Breaking Down Michigan State’s 2015 Football Recruiting Class
It's one of the biggest days of the year on the college football calendar: National Signing Day.
Today's the day graduating high schoolers sign their National Letters of Intent, a sort of contract with the school they choose to play football for in college.
Michigan State had already put together a great 2015 football recruiting class, but on Wednesday's signing day the Spartans picked up two more marquee commitments: Mufi Hunt, a defensive end out of Utah who picked MSU over several west coast power programs; and Cassius Peat, the top-rate linebacker out of the state of Arizona, who had been committed to UCLA but flipped to the Spartans.
Those last two commitments will likely make MSU's class one of the top 20 in the nation.
Here's a full breakdown of Michigan State's 2015 football recruiting class.
Justice Alexander, Defensive End
24/7 Sports - 3 stars; Rivals - 2 stars
From Macedonia, Ohio, this 6-foot-6, 240-pounder is rated among the top 35 defensive ends in the country by Rivals. He also had offers from Pittsburgh, Tennessee and several MAC schools.Josh Butler, Cornerback
Scout - 4 stars; ESPN, Rivals, 24/7 Sports - 3 stars
A 5-foot-11, 160-pound defensive back out of Mesquite, Texas. He had offers from several major programs, including Arkansas, Baylor, Clemson, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCLA and Washington, among others.Felton Davis III, Receivers
Consensus 3 stars
A big wide receiver from Highland Springs, Virginia (same high school as MSU defensive line coach Ron Burton). He's 6-foot-4, 175 pounds, which will make him the tallest wideout on MSU's roster next season.Andrew Dowell, Running Back
Rivals - 4 stars
One of two Ohio twin brothers MSU flipped from Kentucky a week before National Signing Day. Andrew is 6-foot-1, 210 pounds.David Dowell, Receiver/Defensive Back
Consensus 4 stars
The other half of the Dowell twins that MSU flipped near signing day. David is 6-foot-1, 195 pounds. He and his brother had previously committed to Northwestern and Kentucky and also had offers from West Virginia, Wisconsin and Illinois, among others.Kaleel Gaines, Defensive Back
Consesus 3 stars
The 6-foot, 170-pounder is from Frostproof, Florida, and spurned the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Ohio State, among others, to come to East Lansing.Tyler Higby, Offensive Lineman
Consensus 3 stars
Higby is a 6-foot-5, 285-pound prospect out of Houston, Texas. The big offensive lineman had other offers from Louisville, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss and TCU, to name a few.Mufi Hunt, Defensive End
Rivals - 3 stars
A big kid out of Utah, Hunt was a last-minute get for MSU. The 6-foot-6, 215-pounder chose the Spartans on National Signing Day over a ton of west coast competitors, including Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Cal, Oregon, Oregon State, Utah, Washington and Washington State. MSU's staff reportedly is trying to open up a pipeline in Utah, and also wants to get more involved with recruiting Polynesian players. Hunt is a Mormon and will take a two-year mission trip before coming to East Lansing.Brian Lewerke, Quarterback
ESPN, Rivals - 4 stars; Scouts, 24/7 Sports - 3 stars
A 6-foot-3, 190-pound quarterback from Phoenix, Lewerke figures to be MSU's QB of the future. He's a pocket passer who also can pull the ball down and run, kind of like Connor Cook. He had offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Florida, and UCLA, among others.Noah Listermann, Offensive Lineman
Consensus 3 stars
A 6-foot-8, 270-pound lineman from Cincinnati. Three of the four major recruiting services rated him among the top 100 offensive tackles in the 2015 class. He had offers from several other Big Ten schools, including Illinois, Indiana, Rutgers and Wisconsin.Drake Martinez, Defensive Back/Linebacker
Consensus 3 stars
The younger brother of former Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez, Drake started his college career with the Cornhuskers. But an illness hampered his ability to compete for playing time, so he transferred to a junior college in California. He'll have three years of eligibility left to play at MSU, and at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds he figures to be an outside linebacker.Grayson Miller, Defensive Back
Rivals - 3 stars
A bigger-sized defensive back, Miller is 6-foot-2, 180 pounds. He only had one other offer, from Western Kentucky. He was likely on MSU's radar as his father, John Miller, was a defensive back on the Spartans' 1988 Rose Bowl team.Cassius Peat, Linebacker
Consensus 3 stars
Another big get for Michigan State. Peat, the top linebacker in the state of Arizona, had been committed to UCLA, but he flipped to the Spartans on National Signing Day. He's 6-foot-4, 235 pounds and chose MSU over Arizona State, which also was vying to flip him at the deadline.Larry "LJ" Scott, Running Back
Consensus 4 stars, Consensus Top 10 running back
Perhaps the crown jewel of MSU's '15 class, Scott chose the Spartans over Auburn, Alabama, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, and in-state power Ohio State. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound back is from Hubbard, Ohio and has been adamant about his preference for MSU. He's one of the highest touted running backs in the nation for this class.Tyson Smith, Defensive Back
Scout - 4 stars; All others - 3 stars
This 5-foot-11, 170-pound corner had only the Spartans' offer. He's from Orchard Lake St. Mary's in southeast Michigan.Kyonta Stallworth, Offensive Tackle
Consensus 4 stars
A big, prototypical offensive tackle. This kid is 6-foot-4, 265 pounds and had offers from Florida and UCLA, as well. He's out of Detroit's Martin Luther King High School.Darrell Stewart, Receiver
Consensus 3 stars
Another big receiver for MSU. Stewart, out of Houston, Texas, is 6-foot-2, 195 pounds. He had offers from Boise State, Louisville, LSU, Texas Tech and LSU.Tyriq Thompson, Linebacker
Scout - 4 stars; All others - 3 stars
At 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, this kid's build and play is kind of reminiscent of former Spartan backer Greg Jones. Thompson, out of Detroit's Martin Luther King High School, turned down Duke, Iowa, Pitt, North Carolina State and Wisconsin for MSU.Raequan Williams, Defensive End
Rivals, Scout, 24/7 Sports - 4 stars; ESPN - 3 stars
At 6-foot-6, 28- pounds, Williams is another big pass rusher for Michigan State. From Chicago, he chose MSU over Arizona, Arizona State, Illinois, Iowa, Mizzou, Oregon, Penn State and Tennessee.Khari Willis, Running Back/Defensive Back
Consensus 3 stars
The 6-foot, 180-pound Willis was one of the most explosive running backs in Michigan high school football at Jackson Lumen Christi. He had other offers from Cincinnati, CMU, WMU and Buffalo, as well as late interest from Michigan. Willis also is a basketball star and is thinking about trying to play both sports at MSU.