Michigan State added four-star defensive end Josh King to their 2016 recruiting class on Friday morning.
Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio already had the makings of arguably his best class during his time with the Spartans with 13 commits and a top-20 class, but now it’s even better with the addition of four-star defensive end Josh King (Darien, IL. Hinsdale South) on Friday.
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King committed on Friday at an announcement at his high school and picked the Spartans over offers from USC, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan and Nebraska, among others. The 6-6, 250-pound strong-side defensive end is the nation’s No. 75 recruit overall regardless of position, No. 6 player at his position and the No. 1 ranked player in the state of Illinois, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
King, who is also a state wrestling champion, is the first defensive lineman to commit for this year’s class but should soon be joined Auston Robertson, Naquan Jones and Mike Panasiuk who are committing over the next three days.
The deciding factor for King came down to Michigan State’s coaching staff, including Ron Burton who served as King’s primary recruiter.
“The coaching staff is phenomenal to me,” King said, via 247Sports. “It feels like a family there, people you can connect to. I visited Michigan State many times and each time it gets better and better. I loved it.
King had 70 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and five sacks last year as a junior.
With today’s commitment, Michigan State now owns the nation’s No. 8 class and the No. 2 class in the Big Ten, according to the 247Sports team rankings.