PWO kicker Tarik Ahmetbasic talks decision to commit to Michigan State
Michigan State added depth at place kicker in the Class of 2023 with the commitment of Clinton Township (MI) Chippewa Valley Tarik Ahmetbasic (6-2, 200), a one-time Grand Valley State University commitment.
Ahmetbasic committed to Michigan State via social media, on the same day he decommitted from the Lakers.
Michigan State offered Ahmetbasic a preferred walk-on spot in mid-December. He also a received a PWO offer from Miami (OH) on the same day. The decision to join the Spartan program was an easy one for the two-sport standout in football and soccer.
Ahmetbasic’s relationship with special teams coordinator Ross Els made all of the difference.
“It was a really easy decision for me to make since the first day I spoke with the coaches,” Ahmetbasic said. “They made me feel like a part of the family and that feeling just can’t be found everywhere. Coach Els the coach who I’ve been most in contact with, was always there helping me with whatever I needed help with and had a lot of faith in me.”
With the commitment of Ahmetbasic, Michigan State appears to be done with the kicker position for the 2023 recruiting cycle. When he arrives on campus next fall, Ahmetbasic will presumably be one of three kickers competing for the role of place kicker, along with North Carolina transfer Johnathan Kim and junior walk-on Stephen Rusnak.
“You cant play at a higher level, and to play for a school I always supported was something I was never going to pass up,” Ahmetbasic said. “I worked hard to get this opportunity, but (I plan on) working harder to get myself that starting field-goal spot at MSU, and hope to continue to just make the team better.”
Kim is the heavy favorite for the role of field-goal kicker at Michigan State next season. He has the well-deserved reputation of being the top kick-off specialist in the country, and he has worked hard to expand his skillset to include field goal kicking.
“One of the strongest legs in college football, a kick-off machine, led the FBS in kick-offs in 2020,” Mel Tucker said on National Signing Day in December. “He will also be critical in critical in our field goals and extra points and make an immediate impact for us.”
That should in no way detract from Ahmetbasic, who has a ton of upside. Like Kim, Ahmetbasic has a reputation for a putting the ball through the ends zone on kick-offs. According to KohlKicking.com, Ahmetbasic excels at kick-offs. At one of Kohl Kicking’s camps, Ahmetbasic booted every kick-off attempted 60 yards or more.
As a senior at Chippewa Valley, Ahmetbasic forced 38 touchbacks on kick-offs. He also had multiple field goals over 40 yards as a senior.
Ahmetbasic committed to Grand Valley State University during the summer before his senior season at Chippewa Valley. He de-committed from the Lakers on Tuesday morning, prior to announcing that he had accepted a Preferred Walk-on spot at Michigan State.
Central Michigan, Michigan, and Toledo had varying levels of contact with Ahmetbasic during the recruiting process. Michigan State first reached out to him in early December through a special teams analyst before Els connected with him personally later that month.
Ahmetbasic was first team was Division 1 First-Team All-State as a kicker during his senior year at Chippewa Valley.
Spartanmag.com’s Kenny Jordan contributed to this report
