Michigan State Football trending for 5-star defensive lineman
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Could Michigan State be on the verge of landing its first five-star prospect of the Mel Tucker era?
It certainly looks like things are trending in that direction after five-star Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy defensive lineman David Stone took his second trip to East Lansing in three weeks, this time bringing his family along with him.
In the Class of 2024, Stone is considered the No. 9 overall prospect, the No. 2 defensive lineman and the No. 3 player in the state of Florida, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. If Michigan State were to land him, Stone would be the second-highest rated player to ever sign with the Spartans, trailing only legendary receiver Charles Rogers.
While there is still plenty of work to do, Michigan State is in an excellent spot in the recruiting battle for Stone. Following his latest visit to East Lansing, the native of Oklahoma told On3 Sports that "OU is like the place where I'm from, but Michigan State feels like home".
On this most-recent visit, Stone was able to have his first interactions with Michigan State's new defensive line coach, Diron Reynolds, who Mel Tucker hired last week. Pass rush specialist Brandon T. Jordan remains the Spartans primary recruiter for Stone however, and he's done an excellent job making the five-star feel at home in East Lansing.
Back on Dec. 23, Stone included Michigan State in his "Top 10" alongside Oklahoma, Texas A&M, USC, LSU, Oregon, Alabama, Miami, Tennessee and Florida. However, Ohio State has recently entered the mix for the five-star as well after the Buckeyes offered a scholarship on Jan. 11.
Still, the presumptuous favorites right now appear to be the Sooners and Spartans. 247Sports still lists Oklahoma as the "crystal ball" favorite in Stone's recruitment, but their two latest predictions both favor the Spartans. Meanwhile, after this latest visit, On3 Sports now lists Michigan State as the favorite to land Stone.
That news was welcomed with delight by the Spartans' top-ranked recruit from the 2023 class, four-star EDGE rusher Bai Jobe, who is also a native of Oklahoma and close friend of Stone.
This weekend's visit marked Stone's fourth visit to Michigan State in the last calendar year. His first visit to East Lansing came back in July during the "Spartan Dawn Con" event. That was followed by a return visit on Oct. 15 for the Spartans' homecoming game against Wisconsin, before Stone latest two visits this January.
Each of those four trips to Michigan State are considered "unofficial visits", meaning the recruit was financially responsible for paying for the visit on their own. High school recruits are allowed five "official visits" — paid for by the university — during their recruitment.
Stone recently told On3 Sports that Michigan State has requested to be his last "official visit", which the five-star agreed to. Being a recruits final official visit tends to be a major advantage for interested parties.
Michigan State is off to a strong start with its 2024 recruiting class, which is currently ranked No. 15 in the country. The Spartans have verbal commitments from a trio of four-star prospects — River Rouge (Mich.) wide receiver Nick March (No. 74 player overall), Westland Hialeah (Fla.) cornerback Jamari Howard (No. 166) and Murfreesboro (Tenn.) cornerback Jaylen Thompson (No. 261).
Spartan Nation will continue to monitor Michigan State's pursuit of five-star DL David Stone as it develops.
Twitter: @mlounsberry_SI
