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Around the Midwest: Northwestern surging

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Auston Robertson
Although Michigan State has never finished inside the top 5 of the national team recruiting rankings, the fact that the Spartans currently sit at No. 4 in the early stages of the 2016 class really should not come as a surprise. The Spartans are coming off an 11-plus-win season for the third time in the last four seasons and finished in the top five in the final rankings last winter.
No class prior has shown Michigan State translating its on-field success into recruiting success like 2016 has, though. Seven of the 20 commitments are rated four-stars, including three defensive linemen picked up in a span of four days in early June -- Josh King, Naquan Jones and Auston Robertson.
Step it up
Iowa State
What is the future of Paul Rhoads at Iowa State? It is not overwhelmingly positive if you look just at the recruiting results. The Cyclones finally picked up their first two commitments on June 20 from two-star tight ends Carson Lensing and Dennis Wonnum. That means the other 21 positions on the field still need to be addressed in this class and the pool of potential prospects is thinning quickly. Fellow in-state Power Five program Iowa is now at 20 commitments. However, the Cyclones are not faring as bad in the Big 12, where four other schools have six or fewer commitments as well.
Biggest get
Ben Bredeson
Ben Bredeson
After getting off to a slow start in the first full class of the Jim Harbaugh era, Michigan rallied with 14 commitments in June to jump comfortably into the top 10 of the national team rankings. The biggest catch in the month of June was undoubtedly Rivals100 offensive tackle Ben Bredeson of Hartland (Wis.) Arrowhead, who committed to the Wolverines on June 17.
The 6-foot-4, 280-pound Bredeson is ranked as the No. 49 player in the 2016 class and has some of the best offensive line film to come out of the region in a long while. He does not possess ideal length for the offensive tackle position and may kick inside in college, but his technique is well ahead of the curve for his age and position, and he dominates the point of attack.
Let's not forget
DE Tre Williams, Columbia (Mo.) Rock Bridge
Missouri was the team I said had to "Step it up," when we last ran this feature, and the Tigers responded by adding seven commitments in June. Most notable among them was Williams, who is a four-star ranked as the No. 14 defensive end prospect in the 2016 class.
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Williams is a raw, but exceptionally gifted whose best days are certainly ahead of him. He is going to play for a Tigers' program that has been a defensive line factory for the NFL over the last several years. The biggest question with Williams is whether he will ever reach his potential, but with Missouri's track record, his chances of doing so are maximized.
Surprise commitment
DE Khalid Kareem, Farmington Hills (Mich.) Harrison
Khalid Kareem
A four-star defensive end prospect, Khalid Kareem made an early, albeit short-lived, commitment to Michigan State last winter. So, when the Michigan native announced he was going to make a commitment last week, expectations were he would likely stay close to home with this choice as well.
Michigan and Notre Dame represented Midwest programs in Kareem's final three, but the class of 2016's No. 15-ranked weakside defensive end went outside the region and chose Alabama. A visit to Alabama earlier in June was the catalyst, and the Crimson Tide now have their first commitment from the Great Lakes State since Mark Ingram, who would go on to win a Heisman Trophy in Tuscaloosa.
Shaky ground
WR Desmond Fitzpatrick, Waterford (Mich.) Mott
Desmond Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick made his commitment to Louisville on Halloween last year, but has been regularly visiting other schools in the eight months since and frequently been the target of de-commitment rumors. After receiving an offer from Minnesota last week, he told GophersIllustrated.com he was unsure about the strength of his commitment to the Cardinals.
The bulk of speculation about where Fitzpatrick could land over the last several months has centered around Michigan -- his home-state school and the program that his former high school teammate, David Reese, committed to in April. What once seemed inevitable, however, has since cooled, but the chances Fitzpatrick ends up with another program on National Signing Day still remain significant.
Coming up next
WR Donnie Corley, Detroit (Mich.) King
Donnie Corley
Corley has expressed a desire to make his commitment in July since mid-spring, and he confirmed that plan earlier this week. Does he announce that commitment at The Opening in Oregon next week, or wait, take a couple more visits and decide sometime later in the month?
Michigan State is the program most hoping Corley makes a decision sooner than later. The Spartans have been speculated as the team to beat in this recruitment for the last couple months. If he does wait to decide later in July, though, then Ohio State and Tennessee certainly become much stronger players here and he plans to visit each school if he returns from Oregon uncommitted.
Josh Helmholdt
Midwest Recruiting Analyst
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