Going into National Signing Day, Michigan State had 18 commits and was a finalist for four undecided recruits. As a result, the Spartans looked like they were poised to keep their recent momentum going and put together a strong finish to their 2012 recruiting class. Things didn't go nearly as well as they had hoped, though.
Michigan State started out the day by finding out that defensive end Julian Pinnix-Odrick decided to sign with Rutgers, the school he had been committed to. Similarly, defensive end JaMichael Winston decided to stick with his commitment and sign with Arkansas instead of going with the Spartans. Defensive tackle Terrell Jackson picked Pittsburgh over Michigan State, and later offensive tackle Kyle Dodson went with Ohio State.
Even though the Spartans were unable to add any new commitments, the good news was that no drama was expected with their own recruits. Quickly letters of intent came in, and by the afternoon only Monty Madaris remained unsigned. Oddly enough, he still has not sent in his letter of intent, and one report suggested on Wednesday night that he was "undecided" about his future. Madaris denied that claim on Twitter, but he still hasn't signed. All in all, this has become a pretty strange situation.
With the way things shook out on National Signing Day, Michigan State currently has a class of 17 recruits. Madaris would be No. 18 if he decides to sign, but what exactly will happen with that situation remains to be seen. For now, here is a look at the 17 recruits who did sign with MSU:
- LB Riley Bullough (Traverse City, MI) - 6'2", 205 lbs., ***
- OT Zach Higgins (Alliance, OH) - 6'5", 305 lbs., ***
- OG Benny McGowan (Centerville, OH) - 6'4", 290 lbs., ***
- TE Evan Jones (West Lafayette, OH) - 6'6", 240 lbs., ***
- QB Tyler O'Connor (Lima, OH) - 6'3", 202 lbs., ***
- WR Kyle Kerrick (Coatesville, PA) - 6'3", 183 lbs., *** | Early enrollee
- LB Jamal Lyles (Southfield, MI) - 6'3", 215 lbs., ****
- TE Josiah Price (Greentown, IN) - 6'5", 239 lbs., ***
- RB Nick Tompkins (Snellville, GA) - 5'10", 185 lbs., ***
- WR MacGarrett Kings (Fort Lauderdale, FL) - 5'11", 178 lbs., ***
- WR Aaron Burbridge (Farmington Hills, MI) - 6'1", 175 lbs., ****
- DB Jermaine Edmondson (Canton, OH) - 6'1", 170 lbs., ***
- OT Kodi Kieler (Gibraltar, MI) - 6'6", 305 lbs., ***
- CB Ezra Robinson (Sarasota, FL) - 6'0", 174 lbs., ***
- S Mark Meyers (Toledo, OH) - 6'0", 180 lbs., ***
- DT David Fennell (Portland, OR) - 6'3", 274 lbs., **
- S Demetrious Cox (Jeannette, PA) - 6'1", 192 lbs., ****
(Height, weight and stars from Rivals.com)
UPDATE: Madaris sent in his letter of intent to Michigan State on Thursday morning.
For more on Michigan State football recruiting, check out The Only Colors. SBNation.com has more on National Signing Day 2012.