When a major program loses a key recruit, Rivals.com takes a look at how big of a blow it is to the respective school, analyzing it from a local and national level. To quantify the “sting” of each decommitment, we assign a score from one to 10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.
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THE STORYLINE
Clay Wedin committed to Michigan State in June citing his respect for what coach Mel Tucker is building in East Lansing and his great relationships with numerous people on staff but especially position coach Chris Kapilovic.
All those things remain. But the four-star offensive lineman from Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day has decided to back off his pledge to the Spartans. Days later, he committed to Auburn as Wedin had taken multiple visits to The Plains and was high on that team for a long time as well.
Wedin says it’s not about wins and losses as Michigan State has stumbled to a 2-4 start to the season. It’s not about the coaches, either. As he’s taken some visits and talked it over with those close to him, Wedin just decided that Michigan State would not be the best place for him.
What’s interesting is if Auburn coach Bryan Harsin is not retained and a new staff comes in there, then that might change Wedin’s thinking as well but he assuredly knew that situation was in place when he decided to pick the Tigers Friday.
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LOCAL REACTION
Michigan State still holds commitments from four-star Cole Dellinger and three-star Johnathan Slack on the interior, along with 6-foot-7 offensive tackle Stanton Ramil in the 2023 class, but the loss of Wedin means the Spartans lose a flexible lineman with ability to play across the line, and their highest-rated commit in the class. Michigan State will likely look for another tackle, and will also have to work to hold onto Ramil as well.” - Jason Killop, SpartMag.com
Sting factor: 8
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NATIONAL REACTION
Losing a player of Wedin’s caliber is never good and it was a huge recruiting win for Michigan State to go into Tampa for a four-star offensive lineman with numerous offers from across the Southeast. But this isn’t back-breaking for the Spartans’ class and the offensive line group they have already - and could still add to - is very impressive. The season has not gone the way the Spartans would have wanted and Wedin is one of a few bigger decommitments this recruiting cycle but I really think Mel Tucker is a great coach, Chris Kapilovic is liked by a ton of offensive line commits and there will be plenty of names who want to take Wedin’s spot in this recruiting class. - Adam Gorney, National Recruiting Director
Sting factor: 6
