Michigan State A Finalist For 5-Star, Mega-Talented EDGE Prospect

Two of the best moves that Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker made this offseason was adding pass rush specialist Brandon T. Jordan and defensive line coach Marco Coleman to his staff.

The Spartans are already reaping the rewards of the recruiting prowess that these two men bring to East Lansing, and that continued over 4th of July weekend.

On Friday, five-star Tacoma (Wash.) Lincoln EDGE prospect Jayden Wayne narrowed his recruitment down to six schools, and Michigan State was named a finalist.

The Spartans are joined by Alabama, Oregon, Miami, Georgia and LSU in the final group for Wayne, who has received an astounding 42 FBS scholarship offers. The 6-foot-5, 245-pounder will be announcing his commitment on Saturday, July 9.

Wayne was considered the No. 1 player in the state of Washington in the Class of 2023, but he recently announced that he will be attending IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. for his senior season of high school football.

The 247Sports composite rankings list Wayne as the No. 5 EDGE prospect and the No. 30 overall player in the country, as well as the No. 9 player in the state of Florida.

Wayne took an unofficial visit to East Lansing during the first weekend of June, where he was joined by fellow five-star talents David Hicks Jr. and Vic Burley. Michigan State made the 'Top 7' list for Hicks Jr., while Burley announced his commitment to Clemson on June 15.

The Spartans are still looking for their first five-star commitment during the Tucker era, but they've been knocking at the door for many of these top-level recruits. As mentioned above, the tandem of Jordan and Coleman is making an impact of defensive line recruiting in East Lansing.

Miami is currently the favorite to land Wayne's commitment, as five crystal balls have come in for the Hurricanes since June 29.

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal was in on Wayne's recruitment very early while Cristobal was the head coach at Oregon, and it's clear that relationship has continued in South Florida. Wayne's decision to play his senior season at IMG Academy certainly helps the Canes in this recruitment as well.

Michigan State is in a bit of a commitment slump, as the Spartans have not landed a verbal pledge since four-star offensive lineman Clay Wedin committed on June 14.

The Spartans have been named in several final groupings in recent weeks, with many of those decision days coming early in July. MSU made the 'Top 3' for three-star offensive tackle Joe Crocker and four-star EDGE prospect Bai Jobe, as well as the 'Top 6' for four-star cornerback Caleb Presley, who is making his decision July 5.

Tucker and his staff landed five commitments following the first two weeks of official visits in June, but Michigan State lost one of those five commitments when four-star cornerback Jaylon Braxton backed off his verbal commitment. Braxton continues to have the Spartans in his 'Top 4', and he has a decision date set for July 9, though Arkansas appears to be leading in his recruitment.

Michigan State's other June commitments came from four-star cornerback Chance Rucker, four-star wide receiver Demitrius Bell, four-star linebacker Jordan Hall and Wedin.

The Spartans' class rose as high as No. 9 in the country this summer, but the recent drought in verbal pledges has seen the class slip ranking has down to No. 34, according to 247Sports.

However, with only 10 commits, Michigan State is still in an excellent spot with this class. Seven of Michigan State's ten commitments this cycle are four-stars, and the Spartans are in final groupings for several more.

MSU signed a total of five four-star prospects in the class of 2022, and has not exceeded that number of four-star signees in one class since 2016, when nine four-star prospects pledged to the Spartans. With a long way to go until National Signing Day in December, Michigan State has put itself in a good position to sign more four-star or higher ranked prospects than ever before in the program's history.

Twitter: @mlounsberry_SI