Michigan State Recruiting: Top 10 ideal 2017 football targets

Oct 17, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Connor Cook (18) looks to make a pass in the first quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Recently deciding that he would announce his college choice in mid-November, four-star quarterback recruit Ryan Kelley might just be the top-rated gunslinger the Spartans have gone after — maybe ever.

No disrespect is meant toward guys like Connor Cook, Kirk Cousins, Drew Stanton, Brian Lewerke, Damion Terry, Tyler O’Connor or Messiah deWeaver, but Kelley has been ranked higher than all of those guys were on all recruiting services.

In fact, Kelley is currently the No. 64 overall recruit and the third-best pro-style quarterback in the 2017 class, and he has the Spartans in his top-five heading into the final decision in a couple of weeks. Many believe he will stay out west for college, but the Spartans are on his trimmed list for a reason, so there’s no reason to rule them out just yet.

Believe it or not, Kelley does have a connection to Michigan State in the form of Hunter Rison who happened to be teammates with the highly-regarded four-star QB when he played high school ball in Arizona for his freshman and sophomore seasons.

The two have shown a desire to play in college together and have likely talked about it since Rison moved to Michigan.

It would be pleasant surprise if Kelley chose MSU, but the Spartans have been known as ‘QBU’ in recent years, and there’s no way the attractiveness of the program won’t be enough for this kid.

Next: 1. Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR