Michigan State Basketball: AJ Hoggard shoots up 2020 recruiting class rankings

AJ Hoggard received a nice-sized boost in the 2020 recruiting class rankings as he also helped Michigan State basketball’s overall rank.

Michigan State’s 2020 recruiting class is one of the best in the nation despite the No. 42 ranking which has a lot to do with number of commitments.

On Wednesday, 247Sports came out with their final player rankings for the 2020 class and while there was a new No. 1 overall, Michigan State’s two commitments saw plenty of movement of their own.

Mady Sissoko is one of the top-40 players in the country and he was actually moved down two spots from No. 37 to No. 39 but that’s essentially a non-factor. His fellow 2020 class signee AJ Hoggard, however, saw one of the biggest leaps of anyone in the rankings. He went from No. 111 overall in the 247Sports rankings all the way up to No. 84.

While Hoggard was already a composite top-100 player, this boosted his rank even more across all platforms as the nation’s No. 72 prospect.

Hoggard has a solid all-around game and his frame makes him an intriguing point guard at 6-foot-3 and a healthy 185 pounds. He’s a thick guard who can shoot and create for others and he’s clearly improving his stock. Although Tom Izzo is still looking to add another guard to the roster in 2020-21, a combo of Rocket Watts and Hoggard will be solid at the point.

Michigan State is also eying another player in the 2020 class who could help the Spartans’ national ranking if they were to land him and that’s five-star Karim Mane from Canada. He dropped just one spot to No. 26 in the new rankings and he’s the second-best uncommitted prospect in the class right now.

With the movement of Sissoko and Hoggard, Michigan State now has the fifth-highest average player rating in the nation and best in the Big Ten. This is also the Spartans’ highest-rated class since 2016 with Cassius Winston, Miles Bridges, Nick Ward and Josh Langford.