Michigan State is hosting several top targets this weekend and Pat Fitzgerald is going to feel the pressure to land at least a couple of them after picking up two commits stemming from last weekend.
The upcoming weekend isn’t quite as star-studded as the first weekend of visits, but that’s not the worst thing. It’s a little more lowkey of a list of visitors, featuring five Michigan State commits. That could work in Michigan State’s favor because they’re going to be able to work on the six uncommitted visitors.
Fitzgerald is building a solid recruiting class so far but he’s following the Mark Dantonio strategy of targeting under-the-radar recruits from the Midwest. That worked back in the 2010s, but in this new NIL and transfer portal era, it may not have the same effect.
You can’t fault Fitzgerald for trying it, though. And we won’t know if it works or not until these guys actually take the field. He needs to get his own guys in place before we can judge.
There are a few visitors who’ll be on campus this weekend who I think are the most likely to commit to Michigan State next. These three are the most likely, in my opinion:
1. Ryan Pankey, 3-star TE
You’ll notice a theme on this list: Ryan Pankey isn’t the highest-ranked target on the board. He is, however, a fit in Fitzgerald’s system. Plus, his size at 6-foot-6, 230 pounds is intriguing. Pankey is a Colorado product and he’s also being pursued by Colorado State who he visited last weekend, but my gut is telling me that the No. 1,361 recruit in 2027 will be a Spartan after seeing East Lansing.
2. Lawrence Kanneh, 3-star EDGE
Honestly, Lawrence Kanneh is someone that I’ve wanted Michigan State to land ever since he was offered on May 13. I felt vindicated when he was immediately given his first ranking, shooting up to No. 855 nationally and he’s the No. 71 edge rusher in the 2027 class per 247Sports. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder from Ohio only has one visit scheduled and I truly believe he could pull the trigger this weekend. He just feels like the perfect Michigan State recruit.
3. Dallas Ward, Unranked DL
Dallas Ward is a recruit who I think is going to have a Kanneh-type rise when he finally receives his first ranking on 247Sports. He’s currently unranked, but he’s being pursued by Michigan State, Rutgers, and Minnesota, and he holds 25 offers. That doesn’t happen unless you’re a pretty talented prospect. The Georgia-based defensive lineman could help ease the pain of missing on several four-star targets at the position over the past two weeks. I can see him picking Michigan State.
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