Michigan State swings big, comes up short in battle for 5-star offensive tackle

The wait is over.

After months of speculation and a fierce recruiting battle, five-star Brockerton (Mass.) Thayer Academy offensive tackle Samson Okunlola has announced his commitment to Miami. The 6-foot-5, 305-pounder had the Hurricanes in his 'Final Four' alongside Michigan State, Florida and Alabama.

MSU head coach Mel Tucker and offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic went all-in on Okunlola's recruitment, and certainly made an impression on the five-star. The Spartans hosted Okunlola this past summer over the weekend of June 10 and were in the thick of this battle until the very end.

Unfortunately, Michigan State came up just short in the recruitment for the No. 20 overall player in the country, according to 247Sports composite rankings.

Miami and Michigan State went toe-to-toe for Okunlola from the beginning of his recruitment, while Florida has made a late push for the five-star. This commitment came just days after his most recent visit to Florida last week.

While its encouraging to see Michigan State go down to the wire for a five-star talent outside of the Midwest footprint, there are no moral victories in recruiting. This is a huge loss for MSU, which is in need of an offensive tackle. The Spartans have regained some recruiting momentum this week, but not enough to land Okunlola. Now, MSU will have to turn to 'Plan B' for an offensive tackle.

Fortunately, the Spartans have already a 'Plan B' in the works — four-star junior college transfer target Keyshaun Blackstone out of Coffeyville Community College in Covington, Ga. Blackstone is listed as the No. 4 JUCO transfer prospect in the country, and has a 'Final Five' of Michigan State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee and USC.

If Tucker and Kapilovic are able to land Blackstone, that would take some of the sting out of missing on Okunlola.

Since the end of their disappointing 2022 season, Michigan State has been very active on the recruiting trail, battling for some of the best players left on their board. But after hosting several five-stars in East Lansing this past summer, Tucker and Co. weren't able to land any in the 2023 class.

Winning five-star recruiting battles is hard, and the fact that the Spartans came up short in those battles is not the end of the world. However, it is disappointing considering Michigan State had nine of the Top 100 players from the '23 class take official visits. The Spartans landed one of those players — four-star EDGE Bai Jobe (No. 82 nationally).

With Okunlola off the board, we'll see how Michigan State addresses the offensive tackle position in the months to come. Blackstone is the next best option, but the Spartans may have to dip back into the transfer portal as well.

With 13 prospects currently committed to their 2023 class, Michigan State still has work to do and plenty of spots to fill between now and the second signing period in February.

Michigan State verbal commitments, Class of 2023

Four-star EDGE Bai Jobe; Community Christian School; Norman, Okla.; No. 82 nationally, No. 14 EDGE, No. 1 in state of Oklahoma
Four-star DL Andrew Depaepe; Pleasant Valley High School; Bettendorf, Iowa; No. 137 nationally, No. 16 Defensive Lineman, No. 2 in state of Iowa
Four-star LB Jordan Hall; IMG Academy; Bradenton, Fla.; No. 179 nationally, No. 16 Linebacker, No. 41 in state of Florida
Four-star DL Jalen Thompson; Cass Technical High School; Detroit, Mich.; No. 219 nationally, No. 32 Defensive Lineman, No. 3 in state of Michigan
Four-star OT Stanton Ramil; Thompson High School; Alabaster, Ala.; No. 222 nationally, No. 20 Offensive Tackle, No. 17 in the state of Alabama
Four-star TE Brennan Parachek; Dexter High School; Dexter, Mich.; No. 326 nationally, No. 18 Tight End, No. 6 in state of Michigan
Four-star QB Sam Leavitt; West Linn High School; West Linn, Ore.; No. 373 nationally, No. 23 Quarterback, No. 1 in state of Oregon
Four-star LB Jayvant Brown; St. Thomas Aquinas High School; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; No. 393 nationally, No. 31 Linebacker, No. 73 in state of Florida
Four-star IOL Cole Dellinger; Clarkston High School; Clarkston, Mich.; No. 403 nationally, No. 26 Interior Offensive Lineman, No. 7 in state of Michigan
Three-star CB Chance Rucker; Ryan High School; Denton, Texas; No. 436 nationally, No. 42 Cornerback; No. 70 in state of Texas
Three-star CB Eddie Pleasant III; Carrollwood Day High School; Tampa, Fla.; No. 859 nationally, No. 84 Cornerback; No. 126 in state of Florida
Three-star ATH Aziah Johnson; Thomas Jefferson High School; Richmond, Va.; No. 1020 nationally, No. 82 Athlete, No. 28 in state of Virginia
Three-star ATH Jaelon Barbarin; Chaminade High School; Simi Valley, Calif.; No. 1121 nationally, No. 93 Athlete, No. 99 in state of California

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