Michigan State football legacy recruit explains why he chose Michigan
![Detroit Catholic Central Kaden Strayhorn (75) runs off the field during the first half of the Prep Kickoff Classic against Chippewa Valley at Tom Adams Field in Detroit, Thursday, August 26, 2021. Detroit Catholic Central Kaden Strayhorn (75) runs off the field during the first half of the Prep Kickoff Classic against Chippewa Valley at Tom Adams Field in Detroit, Thursday, August 26, 2021.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2400,h_1350,x_0,y_11/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/137/01j15v9q6ban9ap8qfsm.jpg)
Sunday was an interesting day for Michigan State football fans.
No, there was no blockbuster news regarding anyone on the roster nor did the Spartans land anyone, but it's who they didn't land that made headlines.
Kaden Strayhorn, son of former MSU player and Spartan football radio personality Jason Strayhorn, committed to Michigan. That's right, a Michigan State legacy recruit chose the Wolverines over the Spartans and there's still about six months to go until National Signing Day. So it's not like he needed to rush to make this decision, but he did.
And he didn't even have an official visit planned with Michigan State.
This comes just weeks after Jaden Mangham transferred from Michigan State to Michigan and Strayhorn appeared on his podcast to talk about how that was unacceptable.
So why didn't he pick the Spartans? Apparently, the new staff didn't stay in contact with Kaden throughout his recruiting process after an introductory call and he said the Spartans were "scared" to compete with his other offers.
Yea man I’m sure that’s why Jonathan Smith wanted nothing to do with you👍 pic.twitter.com/cMCuJyuPKl
— Moneybagg (@MoneybaggH0E) June 23, 2024
To me, this is just a wild statement that sounds like the three-star offensive lineman from IMG Academy is a bit salty that his dad's alma mater didn't recruit him. If he did get recruited heavily by Michigan State, there's a good chance he would have chosen the Spartans. But instead, he went with their rivals -- something no one ever expected at the beginning of the process.
Maybe the Strayhorns had a better relationship with Mel Tucker (they did) but to say that Jonathan Smith and the Spartans were "scared" of his other offers when they have been recruiting against those schools all offseason in the portal is asinine.
But the rivalry just keeps getting more interesting.