Michigan State basketball’s 2019 signees get boost in recruiting rankings

Michigan State basketball saw two of its three 2019 signees get a solid boost in recruiting rankings. Where are they all listed now?

Tom Izzo is coming off one of his best coaching jobs yet and has one of the top recruiting classes in the Big Ten joining the fold in 2019-20. Well, that Michigan State recruiting class is looking even better, especially after a boost in recruiting rankings by 247Sports.

Rocket Watts is expected to be a heck of a scorer for the Spartans and a lockdown defender, Malik Hall is a strong forward who can fill an immediate need and Julius Marble can help replace Nick Ward in the post, assuming he doesn’t redshirt.

So where are all three prospects ranked in the 247Sports rankings now?

• Marble got the biggest jump, going from No. 339 to No. 192
• Hall went from No. 84 up to No. 71
• Watts dropped one spot to No. 38 from No. 37

The first thought after seeing these rankings is the fact that Watts is still ranked too low. He was underrated before and then 247Sports went and dropped him a spot. Many believed he was on the verge of five-star status and then he was the only Spartan signee that saw a drop in the rankings.

Marble’s bump into the top-200 was long overdue. The fact that he was at No. 339 for so long was crazy, especially with how high some of the top coaches in college basketball have been on him — Izzo has had some high praise for Marble.

Lastly, Hall is another guy with an incredibly high ceiling and seeing him at No. 84 was a little odd, but he can come in and compete for time right away — is he Kenny Goins’ replacement?

Overall, this is a good sign for the Spartans’ 2019 recruiting class which isn’t as highly-regarded as some of Izzo’s others, but it complements the roster almost to perfection.