Spartans Miss Hopeful Running Back Target to Big Ten Foe and Are Forced Back to the Drawing Board

Three-star running back Jamal Rule announced his verbal commitment to Nebraska on Monday evening. He is the No. 779 overall recruit, No 48 running back, and No. 33 student-athlete out of North Carolina, according to 247Sports Composite.

The Spartans were late to extend an offer, especially when up against the Cornhuskers who were on top of Rule since Jan. 4.

As the time neared for him to make his decision, Nebraska was already favored to land the rising senior with Michigan State taking second place in the race.

So where does this leave Smith and his class of 2026?

As it's unfolding, he'll likely have to navigate a class without a running back. Rule was the last recruit the Spartans had a real shot at, and unless things turn around dramatically for one of the remaining running backs MSU offered, things aren't looking bright for Smith.

Four-star Brian Bonner, three-star Kyshawn Robinson, and three-star Ashton Rowden are the last three recruits that haven't committed. However, none of the running backs have Michigan State listed as one of their finalists.

Unsurprisingly, Bonner's decision will be between more competitive schools compared to the Spartans. Right now, his top five include Penn State, Nebraska, UCLA, Washington, and Notre Dame. Robinson has yet to decide his group of finalists, but MSU is not high up on his 247Sports interests list. Rowden has a top four of Houston, Minnesota, Texas Tech, and TCU.

It's a bump in the road considering how successful the month was for the Spartans in terms of recruitment. They recently picked up Tyren Wortham to complete a wide receiver duo in the batch. Without a running back, though, Smith might be forced to navigate flipping commitments and the transfer portal in the future.