The focus in East Lansing at this time every year is on Tom Izzo and his basketball program as they try to climb out of their annual early-February lull but we can’t lose sight of the Michigan State football program that Pat Fitzgerald is trying to build back up.
We are in the middle of basketball season, but we are approaching spring ball, and recruiting is a year-round topic.
With the change at head coach from Jonathan Smith to Fitzgerald, there’s going to be a change in recruiting style and success. Smith went after mostly modest recruits. He landed a four-star here and there, but he wasn’t exactly targeting the top recruit in the state each cycle. If he had stuck around for another year, I believe in-state recruiting would’ve taken a huge hit.
Fortunately, Michigan State hired a guy who is prioritizing Michigan and the Midwest.
Dakota Guerrant is being sold on an Alabama-like offense
Fitzgerald has made it his mission to prioritize in-state recruiting and he has some big names at the top of his board. One of those big names is the state’s No. 1 prospect, Dakota Guerrant.
The top-50 prospect in the 2027 class is Michigan’s No. 1 overall recruit and he’s going to have a who’s who of elite programs making a run at him. Guerrant has already stated that he’s planning on taking visits to some of them this spring, but unfortunately he didn’t mention a Michigan State trip.
He did, however, say that he’s still building a relationship with Fitzgerald and his staff, mentioning new offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan and his recruiting approach, per Jason Killop of On3.
"I talk to Coach Sheridan all the time. He says it is a pro-style offense and he says it will look like Bama."Dakota Guerrant via Jason Killop
I never thought I’d be saying this, but Michigan State is trying to sell some of the top recruits in the country on the offense looking like Alabama’s.
Obviously since Sheridan is Alabama’s former offensive coordinator, it makes sense that he would attempt to make Michigan State’s offense look like his old one, but still, hearing that is crazy.
Saying the offense will look like Alabama’s and actually having an offense as effective as Alabama’s are two different things, but Sheridan’s resume should help Michigan State on the trail.