How LB Jacob Savage Fits With Michigan State

2026 Ryle High School product Jacob Savage looks like the prototypical Joe Rossi linebacker. How would he fit at Michigan State?

St. Xavier Tigers safety Adam Buehner (8) attempts to tackle Ryle Raiders running back Jacob Savage (21) in the first quarter of a high school football game between the Ryle Raiders and St. Xavier Tigers, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at Clifford R. Borland, Sr. Stadium in Union, Ky. | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ryle High School linebacker Jacob Savage is high on Michigan State's wish list for the 2026 recruiting class. He will be in East Lansing on an official visit in June, and at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, he has the right size to play linebacker at the major Division I level.

Savage also has the right stuff, too, which is why defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Joe Rossi wants him so badly.

"He came to my house for an in-home visit, went to my school a couple of times," Savage told me. "And not just him, but me and the rest of the staff, we have calls pretty much every couple days. So, our relationship has definitely grown a lot since [the offer in December], it's definitely gotten good, and me and my family have grown relationships with them for sure, and the staff."

What exactly does Michigan State see in Savage?

"They said my athleticism and the way I can read a defense is what stands out to me at the linebacker position for them, and that's why they love me so much," he said. "My physicality, my athleticism, that I can make plays anywhere on the field."

Savage plays two-ways for Ryle -- he is their running back, too. It gives him the ability to think of the game from all standpoints, and it facilitates a high football IQ.

It also makes him a better athlete and gives him the boost to play in coverage situations. That right there could give him a leg up on other linebacker prospects. Rossi wants long, physical linebackers who are smart and capable in coverage.

Savage would likely add to his frame with a college weight room, but he remains the perfect size for Rossi's Mike linebacker. If the leadership capabilities are there, and this reporter believes they would be, it is quite possible that if Savage commits, he could very well end up as a Mike.

"I think a portion of it's leadership, but from a physical standpoint, you gotta have guys that are comfortable in space," Rossi said of the Mike position. "You wouldn't even think that I would say that to start with the Mike, but you know, the Mike ends up out of the box all of the time in three-by-one formations, and so the guy has got to be physical and he's got to be able to stop the run, all those things, I got it. You know, if you're getting recruited as a Mike, you gotta have that skillset but you gotta be comfortable in coverage. Doesn't mean you're playing man-to-man on people all the time, but it just means you got to be able to go out there play in space and function. So I think that that's something that's going to be big for us in terms of that position."

Michael France is Sports Illustrated's Michigan State recruiting beat writer, covering all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive Spartans recruiting coverage.

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