Top In-State 2024 Linebacker Chooses Wolverines Over Spartans

Michigan State has had a run of success on the recruiting trail, but came up short in this battle...

Author:
Matthew Lounsberry
Publish date:
Jun 28, 2023 9:23 PM EDT

In this story:

Mel Tucker and the Michigan State Spartans have been hot on the recruiting trail of late, landing six verbal commitments over the past two weeks.

But, you can't win them all.

On Wednesday, four-star Belleville (Mich.) linebacker Jeremiah Beasley verbally committed to the University of Michigan, ending a lengthy back-and-forth battle between the Wolverines and Spartans for one of the top in-state high school prospects of the 2024 class.

Beasley, who was offered by Michigan State and Michigan back in June 2021, is the brother of current Spartan tight end Maliq Carr. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder took at least five unofficial visits to East Lansing during his recruitment, and was considered an MSU lean early on.

However, momentum began to shift Michigan's way when head coach Jim Harbaugh re-hired linebackers coach Chris Partridge, who had previously left Ann Arbor to become the defensive coordinator at Ole Miss. Behind Partridge's pursuit, the Wolverines quickly made up ground in Beasley's recruitiment.

Beasley took official visits to both East Lansing (June 9) and Ann Arbor (June 16) this month, but ultimately it was the Wolverines who earned his commitment. The backer from Belleville is considered the No. 319 overall player, No. 28 linebacker and No. 6 player from the state of Michigan in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

After missing on Beasley, the Spartans will dial up the heat even more on two other highly-talented linebacker targets from the Golden State — four-star Long Beach (Calif.) Poly's Dylan Williams and four-star Valley Village (Calif.) Campbell Hall's Kamar Mothudi.

Pulling either of these two four-star linebackers from the West Coast won't be easy. Oregon currently leads both recruitments with "crystal ball" predictions from 247Sports. In addition to Oregon and Michigan State, Williams is also strongly considering UCLA and Miami, while Mothudi is being heavily pursued by Utah and Washington.

Spartan Nation will continue to closely monitor Michigan State's recruiting efforts at the linebacker in the coming weeks and months. The Spartans' 2024 recruiting class is currently ranked No. 54 in the country with nine verbal commitments.

Michigan State Verbal Commitments, Class of 2024

Four-star RB Anthony Carrie; Carrollwood Day High School; Tampa, Fla.; No. 273 nationally, No. 22 running back, No. 43 in state of Florida
Three-star CB Jaylen Thompson; Riverdale High School; Murfreesboro, Tenn.; No. 436 nationally, No. 38 Cornerback, No. 10 in state of Tennessee
Three-star S Reggie Powers III; Centerville High School; Dayton, Ohio; No. 504 nationally, No. 48 Safety, No. 17 in state of Ohio
Three-star IOL Andrew Dennis; Mt. Pleasant High School; Mount Pleasant, Mich.; No. 585 nationally, No. 36 Interior Offensive Lineman, No. 12 in state of Michigan
Three-star ATH Syair Torrence; Christian Brothers Academy; Syracuse, N.Y.; No. 658 nationally, No. 88 wide receiver, No. 5 in state of New York
Three-star OT Mercer Luniewski; Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy; Cincinnati, Ohio; No. 847 nationally, No. 67 Offensive Tackle, No. 32 in state of Ohio
Three-star CB Camren Campbell; Tampa Bay Tech; Tampa, Fla.; No. 869 nationally, No. 72 Cornerback, No. 117 in state of Florida
Three-star IOL Logan Bennett; St. Frances Academy; Baltimore, Mary.; No. 1227 nationally, No. 89 Interior Offensive Lineman, No. 32 in state of Maryland
Three-star IOL Charlton Luniewski; Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy; Cincinnati, Ohio; No. 1451 nationally, No. 114 Interior Offensive Lineman, No. 64 in state of Ohio