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USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
MSU's newest commit, 3-star LB Braylon Hodge reportedly cancels remaining official visits
MSU's newest commit, 3-star LB Braylon Hodge reportedly cancels remaining official visits Michigan State picked up a commitment from a prized linebacker prospect on Sunday, and it appears he is locked in with the Spartans for the long haul. High-end three-star linebacker Braylon Hodge of Englewood, Colo. committed to Michigan State on Sunday afternoon following his official visit to the Spartans' campus. As part of that commitment, Justin Thind of 247Sports is reporting that Hodge will cancel his other previously scheduled official visits to Iowa, Utah and Minnesota. Thind considered this as "impressive" on the Spartans' part and added that Hodge's commitment was a "great start to June" for Michigan State. Hodge ranks as the No. 45 linebacker in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports. He holds a recruiting rating of 88 -- which is close to being a four-star prospect -- and is a top player in the state of Colorado. Like Thind, I found this additional report on the cancelling of Hodge's other official visits as notable. This was the first official visit Hodge took, and with no other official visits planned now, it seems like Michigan State will be in a great position to retain this commitment all the way to signing day in December. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Every Michigan State player to reportedly be in this year's college football video game
Every Michigan State player to reportedly be in this year's college football video game The entire Michigan State football roster is expected to be in this year's EA Sports College Football 26 video game. Justin Thind of 247Sports reported on Thursday that he has been told that every scholarship player on the Spartans' roster will opt to be in this year's game. That was not the case last year, with a number of players electing to not be included in the video game. Here's what Thind wrote on this subject: "A source tells Spartan Tailgate that no Michigan State football scholarship players are expected to opt out of their inclusion in the game. Last year, over a dozen MSU players were missing from the game upon its release, with some starters - like Cal Haladay - never making it in, not even after the midseason updates. This time, the game is set to launch with the full Spartan roster barring an unforeseen surprise." Thind additionally noted that the increased payout to players from $500 to $1,500 and improved opt-in process played a role in the increased numbers of "real" players in the game. EA Sports will officially release this year's version of its college football video game on July 10th (or on July 7th for deluxe edition preorders). Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Jase Richardson remains in NBA Draft, officially ends possibility of returning to MSU
Jase Richardson remains in NBA Draft, officially ends possibility of returning to MSU Jase Richardson's career at Michigan State is officially over. The deadline to withdraw for the NBA Draft and retain college eligibility officially passed on Wednesday night, and to no surprise there was no news surrounding Richardson. This would suggest he has remained in the NBA Draft and can no longer return to Michigan State for another season of college hoops. Richardson starred for the Spartans in his lone season in college, averaging 12.1 points per game and shooting better than 40% from 3-point range. The first half of the season he primarily came off the bench as a key reserve, but he was inserted into the starting lineup for the final two months and quickly became the Spartans' top player en route to a Big Ten championship and Elite Eight run in the NCAA Tournament. Richardson's strong play as a true freshman has resulted in many projecting him to be selected in this year's first round of the NBA Draft. The mock drafts vary in where he'll be selected but it seems quite clear he'll go anywhere from the late lottery to late first round. The possibility of Richardson returning gave some (including myself) the opportunity to dream of an elite-level Spartans' squad for next season. But even with Richardson officially gone, Michigan State is projected to contend again for a Big Ten title and enter next year as a top 15-20 team nationally. The NBA Draft will be held on June 25-26, with the first round on the first day and the second round on the second day. The NBA Draft will be televised on ABC and ESPN so plan on tuning in on the first night to see Richardson be the latest Spartan selected to play at the highest level of basketball. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
MSU football: Ranking difficulty of games from easiest to hardest for 2025 season
MSU football: Ranking difficulty of games from easiest to hardest for 2025 season See which games our considered the toughest and easiest on the Spartans' 2025 schedule Michigan State football is still months away from kicking off the 2025 season, but that doesn't mean we can't start to take a closer look at the upcoming slate of games on the schedule. The Spartans will once again play a generally tough schedule in 2025, with ESPN's SP+ metrics ranking it the No. 26 toughest schedule in the country. That is considerably lower than last year's slate that featured matchups against three teams that reached the College Football Playoff. With the schedule less top heavy this year, I have taken it upon myself to start reviewing the caliber of the Spartans' opponents this year, and rank the games based on difficulty for next year. Here is the ranking of the Michigan State football schedule from the easiest (No. 12) to the hardest (No. 1) game for the upcoming season: No. 12: Youngstown State Date: September 13 (game three of 12 on schedule) Any time you play an FCS team, that's typically going to land as the easiest game on a ranking of this nature. So having Youngstown State as the lowest-ranked is a no-brainer, with Michigan State expected to be a four-plus touchdown favorite in this early season home game. No. 11: Western Michigan Date: August 30 (game one of 12 on schedule) Western Michigan has played the Spartans tough over the years, but the transfer portal and NIL downstream effects have really hindered group of five programs like the Broncos. Because of that, Michigan State has opened as a 17.5-point favorite and should make