Sunshine State Dash: MSU’s Allure for Three-Star Ball Carrier
Michigan State Football is zeroing in on Bishop Kenny (Fla.) running back Caleb Mattison, ranked 982nd nationally and 73rd at his position. A 4.46 forty-yard dash and a junior season tally of 1,733 rushing yards with 28 touchdowns have drawn offers from elite programs including Alabama, Florida, LSU, and USC. A crystal ball pick by 247Sports signals high confidence in Mattison’s commitment to the Spartans, who hosted him for spring practice and scheduled an official visit in late May. His addition would join fellow 2027 back Savior Owens and align with coach Pat Fitzgerald’s strategy of building through high-school talent before supplementing via the portal.
Apparently, Spartan recruiters have traded in their green polos for Hawaiian shirts to chase high-school phenoms across the humid backroads of Florida, treating every Gatorade stop as a clandestine recruiting meeting. They’re so smitten by Mattison’s tape, they nearly installed an NFL combine on campus—complete with live alligators to simulate “situational awareness.” Coach Fitzgerald’s pipeline plan now resembles a convenience store, stocking every flavor of running back until someone finally snaps. No need for weight rooms when you can outrun a swamp creature in a button-down.
Battle of the Bigs: Spartans Court Tournament-Tough Centers
SMU transfer center Samet Yigitoglu has emerged as a key target for Michigan State basketball. The 7-foot-2 Istanbul native is ranked 35th overall and seventh among centers in the portal, boasting averages of 10.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game in leading the Mustangs to an NCAA Tournament berth. With outgoing center spots limited by roster caps, Yigitoglu’s experience and two remaining years of eligibility make him an attractive option despite shooting and free-throw inconsistencies. He joins Alabama’s Aiden Sherrell and New Mexico’s Tomislav Buljan among MSU’s portal-linked prospects.
In the latest chapter of “Tom Izzo’s Tower Hoard,” Spartan staff have begun wiring overseas gift baskets to every lanky big man who whispers “Final Four.” Yigitoglu’s free-throw woes are apparently being treated with ancient Turkish prayer circles run by volunteer interns. He’s also been promised a full wardrobe of green spandex so intimidating that opposing centers will develop instant vertigo. Michigan State hopes his 7-foot-2 wingspan doubles as a Wi-Fi antenna for home-court advantage.
Portal Picks Slip Away: Two Big Men Ghost MSU
Michigan State’s transfer portal hunt hit a snag as two top center candidates, New Mexico’s Tomislav Buljan and North Dakota State’s Treyson Anderson, committed elsewhere—Buljan to Maryland and Anderson to Butler. Both provided solid production (Buljan averaged a double-double; Anderson gained NCAA Tournament experience), but their departures sharpen the focus on MSU’s remaining targets. Aiden Sherrell’s contested $4 million asking price and Samet Yigitoglu’s length-versus-shooting trade-off now dominate discussions for the lone available roster slot.
It appears Spartan recruiters have developed a new sport: calling recruits repeatedly until the missing-persons team is dispatched. Buljan and Anderson slipped through like Snapchat messages, leaving Izzo clutching his rolodex in confusion. Rumor has it the Spartans are now resorting to smoke signals and interpretive dance to woo the next portal prospect, one enlistment away from a full-on “Lost in the Transfer” special.
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