Michigan State Football: Mel Tucker’s next in-state recruiting test

Some of the best in-state recruits are choosing Michigan State football in 2022. Is that a trend Mel Tucker can continue?

Things couldn’t feel more different as far as recruiting is concerned between Michigan and Michigan State football right now.

The Wolverines have had a number of recruiting losses lately and this weekend alone, a pair of recruits in the state of Texas started trending away after supposedly giving Michigan silent commitments.

Michigan State football, on the other hand, landed its second big commitment in the past week as in-state defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren pledged to the Spartans on Friday.

VanSumeren is a huge addition for the Spartans and not just because of his size at 6-foot-3, 300 pounds. He was formerly a Michigan commit but re-opened things after his brother transferred from U-M to MSU and Michigan’s staff underwent a big defensive shakeup.

It was also the second major commitment of the week for Michigan State football which also landed four-star wideout Antonio Gates Jr. earlier this week, who happens to be another top-ranked player in the state of Michigan.

While Spartan fans are touting these victories on the recruiting trail and they should, it’s important to note that Michigan wasn’t really pushing for either VanSumeren or Gates. The relationship with VanSumeren was already broken and U-M never really got involved with Gates Jr.

That doesn’t take anything away from the Spartans, however, it will be interesting to see if Tucker can win a head-to-head battle against Michigan, which he failed to do the last cycle with both Andrel Anthony and Rayshaun Benny, who committed to MSU but flipped on signing day.

Can Tucker get Dillon Tatum?

However, if Mel Tucker lands arguably the most important target in the Spartans’ 2022 class — four-star Dillon Tatum from West Bloomfield — there will be no denying MSU’s in-state momentum.

It’s been clear that Tatum is down to the Spartans and the Wolverines. Yet, he’s been treated as the centerpiece of the class by Tucker and the Spartans. That’s not really the case with Michigan, although he has been a top priority for the Wolverines for years.

Of course, his old high school coach Ron Bellamy is now on staff with the Wolverines and that could play a factor in the end. But Tucker has done a hell of a job recruiting Tatum and the entire state of Michigan.

It’s making an impact and if the Spartans land Tatum, they can make a big dent in the claim that the best players in Michigan play for Michigan football.