Mel Tucker landed one of the better recruiting classes that Michigan State football has had over the past decade, or so, in 2022.
Tucker was fresh off an 11-2 season with the Spartans and the incoming crop of freshmen was supposed to help keep the ball rolling. Unfortunately, not enough first-year guys saw the kind of action that would have made a difference, and Michigan State limped to a 5-7 season.
Fortunately, most of this class returns for 2023, and a handful of them are poised to become stars in their second years at Michigan State.
Here are three who I think have the best chance to become stars.
Despite being the top-ranked recruit in the 2022 class for the Spartans, Alex VanSumeren didn’t see the field much last year and a lot of that had to do with need. Plus, I feel like preserving a redshirt was more important than playing him during a lost season.
VanSumeren watched his brother play well at linebacker for the Spartans (for a stint) and soaked in some knowledge from the starting defensive linemen as well as Brandon Jordan.
Now, he has a chance to make some noise on a loaded defensive line and with a good offseason, he could crack that two-deep in the fall as a redshirt freshman.
He has the size and the skillset, he just needs to put it all together to have a monster season for Michigan State in 2023 and beyond. I think he’ll do that.