BREAKING: MSU Football loses 3rd-highest ranked 2024 commit, second in two days

The fallout of Mel Tucker's unceremonious dismissal continues to have repercussions on Michigan State football.

On Monday, the Spartans lost the commitment of four-star Mount Pleasant (Mich.) offensive lineman Andrew Dennis — the third-highest ranked prospect in MSU's 2024 class and one of the most vocal and active recruiters among Michigan State's committed prospects.

Dennis is the second 2024 recruit to back off their verbal pledge to the Spartans in two days after three-star defensive back Syair Torrence decommitted from MSU yesterday. Both Torrence and Dennis cited the current uncertainty surrounding Michigan State's football program as the reason for their decommitments.

"As everyone knows, the fear of the unknown is scary," Dennis wrote in a social media post. "When you are a recruit and trying to plan your future, it is even more so. After patiently monitoring the situation and many conversations with my parents and everyone who has supported me through this process, at this time I have decided to decommit from MSU and reopen my recruitment."

Dennis said he will continue to consider Michigan State as an option in his recruitment. College football's early signing period opens on December 20, giving Dennis and others plenty of time to see how the Spartans' 2023 season continues to play out, and possibly enough time to see who MSU hires as its next head coach. The second signing period opens on February 7.

"I would like to thank the entire MSU coaching staff and support staff for the opportunity to be a Spartan," Dennis wrote. "I would like to especially thank Coach Kap [offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic] and Coach Lail [grad assistant Jacob Lail] for investing so much time into my recruiting process and believing in me as a football player and a person. I will be forever grateful to both of you! I would also like to thank the Spartan fans and community for all the love and support. Much love to you Spartan Nation."

The loss of Dennis is the biggest to date from Michigan State's 2024 class. A one-time 'hidden gem' of a prospect, the Mount Pleasant native has seen his recruitment grow exponentially since his original commitment to MSU. He vaulted up multiple recruiting boards into a four-star ranked No. 388 overall, the No. 24 interior offensive lineman and No. 7 player from the state of Michigan in 247Sports' composite rankings. Through it all, Dennis stayed totally loyal and went out of his way to pitch the Spartans' program to other talented high school prospects via social media and other means.

That changed with the shocking allegations of sexual harassment directed towards Tucker, which ultimately led to the head coach's suspension and eventual firing. Since the news regarding Tucker broke, Dennis has received offers from Purdue, Penn State, Nebraska, Stanford, Auburn and Georgia Tech. He has additional offers from Wisconsin, Missouri, Minnesota and Louisville, among others.

Michigan State has now had four players decommit from its 2024 class in the wake of Tucker's firing. In addition to Dennis and Torrence, four-star safety Reggie Powers and three-star cornerback Camren Campbell both reopened their recruitments towards the end of September. With those losses, MSU's already small recruiting class has plummeted to No. 75 in the country and second-worst in the Big Ten, ahead of only Northwestern.

Michigan State Verbal Commitments, Class of 2024

Four-star WR Nick Marsh; River Rouge High School; River Rouge, Mich.; No. 105 nationally, No. 18 Wide Receiver, No. 3 in state of Michigan
Four-star RB Anthony Carrie; Carrollwood Day High School; Tampa, Fla.; No. 290 nationally, No. 20 running back, No. 40 in state of Florida
Three-star CB Jaylen Thompson; Riverdale High School; Murfreesboro, Tenn.; No. 537 nationally, No. 46 Cornerback, No. 12 in state of Tennessee
Three-star OT Mercer Luniewski; Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy; Cincinnati, Ohio; No. 699 nationally, No. 53 Offensive Tackle, No. 28 in state of Ohio
Three-star CB Justin Denson; La Salle Academy; Providence, R.I.; No. 734 nationally, No. 60 Cornerback, No. 21 in state of Pennsylvania
Three-star LB Jadyn Walker; Portage Northern High School; Portage, Mich.; No. 1116 nationally, No. 97 Linebacker, No. 19 in state of Michigan
Three-star QB Henry Hasselbeck; Xaverian Brothers High School; Westwood, Mass.; No. 1197 nationally, No. 66 quarterback, No. 6 in state of Massachusetts
Three-star IOL Charlton Luniewski; Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy; Cincinnati, Ohio; No. 1335 nationally, No. 104 Interior Offensive Lineman, No. 55 in state of Ohio
Three-star IOL Logan Bennett; St. Frances Academy; Baltimore, Mary.; No. 1367 nationally, No. 106 Interior Offensive Lineman, No. 39 in state of Maryland

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