Michigan State-Penn State Recruiting Battle Heating Up For 4-star Wide Receiver

The Spartans and Nittany Lions are going head-to-head for one of the top high school prospects in the state of Michigan…

Author:
Matthew Lounsberry
Publish date:
Jun 30, 2023 5:53 PM EDT

In this story:

Michigan State Spartans

Penn State Nittany Lions

Michigan State got off to something of a slow start in the 2024 recruiting cycle, with just three verbal commitments heading into June, but that wasn’t always the case.

The Spartans made a big splash to open its class back in July 2022 when they landed four-star River Rouge (Mich.) wide receiver Nick Marsh, MSU’s first 2024 commit. However, the 6-foot-3, 200-pounder who adopted the nickname of "Megatron" re-opened his recruitment earlier this year in March.

Fortunately, when Marsh decommitted from Michigan State he made it clear that he was still strongly considering the Spartans. In the months since, Penn State has emerged as MSU’s top competitor for the nation’s No. 102 overall player and No. 3 player from the state of Michigan (247Sports' Composite). Marsh is also considering Pittsburgh and Kansas.

This June, the native of River Rouge visited all four of those schools, with the Nittany Lions emerging as the perceived favorite. However, some of that perception has shifted back in favor of the Spartans following Marsh’s recent June 23 visit to East Lansing.

On his MSU visit, Marsh brought his mother, grandmother, aunt and two sisters and having his family close made an impact. This is one advantage Michigan State has over Penn State and the other contenders in this recruitment — East Lansing is close to home, and Marsh’s whole family would be within close driving distance to watch him play on fall Saturday’s if he chooses MSU.

Following Marsh's visit to Michigan State, Penn State recruiting analyst Dylan Callaghan-Croley flipped his Rivals futurecast prediction from the Nittany Lions to the Spartans. Additionally, 247Sports' Spartan Tailgate recruiting reporter Justin Thind expressed optimism that Michigan State had re-taken the lead in Marsh's recruitment following his OV to East Lansing.

Marsh is set to commit on July 7 and will choose from a Top 5 that includes MSU, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Kansas and Oregon. The Spartans have an excellent opportunity to land their second four-star prospect of 2024 cycle, though Pittsburgh is making a big push with a large NIL offer for Marsh. Should the River Rouge native ultimately re-commit to Michigan State, he would once again be the Spartans' highest-ranked prospect of the '24 class thus far.

Michigan State Verbal Commitments, Class of 2024

Four-star RB Anthony Carrie; Carrollwood Day High School; Tampa, Fla.; No. 275 nationally, No. 22 running back, No. 42 in state of Florida
Three-star CB Jaylen Thompson; Riverdale High School; Murfreesboro, Tenn.; No. 440 nationally, No. 37 Cornerback, No. 11 in state of Tennessee
Three-star IOL Andrew Dennis; Mt. Pleasant High School; Mount Pleasant, Mich.; No. 460 nationally, No. 30 Interior Offensive Lineman, No. 8 in state of Michigan
Three-star S Reggie Powers III; Centerville High School; Dayton, Ohio; No. 511 nationally, No. 48 Safety, No. 18 in state of Ohio
Three-star ATH Syair Torrence; Christian Brothers Academy; Syracuse, N.Y.; No. 662 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. 63 Offensive Tackle, No. 32 in state of Ohio
Three-star CB Camren Campbell; Tampa Bay Tech; Tampa, Fla.; No. 868 nationally, No. 72 Cornerback, No. 117 in state of Florida
Three-star IOL Logan Bennett; St. Frances Academy; Baltimore, Mary.; No. 1230 nationally, No. 93 Interior Offensive Lineman, No. 32 in state of Maryland
Three-star IOL Charlton Luniewski; Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy; Cincinnati, Ohio; No. 1467 nationally, No. 119 Interior Offensive Lineman, No. 64 in state of Ohio