relatively easy work of Western Michigan in the season-opener. No. 10: Boston College Date: September 6 (game two of 12 on schedule) Boston College stole last year's matchup between these two teams out east, but this year I'm expecting things to go in the Spartans' favor at home. This is the beginning of the games becoming more difficult and more realistic for Michigan State to lose, but I also feel confident ranking this near the bottom of my list. If Michigan State doesn't open the season 3-0 this fall, they're going to be hard-pressed to reach a bowl game based on my schedule rankings. No. 9: Maryland (at Ford Field in Detroit) Date: November 29 (game 12 of 12 on schedule) The Terps are one of the few teams that many rank behind the Spartans as we look ahead to next year. Combine that with the Spartans' getting a pretty heavy green-and-white presence at Ford Field in this one and I consider this by far the easiest Big Ten game on Michigan State's schedule. Ironically, it comes as the final game of the season and could either have no impact on the year or could have a ton of impact depending on how well Michigan State played throughout the season. No. 8: UCLA Date: October 11 (game six of 12 on schedule) This game probably would have been even lower on my list before UCLA snagged Tennessee transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava out of the spring portal. That addition at the most important position certainly raises the Bruins and makes this a tougher game for Michigan State this fall. Still, I can't put UCLA ahead of most of the road trips on the Spartans' schedule this year due to the huge unknown of how good they'll be with their new star transfer quarterback. No. 7: at Indiana Date: October 18 (game seven of 12 on schedule) Some are still high on Indiana entering this next season but I'm expecting a notable regression back to the mean for the Hoosiers in 2025. So that is a big piece of why this road game is listed in the bottom half of my rankings. Another nugget here that benefits the Spartans is the fact that Michigan State plays UCLA at home the week prior, while Indiana will be coming off a road trip to Oregon. No. 6: at Minnesota Date: November 1 (game nine of 12 on schedule) Minnesota is simply always solid under PJ Fleck, and he has especially been a thorn in the side of Michigan State since he has taken over as the Golden Gophers' head man. This is a toss-up matchup at this point in the offseason, with the slight edge to home team -- but by November I may have a different opinion on this one depending on how well and healthy each team is entering this game. No. 5: Michigan Date: October 25 (game eight of 12 on schedule) Michigan is a true wildcard for a list like this because if they can improve significantly on offense this year, then they'll probably be the No. 2 toughest game on the Spartans' schedule. But if phenom freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood isn't an instant star (which is my assumption), then it's a more winnable game for Michigan State this fall. So for now, this feels like the right spot in my rankings for this rivalry matchup -- especially since it is at Spartan Stadium this year. No. 4: at Nebraska Date: October 4 (game five of 12 on schedule) Nebraska finally got the bowl-less streak monkey off their backs last season, and now appear to be in position for an even better year in 2025. Like the Spartans, a big indicator of success for Nebraska will be the progression of second year starting quarter Dylan Raiola. If he elevates his game in year two, the Cornhuskers will be a good darkhorse pick to make the College Football Playoff. No. 3: at Iowa Date: November 22 (game 11 of 12 on schedule) Winning at Kinnick Stadium is so hard to do and I don't expect that to be any different this year. The Hawkeyes have the potential to be playing for something significant by the time these two teams meet in Iowa City, Iowa -- which would make this game even harder for the Spartans. No. 2: at USC Date: September 20 (game four of 12 on schedule) Traveling out west to face a potentially very good team early in the season is the perfect recipe for a highly-ranked game on our list. The trip to Los Angeles will be the Spartans' first road game of the year and should be against an unbeaten Trojans team with plenty of juice. This will be a very tough game for Michigan State this fall. No. 1: Penn State Date: November 15 (game 10 of 12 on schedule) Penn State enters the 2025 season as a true National Championship contender and is the only team on the Spartans' schedule right now that I would confidently pick to make the College Football Playoff. So while this game is at home for Michigan State, this is hands down the toughest game on the schedule and will be the largest roster talent gap of any game they play this year. With the game coming late in the season, maybe things will be different by the time these two teams play, but this is the only clear loss I have for Michigan State entering the 2025 season. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
USA Today
25-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Prominent Big Ten basketball analyst breaks down Michigan State PG commit Divine Ugochukwu
Prominent Big Ten basketball analyst breaks down Michigan State PG commit Divine Ugochukwu Michigan State basketball added a reserve point guard via the transfer portal last week, and that received generally positive reviews from a prominent Big Ten basketball analyst. Divine Ugochukwu committed to Michigan State via the transfer portal last week that received mix reviews from the Spartans' fanbase. But Big Ten basketball analyst Ant Wright shared a different (more positive) point of view in a recent transfer portal breakdown video he released this video. Wright noted that Ugochukwu showed a lot of positives a true freshman last year at Miami (FL), and believes the Spartans' coaching staff can help him further develop his game next year. During his freshman season at Miami (FL), Ugochukwu played in 28 games, including 16 starts, and averaged 20.2 minutes per game. He averaged 5.3 points, 2.3 assists, 1.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals this past season. He shot an efficient 48.3% from the field, including a 61% 2-point field goal percentage, but struggled from behind the arc with a 17.6% 3-point field goal percentage. Check out the complete video breakdown of Ugochukwu from Wright below: Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
