EAST LANSING- The dry spell is over.

Alex Okelo, a three-star weakside defensive end who calls Nashville, Tennessee, home, announced that he would be enrolling at Michigan State on Sunday afternoon. Okelo is the first commitment that Mel Tucker has received in over three months. 

NEW HOME🟢⚪️ pic.twitter.com/qqfuWBTKn2

— Alex Okelo™ (@BeGreatAl9) August 16, 2020

The Nashville native is rated by 247Sports.com as the No. 26 overall prospect in the state of Tennesee and the No. 56 weakside defensive end recruit in the nation. His composite rating of 0.8527 places him firmly within the mid-3-star category that the website uses. 

Despite being a bit thin for his size—Okelo is 6-foot-5 and 217-pounds— his raw athleticism and extraordinary length were enough for Ron Burton to recruit Okelo heavily; he currently plays both football and basketball for Pearl-Cohn High School in Nashville. 

Okelo is the 12th commitment that Tucker has landed for the class of 2021; he is the third defensive line commit in the class. DE Tyson Watson and defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, who both play football in Michigan, committed in Mid-April. 

Michigan State beat out several notable schools for Okelo’s services; both Indiana and Nebraska offered him. Okelo also held offers from three ACC institutions (Louisville, UNC and Florida State), three SEC schools (Tennessee, Kentucky and Ole Miss), UTSA, and Kansas.