Michigan State Holiday Wish List 2018: Wish No. 4 for Spartan fans

Michigan State’s 25 wishes list continues today and throughout this week. What is the No. 4 wish for all Spartan fans?

Here is wish No. 4 on our Michigan State fan wish list as we count down to wish No. 1.

Wish No. 4

Michigan State basketball has a top-five nationally ranked class for 2019 and the football team has a top-20 class for 2019.

Even though both early signing periods for basketball and football ended on Nov. 21 for basketball and Dec. 21 for football, there is still time for the Spartans to add recruits. The Spartans with 21 current commitments and ranked 28th at this time by ESPN and ranked 33rd currently by Rivals.

The Michigan State basketball team is ranked 16th with two commitments presently by ESPN and 20th by Rivals currently. For football the regular signing day is Feb. 6 and for basketball the signing period ends on May 15.

Every year, Spartan fans will refer to former Michigan State greats such as Kirk Cousins, Le’Veon Bell, and the list goes on and on as they explain that stars or more importantly, recruiting rankings don’t matter. Current Spartans who have been very successful like Joe Bachie and Kenny Willekes are also mentioned as much. Our very own Stephen Robb wrote a nice piece about how Mark Dantonio doesn’t seem to care much about recruiting rankings and stars.

However, Michigan State fans also fail to mention the four and sometimes five-star recruits who have helped Michigan State’s defense become so successful earlier on in Dantonio’s coaching tenure at State such as William Gholston, Max Bullough, Lawrence Thomas, Isaiah Lewis and Demetrious Cox who were all four or five-stars according to Rivals.

Then, to a lesser extent, came the highly sought-after offensive talent in four-stars came such as Aaron Burbridge, Brian Allen, LJ Scott and Brian Lewerke, for example. I also don’t hear Spartans say they are not excited to see the highly rated duo of Julian Barnett and Devontae Dobbs play next season. Getting the most talented players matter and this wish is not that outlandish or unattainable.

Annually, 247Sports reminds fans and readers why recruiting the most talented and thought after players matters. This article explains in length that in order to have a good chance or decent probability of making the College Football Playoff, then you have to recruit the best and get those players to sign with your team. Most importantly, it provides data with facts.

Spartan fans can’t complain about having an ineffective offense in one breath and then say that recruiting four and five-stars don’t matter. Below shows that rankings of Michigan State’s football classes. It’s still within grasp for Michigan State to legitimately get into the top-20 and the end of the day on Feb. 6. The Spartans have some spots left and may have some more open up with players declaring for the draft and transferring.

Football national recruiting rankings per ESPN.com:

2018: 34th
2017: 32nd
2016: 22nd
2015: 29th

Michigan State’s basketball team has a higher ceiling and has some recruits that are highly-rated with whom they have a good chance of getting them to commit to the green and white — I wrote about Spartan’s basketball prospects earlier. Tom Izzo needs a recruiting class like he did in 2016 with arguably his best recruiting class as a head coach of the Spartans.

As seen below, Michigan State annually is around the top-15 nationally. There is nothing wrong with the past year’s recruiting class because Izzo needs a group of potential four year players to complement this highly talented junior class. However, Izzo and his coaching staff can really head into 2019 as the favorites to win the national championship with two huge pickups. There is a good chance that Michigan State ends up once again like in 2016, having a top-five recruiting class.

Basketball national recruiting rankings per ESPN.com:

2018: 14th
2017: 15th
2016: 3rd
2015: 18th

As we now in the top four of wishes on our way to No. 1, we are inching closer to the ones that every Spartan fan truly wants and desires. Now, this wish may not be what every Spartan fan is saying publicly but privately among other Michigan State fans who they consider friends, they know that this wish if it comes true, is very important to the futures of Spartan basketball and football programs.