Rivals national recruiting analyst Greg Smith is joined by Ryan O'Bleness of SpartansIllustrated.com, Richie O'Leary of HappyValleyInsider.com and Adam Gorney to tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
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1. Jonathan Smith will have Michigan State in the top half of the Big Ten recruiting rankings on a yearly basis?
Smith: FICTION. I don’t want to take anything away from the job Jonathan Smith and his staff have done in a short amount of time in East Lansing. I do think this staff will be successful at Michigan State but I do not think it will be powered by top recruiting classes.
This isn’t even so much about this staff as is the competition they are facing. Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Nebraska have traditionally outperformed Michigan State on the recruiting trail. Wisconsin will do well under Luke Fickell on a yearly basis. Maryland always pulls in nice talent, too. That’s six programs Smith and company start behind. Then the conference will add Oregon and USC this summer, which are two programs with powerful national recruiting brands.
If Smith pulls this off it means the Spartans are having big-time success on the field, too. It’s not impossible but I don’t see it yet.
O’Bleness: FACT. While Michigan State is yet to have a commitment in the 2025 class, keep in mind that Jonathan Smith and his new staff just arrived in East Lansing just over three months ago. The class is going to end up being fairly strong and built in their vision. Just look back at what this staff was able to accomplish in the roughly three weeks in between getting on Michigan State’s campus in late-November and early signing day this past December. The Spartans’ class of 2024 went from being ranked in the 90s to finishing ranked No. 43 in the cycle after the February signing period, with 18 of the 20 signees getting locked in during the early period.
This staff is strong at evaluations and is good at finding diamonds in the rough and developing that talent into starters – just review what most of these coaches and staffers did at Oregon State.
Keep on eye on Michigan State to be in the top-half of the Big Ten rankings on a yearly basis, and don’t be surprised to perhaps even see the Spartans in the top-five or six of the conference a couple of years from now.
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2. Syracuse is a real threat to Penn State with elite Northeast talent
Smith: FICTION. Fran Brown is certainly making waves in the recruiting world after taking over the Syracuse program. There is a lot more buzz about the Orange right now than at any point recently. The program is at least in the conversation with a lot of elite-level recruits in a region that Penn State has traditionally dominated. However, until Syracuse puts an improved product on the field to match the relationship building Brown can do, Penn State is still the first and second choice for top prospects in the region.
O’Leary: FICTION. While Syracuse might have some serious recruiting juice under Fran Brown, Penn State is on a completely different level when it comes to recruiting high school prospects specifically. The two programs have yet to truly face off in a true recruiting battle, but that's more because of what I just said, the Nittany Lions are recruiting at a much different level than the Orange and more than likely will continue to do so going forward. Penn State currently has the No. 6 ranked recruiting class headlined by five four-star recruits, while Syracuse has one commit in four-star Sharlandiin Strange. As far as the Northeast goes, Penn State has built steady pipelines from New Jersey and the New England areas specifically and are continuing to extend their reach in New York recently with the addition of Lyrick Samuel and the DMV areas as well. This isn't a knock on the Orange as they have some serious juice among prospects, but I don't see them landing anyone that Penn State truly wants, as the Nittany Lions win those battles 10 times out of 10.
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3. The 2025 class in the state of Kansas is the best group in 10 years.
Smith: FACT. The depth of talent in this year’s crop of Kansas prospects is very good. There are two tight ends in the class that will battle to be the best player at the position in the class with Linkon Cure and Da’Saahn Brame. Rising four-star offensive tackle Andrew Babalola has five-star tools.
But the depth of the class is where this year’s group really shines. Each of the top 10 prospects in the state will play Power Five football. Several players in the top 10 could continue to see their ratings rise. This group is going to be better than the 2019 class which is saying something. That class was headlined by Graham Mertz, Marcus Hicks and Breece Hall.
The big question will be how many of these top 2025s can Kansas and Kansas State keep home?
Gorney: FACT. Not only is the 2025 class in Kansas the best in at least a decade, it has a very real shot at being the best in Rivals history dating back to 2002. There are already six four-star prospects in the class, some have five-star potential and tight ends Linkon Cure and DaSaahn Brame are two of the best at their position nationally. Throw in the possibility that Keiton Jones or others could earn four-star status and it's definitely the best class Kansas has seen in at least a decade. The 2023 group with Colorado's Dylan Edwards and Kansas State's Avery Johnson, the 2019 class with Graham Mertz and Breece Hall and the 2010 group with five four-stars could garner some attention but this class is absolutely loaded.
