SPARTANS

Trieu: MSU in heated race for Illinois OT Nick Broeker

Allen Trieu
Special to The Detroit News
Nick Broeker

Michigan State has offered several new offensive linemen during the spring and the Spartans sit in good position for a number of these targets.

One who is giving MSU a hard look is Springfield (Ill.) Sacred Heart Griffin’s Nick Broeker, a 6-foot-5, 280-pound tackle ranked by 247Sports as the No. 13 junior prospect in his home state.

“It’s a great school with rich tradition. It was truly a dream come true. It’s always a school I’ve really idolized," Broeker told Spartan Tailgate’s Sean Scherer when he received the Spartan offer in May.

“I think just their reputation, the conference they play in, what they’ve done as far as winning percentage, players put in the league, education, the fans – it’s 70,000 I think they have at games,” said SHG offensive line coach Chad Anderson. “(Michigan State offensive line coach Mark Staten) was down here one day this week and spent a lot of time with us. They’re making him a high priority.”

More: Trieu: Michigan makes push for 4-star OL Branson Bragg

Since the Spartans offered, additional offers from Missouri and Ole Miss have made this more of a heated race. Prior to that, Broeker had also received offers from Illinois, Minnesota, Kentucky, Rutgers, Indiana and more.

Although he is considered among the state of Illinois’ top recruits, Broeker may still be a tad under the radar because he is down in Springfield. But he has a 6-foot-8 wingspan and was a first-team all-conference basketball player who averaged 13.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game on the basketball court.

“That really propelled him with a lot of schools,” Anderson said.

Broeker can dunk a basketball, even at his new weight of 280 pounds. Anderson has had top recruits on his line before, most recently Quinn Oseland, who is now at Minnesota.

“Quinn is a big power guy, and it’s not like Broeker isn’t strong, but he is more athletic and runs, but Nick models himself after and looks up to Quinn, and the thing I can say about both is their work ethic is off the charts,” Anderson said.

Broeker started his high school career as a tight end, and may see some time there in certain packages this year. Since he only just began playing offensive line full time a year ago, he still has more to learn, but the upside is evident.

“I don’t think he’s reached his full potential at all, and several coaches I’ve spoken to feel the same way,” Anderson said.

As for a college decision, these schools may not have to wait too much longer. Anderson said Broeker and his family are working toward a summer decision.

Spartans offer five-star sophomore

Keelee Ringo, a 6-foot-2, 192-pound cornerback from Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro, reported an offer from Michigan State on Thursday.

Spartans cornerbacks coach Paul Haynes extended the offer to Ringo, who is rated as a five-star prospect and No. 1 cornerback in the country by 247Sports.

Ringo now holds 27 offers with Oregon, USC, Washington and Alabama among the group.

New Jersey pass-rusher offered

Blairstown (N.J.) Blair Academy junior defensive end David Ojabo was offered by Michigan State on Thursday.

Ojabo, a 6-foot-4, 233-pound athlete who runs a 4.75 in the 40-yard dash, has only played one year of football, but showed enough potential in that year to earn offers from Penn State, Boston College, Arizona State, California and more. Michigan, Notre Dame, Clemson and Texas A&M are among his other recent offers.

He currently does not have a decision date set.

More information

Nick Broeker profile 

Kelee Ringo profile 

David Ojabo profile 

Allen Trieu covers Midwest football recruiting for 247Sports. He has been featured on the Big Ten Network on its annual Signing Day Show. His Michigan and Michigan State recruiting columns appear weekly at detroitnews.com.