Michigan State football: 4 things to watch for during 2023 spring game

4. David Stone committing to MSU

I won’t be devastated if five-star defensive lineman David Stone doesn’t commit to Michigan State on Saturday, but, oh man, there will be a buzz around East Lansing if he does.

Mel Tucker and staff have been courting Stone for a while and he has made several trips to campus as evident on social media. He says he’ll cut his top 10 choices down soon but by all accounts, it’s down to Miami, Oklahoma, and Michigan State.

Stone’s commitment wouldn’t just be Tucker’s first five-star, but it represents all the work that he and his staff have put into recruiting paying off.

The fans’ big gripe with Mark Dantonio’s late years was how recruiting had taken a dive and now we see all the players transferring out of MSU going to Group of Five schools. In Tucker’s first two years, we were seeing something that we’d never seen before: high-level recruits having the Spartan helmet included in their top three, top five, top 10 schools. Even five-star players were considering MSU along with the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and Ohio State.

While no five-stars have yet to commit to MSU, this was a promising sign that Tucker and staff took recruiting seriously and knew that coaching alone could not win Big Ten Championships anymore. They had to recruit at a high level and while the transfer portal is great for getting high-level talent, it’s recruiting where teams are prominently built.

It is time to take the next step.

Having Stone as a Spartan would be a sign that Mel Tucker is the right guy for this school, that this program is heading in the right direction, and that he is serious about winning.