Michigan State makes 'Top 8' for Jelani Thurman
Langston Hughes (Fairburn, GA.) 2023 tight end Jelani Thurman released his 'Top 8' in his recruitment going forward this afternoon, and the Spartans were among those that made the cut for the talented prospect.
Rounding out the list was Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Auburn, Tennessee, Ole miss and Miami (FL.).
The Spartans find themselves on this list just a few days after hosting Thurman on an unofficial visit over the weekend for the spring game. Michigan State offered him back in October on Halloween, just a day after the Spartans defeated rival Michigan.
Outside of Michigan State there is some serious contenders here with some heavy weights such as Alabama and Ohio State in the mix for Thurman. Mel Tucker along with Ted Gilmore the tight ends coach have done a good job of keeping the Spartans in the mix for Thurman.
Michigan State already has one tight end committed in the 2023 class in Dexter (MI.) four-star Brennan Parachek. Often, fans will think that a prior commitment at a position such as tight end will keep us from the running for another prospect but that's not the case here. Two tight end systems are becoming more of a normal in the college football landscape with air-raid offenses.
Of note, Parachek isn't worried about potentially having a second tight end in the class and has actually publicly recruited Thurman to team up with him in East Lansing.
Thurman possesses a strong ability to make catches over defenders uses his elite athleticism. He also doubles as a defensive end and has the ability to potentially play on that side of the ball at the college level. He comes from an athletic background, his dad Odell Thurman was a standout at Georgia where he earned All-SEC honors at linebacker and was a Butkus Award semifinalist in 2004. He went on to be a second-round selection in the 2005 draft by the Cincinnati Bengals where he played from 2005-2007. His mom was also a standout at Georgia before being selected 7th overall in the 2005 WNBA draft by the Detroit Shock. She won two championships with the Shock and was an All-Star in 2007. She also played for the Tulsa Shock, Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty from 2010-2014.
Thurman is rated a four-star prospect and the 133rd ranked player in the 247sports composite. He is also the ninth ranked tight end and the 14th ranked player in the state of Georgia.