EAST LANSING — Jaden Akins is the latest addition to a long, successful list of gets this summer for coach Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans. The top-70 recruit, according to the 247 Sports composite ranking, announced his decision Thursday via twitter to attend Michigan State in the fall of 2021. 

The 6-foot-3, 160-pound senior from Farmington Hills High School is a huge addition to the 2021 recruiting class for Izzo and company. Akins is the first true point guard to commit to MSU in the last six months and he is a tremendous one at that. He already has good height, coupled with a very long wingspan that gives him the ability to shoot over any defender in front of him. He has a good handle on the ball, is quick with his feet, has very nice footwork, can jump out of the gym and already possesses a college-level 3-point range. 

The intriguing thing about Akins that is different from most MSU point guards in recent years is his ability on the defensive end of the floor. He will arrive in East Lansing as one of the best on-ball defenders on the team and his leaping ability adds a guard shot-blocking presence in fast breaks and help-defense situations. 

Akins is also already familiar with current MSU commit Pierre Brooks, who was the first to announce his decision to join MSU on April 22. The duo played together for The Family, a famous Detroit AAU team that has heralded other popular Spartans including Cassius Winston, Miles Bridges, Kalin Lucas, Draymond Green, Bryn Forbes, Gabe Brown and Rocket Watts. 

Izzo has arguably had the best two months of recruiting in his entire career this past July and August. Akins, the No. 2 player in the state of Michigan, will join Max Christie and Brooks in East Lansing next fall. Emoni Bates and Enoch Boakye are scheduled to follow suit and join MSU in the fall of 2022 unless one or both of them reclassify for the 2021 class. All five of these players land in the top 70 of the 247 Sports composite ranking, and all of them have committed to MSU since the nationwide, COVID-19-driven quarantine started in early March. 

Akins’ commitment to MSU has now launched the Spartans from the No. 10 2021 recruiting class in the nation all the way up to the No. 4 spot. With Bates and Boakye committed, the Spartans currently hold the No. 1 position nationally for 2022.

Brendan Schabath is a reporter for WDBM Sports who primarily covers men’s basketball. Follow him on Twitter at @Bschabath3.