? The answer hasn’t changed. There is no threat.