Three-star DE Alex Okelo is 12th commitment in Michigan State 2021 recruiting class

Michigan State coach Mel Tucker said late last week, in the wake of the announcement that the Big Ten football season had been postponed, that one of his main focuses would be to “recruit, recruit, recruit.”

It didn’t take long for that to pay off as the Spartans secured a commitment Sunday from defensive end Alex Okelo, a 6-foot-6, three-star prospect from Nashville.

Okelo, who chose Michigan State over the likes of Tennessee, Ole Miss, Florida State and others, is the 12th commitment to Tucker’s 2021 class, and it was a recent visit with the staff that secured the decision.

“I had a virtual visit with Michigan State coaches and it was great,” Okelo told spartanmag.com, the MSU Rivals site. “It felt like I was actually there even though it was virtual. The staff is great at communicating and the weight room was really cool. I met with so many of the coaches and they really made me feel like I was already a part of the Spartan family.”

The commitment of Okelo comes less than a week after the class saw its second decommitment when tight end Jake Renda opted to head to Pittsburgh.

Three-star DE Alex Okelo is 12th commitment in Michigan State 2021 recruiting class