Does Michigan State football have realistic shot with 4-star RB Kaytron Allen?

Over the weekend, four-star running back Kaytron Allen announced that he would be making his college decision on July 16 after taking his official visits in June.

The top Michigan State football target is likely the only real “take” at the running back position in the 2022 class because the staff hasn’t really been looking for one due to the depth on the roster heading into the 2021 season. Guys like Kenneth Walker III, Harold Joiner, Elijah Collins, and Jordon Simmons have made sure depth won’t be an issue for a couple of years.

But the staff didn’t want to pass on a guy like Allen if he wanted to become a Spartan.

The IMG Academy star is ranked the No. 127 recruit in the 2022 class as well as the 10th-best running back, according to the composite. And Michigan State is one of his finalists.

Mel Tucker is hoping to reel in one of the nation’s top running backs but he will have to hope the recent trends on 247Sports aren’t accurate. According to a recent flurry of crystal balls, Penn State is the heavy favorite even though the Nittany Lions recently landed another blue-chip running back.

Do the Spartans have a realistic shot?

Predicting where the top Michigan State football target goes

To answer the question above, yes, Michigan State does have a realistic shot here, but the only thing that could really sell Allen on the Spartans over Penn State at the moment is the opportunity to be the only running back commit in the class. The Nittany Lions would have two really good backs which would force him to battle for touches throughout his career.

Plus, Michigan State was one of four programs to get an official visit from him. He also visited Penn State, Georgia, and Florida. Those teams could be in his top group.

Michigan State has some solid recruiting momentum and recent four-star quarterback commit Katin Houser even stated at the Elite 11 finals that he planned on pushing for Allen along with Armani Winfield and a couple of others.

What percentage would I put on Michigan State landing Allen? I would say somewhere in the 10-15 percent range, but the remaining odds are in Penn State’s favor.

It would take a massive change of heart, presumably, on July 16 for him to pick the Spartans over Penn State.