Where’s the threat? Michigan State legacy Avery Gach is latest head-to-head recruiting win for U-M

Mel Tucker came and went. The same goes for social media savant Brandon Jordan, who has had more jobs than recruits developed over the last few years. That ‘vaunted’ NIL seems to have disappeared with them.

All that’s left in East Lansing is a poor Michigan State football team coming off a 4-8 season and a terrible recruiting class that currently ranks dead last in the Big Ten — 18 out of 18. The Spartans hold just two commits and have failed to build momentum under new head coach Jonathan Smith.

On the flip side of the coin, Michigan is coming off a national championship and is slowly but surely starting to get the recruiting train moving under new head coach Sherrone Moore. The Wolverines now have a Top 15 class after landing Top 100 defensive lineman Nate Marshall and four-star offensive lineman Avery Gach.

Simply put, the two rival programs are trending in two very different directions.

Gach’s commitment to U-M once again shows that MSU can’t compete on the recruiting trail. Both of Gach’s parents attended Michigan State, and the Spartans believed they would have a true chance to beat out Michigan for his services.

But like many in-state recruits before him, Gach quickly realized that Michigan is the superior program on and off the field.

“My relationship with the coaching staff (is why I committed),” Gach told On3’s Steve Wiltfong. “I feel like it’s home. I love the facilities. They just won the national championship. They develop NFL players, and they like to run the ball. The Michigan-Ohio State game is a game I wanted to play in.”

Ouch. Not the Michigan-Michigan State game?

As mentioned, Gach is just the latest U-M recruiting win over MSU. Last cycle, Michigan State felt like it had the early advantage with four-star Harper Woods (Mich.) High safety Jacob Oden, a Michigan legacy, before he sided with the Wolverines. On300 Rochester (Mich.) Adams tight end Brady Prieskorn never seemed to give Michigan State a legitimate look before picking U-M.

Michigan stars and former elite in-state prospects Will Johnson and Donovan Edwards basically ignored Michigan State during their respective recruitments.

Rayshaun Benny, who flipped from Michigan State to Michigan a few cycles ago, and Andrel Anthony, who picked U-M over MSU at his ceremony in East Lansing, had deep ties to the Spartans and still spurned ‘little brother.’

Gach now joins the list of in-staters that have broken Sparty’s heart.

And that trend should continue for cycles to come.

So where’s the threat? The answer hasn’t changed. There is no threat. Michigan State is, well, irrelevant.

The post Where’s the threat? Michigan State legacy Avery Gach is latest head-to-head recruiting win for U-M appeared first on On3.