In a stunning announcement Tuesday afternoon, a day before the Late Signing Period is set to open, Mark Dantonio announced he would be stepping down as the head coach of Michigan State after 13 years. Under his leadership, Michigan State was always formidable recruiting foes for in-state prospects as well as in the state of Ohio. Here are some teams that could stand to benefit, at least in the short term, from Dantonio’s resignation.
SPARTANMAG.COM: Dantonio steps down
CINCINNATI
Luke Fickell is bound to come up as a possible replacement for Dantonio at Michigan State. After all, Cincinnati was Dantonio’s last stop before he took over in East Lansing. If the Bearcats hold onto Fickell, though, then they have a chance to move in-state recruiting forward even further.
Although technically a Group of Five team, Cincinnati recruits like a Power Five program and has gone head-to-head with Michigan State for several prospects in recent classes, specifically cornerback Angelo Grose, who flipped his commitment from Cincinnati to Michigan State earlier in this 2020 class, and defensive end Chris Mayfield, who officially visited Cincinnati shortly before committing to the Spartans. The in-state recruiting road will be much easier to navigate for Cincinnati if Michigan State’s recruiting efforts in Ohio weaken.
KENTUCKY
Few teams have made the recruiting commitment to the state of Michigan like Kentucky has in recent years, and it is paying off for the Wildcats. In the 2020 class, Mark Stoops and his staff, led by area recruiter Steven Clinkscale, were able to land the top-ranked player in Michigan, five-star defensive tackle Justin Rogers. Kentucky also landed three-star offensive tackle Deondre Buford out of Detroit power Martin Luther King High School and three-star wide receiver Earnest Sanders out of Flint, a Michigan State stronghold. With upheaval in East Lansing, it is hard to see this as anything but positive news for a Kentucky program with recruiting momentum in the Great Lakes State.
MICHIGAN
The last two classes in the state of Michigan have produced more four and five-star prospects than any other classes in the Rivals era, yet Michigan has only signed six in-state prospects over those two classes, far fewer than previous classes.
This off-season, though, Michigan has made some staff changes and it will be interesting to see if Jim Harbaugh casts a stronger look toward in-state prospects, especially with a change in leadership with at their in-state rival. This does feel like a watershed point in state of Michigan recruiting, and Michigan has a chance to reassert itself as the dominant recruiting power within its own borders after this news.
NEBRASKA
Recently, Scott Frost and his staff at Nebraska have started to make greater inroads in two historically strong Michigan State recruiting territories: Chicago and West Michigan. When Dantonio was at his best as a recruiter, Michigan State pulled loads of talent out of the Chicagoland area. West Michigan, meanwhile, has a strong Michigan State alumni presence and fan base, and the area is seeing an uptick in college football talent production with prospects like Grand Rapids Catholic Central wide receiver Jace Williams, who has offers from both Michigan State and Nebraska.
Nebraska is trying to take advantage of Midwest recruiting territories like Chicago where Big Ten football is king, and a change at one of the top Midwest-recruiting programs could be the opening they are looking for.
PURDUE
Another Big Ten program that has made a strong investment in the state of Michigan in recent classes is Purdue. In the last two seasons, Jeff Brohm has landed nine prospects from the state of Michigan, including five in this 2020 class. They also lost out on others, like three-star athlete Ian Stewart, who visited West Lafayette a couple times before committing to the Spartans last spring.
The Boilermakers are putting a strong emphasis on Michigan again in 2021, already dishing out offers to 22 prospects in the state. Transition in East Lansing could be an opportunity for Purdue to further push its brand into the Great Lakes State.
