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Michigan State Recruiting: Predicting where National Signing Day targets land

By Connor Muldowney

Nov 28, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio leads his team onto the field prior to a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio leads his team onto the field prior to a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports /
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1. Oliver Martin, 4-star WR (Iowa City, Iowa)

There may not be a more puzzling recruitment than that of Oliver Martin. The four-star Army All-American was considering Michigan State strongly over the summer before his recruitment really blew up after he dominated at The Opening and shot up the rankings.

Must Read: MSU Recruiting: 10 ideal targets by National Signing Day

In fact, 247Sports had him ranked in the 600-range as a three-star, but he has since jumped all the way to No. 47 and as a near five-star prospect. He’s one of the best receivers left on the market and that’s why all the top programs have been making a run at him.

Martin has been courted by the likes of Ohio State, Iowa and Notre Dame in recent weeks, but one team has stood out above all the rest. Unfortunately for Spartans, it’s not them. Michigan has been the surging favorite in his recruitment ever since Jim Harbaugh realized Nico Collins might not commit and he decided to take interest in Martin again.

What’s frustrating for the Spartans is that Rocky Lombardi, Martin’s childhood friend and Michigan State’s 2017 quarterback pledge, was looking like the deciding factor, but things changed quickly after his official visit to East Lansing. Harbaugh cooled on him for months but decided to take recruit him as a backup plan and it’s working.

Related Story: MSU Recruiting: 5 bold predictions for January

The trend is Martin to Michigan and I’d be surprised if he ended up anywhere else. Harbaugh worked his recruiting magic yet again.

Pick: Michigan (Second: Notre Dame)

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