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Michigan State football continues to build its future depth in the trenches.
Offensive lineman Eli Bickel became the fourth pledge to coach Jonathan Smith’s 2026 recruiting class Wednesday night. The three-star North Branch junior picked the Spartans over Power Four squads in Northwestern and Cincinnati and MAC programs such as Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan.
MSU added four offensive linemen in its 2025 class following a wave of attrition after Smith’s hiring in November 2023, with those losses and in-season injuries leading to depleted depth as Smith went 5-7 in his debut in East Lansing. The Spartans also brought in five offensive linemen in Smith’s first class for the 2024 season.
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The 6-foot-6, 270-pound Bickel projects to be a tackle with his long arms and frame. He also wrestles at 285 pounds for North Branch this winter.
Bickel joins an MSU class that already has commitments from three-star quarterback Kayd Coffman from East Kentwood and two tight ends (Eddie Whiting from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Joey Caudill from Mansfield, Ohio).
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football: North Branch OL Eli Bickel picks Spartans
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/eli-bickel-three-star-north-020245208.html
Author : Detroit Free Press
Publish date : 2025-02-20 02:02:00
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