Their 2016 recruiting class, consisting of 20 players and ranked 18th overall, has gone down in flames. It now has just 14 players. The following players (that I know of) are gone:
4 King #55 overall (sexual assault)
4 Corley #61 overall (sexual assault)
4 Robertson #140 overall (sexual assault)
4 Vance #189 overall (sexual assault)
4 Lyke (transferred to community college)
3 Lukusa (quit football)
So they've lost 30% of their recruiting class after just one year on campus.
MSU's 2017 class has 24 players and was ranked 33rd. So between the two classes they have just 38 players. 10 players in the '17 class are rated poorly: 6 have a 5.5 rating (the lowest 3-star rating), and 4 players are 2-stars. The smoldering remains of the '16 class has two 2-stars (though one is a kicker, so I won't count him).
So 11 of the 38 players (29%) over two classes are rated as a 5.5 or worse - more than the 10 players they have left who are rated as 4-star players (they have no 5-stars in these classes).
By comparison, Michigan has 35 players in those two classes who were 4-star or higher. Two players, Asiasi and Mitchell, transferred out. Despite that attrition, Michigan basically has as many 4 and 5-star players over those two classes as MSU has total players. That's an insane comparison.
What about Michigan's lowest rated players in those two classes? Just six were rated 5.5 or worse. Two are kickers (both of whom are likely to be starters this season, Nordin for sure). The four positional players are:
Dytarious Johnson (never made it to campus in the first place)
Devin Gil (who has already seen playing time)
Dwumfour (who has already seen playing time)
Kurt Taylor (who has yet to set foot on campus)
We've seen at Michigan how one bad recruiting class can really set you back. But two in a row like MSU has? That's dangerous. Of course, they can always go out and kill it with their 2018 class.
For example, Michigan's 2015 class was small (only 14 players) and rated poorly (50th overall), putting a lot of pressure on those players to both stay on the team and be contributors. As it stands now, it looks like three players won't ever contribute: Cole, Malzone and David. At least Malzone is still on the team. Another player, Newsome, looked to be a great one but . . . ugh. So right away the small, poorly rated class is down to just 10 players who have a chance to pan out.
But Michigan overcame that one bad class with two historic recruiting classes in a row. Can MSU overcome two bad recruiting classes in a row? Can they overcome it with OSU, Michigan and PSU in the same division?
4 King #55 overall (sexual assault)
4 Corley #61 overall (sexual assault)
4 Robertson #140 overall (sexual assault)
4 Vance #189 overall (sexual assault)
4 Lyke (transferred to community college)
3 Lukusa (quit football)
So they've lost 30% of their recruiting class after just one year on campus.
MSU's 2017 class has 24 players and was ranked 33rd. So between the two classes they have just 38 players. 10 players in the '17 class are rated poorly: 6 have a 5.5 rating (the lowest 3-star rating), and 4 players are 2-stars. The smoldering remains of the '16 class has two 2-stars (though one is a kicker, so I won't count him).
So 11 of the 38 players (29%) over two classes are rated as a 5.5 or worse - more than the 10 players they have left who are rated as 4-star players (they have no 5-stars in these classes).
By comparison, Michigan has 35 players in those two classes who were 4-star or higher. Two players, Asiasi and Mitchell, transferred out. Despite that attrition, Michigan basically has as many 4 and 5-star players over those two classes as MSU has total players. That's an insane comparison.
What about Michigan's lowest rated players in those two classes? Just six were rated 5.5 or worse. Two are kickers (both of whom are likely to be starters this season, Nordin for sure). The four positional players are:
Dytarious Johnson (never made it to campus in the first place)
Devin Gil (who has already seen playing time)
Dwumfour (who has already seen playing time)
Kurt Taylor (who has yet to set foot on campus)
We've seen at Michigan how one bad recruiting class can really set you back. But two in a row like MSU has? That's dangerous. Of course, they can always go out and kill it with their 2018 class.
For example, Michigan's 2015 class was small (only 14 players) and rated poorly (50th overall), putting a lot of pressure on those players to both stay on the team and be contributors. As it stands now, it looks like three players won't ever contribute: Cole, Malzone and David. At least Malzone is still on the team. Another player, Newsome, looked to be a great one but . . . ugh. So right away the small, poorly rated class is down to just 10 players who have a chance to pan out.
But Michigan overcame that one bad class with two historic recruiting classes in a row. Can MSU overcome two bad recruiting classes in a row? Can they overcome it with OSU, Michigan and PSU in the same division?
