Michigan State lands four-star in-state LB Brady Pretzlaff
Michigan State and the new staff under head coach Jonathan Smith landed their first major win on the in-state recruiting trail, completing the flip of four-star linebacker Brady Pretzlaff from Minnesota on Dec. 20. The Gaylord (Mich.) linebacker had been committed to the Gophers since January of 2023, announcing his decommitment from Minnesota after spending the Dec. 8-10 weekend in East Lansing for an official visit.
Pretzlaff remained firm to his Gopher commitment despite being offered by the previous Spartan staff and Mel Tucker in the fall of 2023. Jonathan Smith and company, however, caught his eye. Smith offered the four-star shortly after arriving in East Lansing. Pretzlaff quickly scheduled an official visit which took place on Dec. 8-10.
The four-star signed his letter of intent to play for Michigan State at his high school on Dec. 20. Michigan State defensive coordinator Joe Rossi previously had a strong relationship with Preztlaff as his primary recruiter at Minnesota.
At 6-foot-3, 215-pounder was named MLive defensive player of the year for the state of Michigan, logging 126 tackles, 31 for a loss, and eight sacks. Pretzlaff helped lead Gaylord to an 11-1 record during his senior season.
Preztlaff is ranked the No. 219 overall recruit in his class and a four-star by the 2024 On3 Rankings. He is also ranked the No. 13 linebacker in the 2024 class and the No. 4 recruit in Michigan.
The four-star linebacker now becomes the 19th member of the current 2024 Michigan State class, the third from the state of Michigan. Pretzlaff joins in-state commitments in three-star linebacker commit Jadyn Walker of Portage (Mich.) Nothern, along with four-star wide receiver commit Nick Marsh, of River Rouge (Mich.).
Pretzlaff is the second highest ranked commitment in the class, just behind Marsh. The in-state duo is followed by three-star cornerback Jaylen Thompson of Murfreesboro (TN) and twin offensive lineman Mercer and Charlton Luniewski of Cincinnati (OH). The Spartans also hold commitments from three-star defensive back Justin Denson and high school teammate of previously mentioned Jaylen Thompson, Keshawn Williams.
Michigan State also welcomed three former Oregon State commitments to campus in three-star tight end Wyatt Hook of San Jose (CA), and three-star Texas running backs Makhi Frazier and Brandon Tullis over the weekend of Dec. 8-10, landing each of the uncommitted visitors from that weekend.
