MSU Rival Michigan Loses Another Major In-State Target

The Michigan State Spartans have established themselves firmly in their home state under Jonathan Smith. The lousy Mel Tucker era nearly severed all those ties as Tucker focused his attention on competing with the SEC for talent. A mission that completely failed.

The Michigan Wolverines were high on in-state tight end Lincoln Keyes. The four-star talent from nearby Saline was dominant on the camp circuit this spring. I talked to him about the SEC camp tour, which got him hooked on the intricacies of big-South Division I football.

“I learned that all the SEC schools have great facilities. What stood out to me about Georgia and Alabama was how hard the players worked,” Keyes said. “I was at Georgia at 8 o’clock at night and they were still getting extra reps. That showed me a lot about how hard they worked… It was a very good competition down there. I was really impressed with who I was against there, I thought all the guys were really solid.” “

The Wolverines were in a race to land Keyes. They came up short, with Keyes sticking with Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs — perhaps the SEC’s de facto powerhouse with the retirement of great Nick Saban at Alabama.

This marks another example of the Sherrone Moore-led Wolverines suffering major losses on the recruiting trail. And to another SEC school, no less. Top 2025 four-star safety Ivan Taylor has moved on to Alabama. Taylor was as elite as it gets for this position.

“High IQ safety prospect with elite NFL pedigree and top-tier testing profile,” 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins said wrote. “He’ll eventually need to add some mass and improve his playing strength, but he should be viewed as a potential multi-year starter for a top 25 program. He’s likely to find a home at the third level of defense, but is sticky enough at man coverage that he could probably deserve a look at the inside corner on Saturdays .”

The Wolverines couldn’t even land 2025 No. 1 prospect Bryce Underwood, despite his in-state connection and $10 million offer. What does this say about the current maize and blue?

Michael France is Sports Illustrated’s Michigan State recruiting beat writer and covers all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive Spartans recruiting coverage.

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