Michigan State Recruiting: What's next after losing out on Ambry Thomas?

Michigan State recruiting missed on Ambry Thomas Wednesday, but what’s next for the Spartans?

Quite possibly the biggest miss of Mark Dantonio’s tenure in East Lansing, Michigan State recruiting whiffed on four-star cornerback Ambry Thomas in the 2017 class. The Detroit King stud picked Michigan on Wednesday night over Michigan State.

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It seemed like the Spartans had a good shot at him last summer but since then, the tide had been turning in Michigan’s favor. It didn’t help that Michigan State went 3-9 while the Wolverines finished 10-2 with a trip to the Orange Bowl.

Thomas, the No. 31 composite player in the class, went from a 50/50 choice to leaning toward the Wolverines within the past week, he said. Unfortunately, that’s a big miss for the Spartans who were trying to keep the pipeline from Detroit King alive.

Donnie Corley was clearly frustrated with the choice, but tweeted out one word (‘Bet’) to describe how he was feeling. Basically a ‘bring on the challenge’ type of tweet.

Where do the Spartans go from here?

There are a handful of options that the Spartans can choose from. First, there’s Ameer Speed (No. 454 recruit on 247), a three-star cornerback from Jacksonville who visited back in October. Next, you have Yusuf Corker (No. 334 composite), another three-star cornerback who loved his Dec. 2 visit to MSU and the coaching staff is visiting him on Thursday.

Then you have three-star corner Meshael Curtis (No. 605 composite recruit) who is a bit underrated, but he has good size and athleticism for the position. Michigan State offered him back in May.

Lastly, four-star defensive back Naytron Culpepper (No. 282 on 247) might be considered a safety, but he has the ability to play cornerback as well. The Spartans have been high on him for quite some time and he’s taking his official in January.

Although Thomas was the top priority, the Spartans still have plenty of options.