Three-star RB Audric Estime chooses Michigan State over Arizona State and Rutgers

Mel Tucker watching over practice/Photo Credit: MSU Athletic Communications

Nathan Stearns, Football Beat Reporter
September 13, 2020

EAST LANSING- St. Joseph Regional has been quite the cash cow for Michigan State lately.

After four-star offensive guard Geno VanDeMark committed to Michigan State back on Aug. 22, his current high school teammate—three-star running back Audric Estime— joined VanDeMark as the 15th overall commit and third from New Jersey in the 2021 class for Mel Tucker.  Estime and VanDeMark both currently play for St. Joseph Regional High School (Montvale, N.J.) and were integral parts in helping St. Joseph reach the semifinals in the NJSIAA, Non-Public, Group 4 division last season.

Estime, who has been categorized as both a high three-star and a four-star by 247Sports, currently has a composite rating of 0.8890, which is just below the threshold to be named a four-star prospect on the site. According to 247Sports, Estime is the No. 6 overall prospect in New Jersey and the No.364 overall recruit in America. All six crystal ball predictions on the site had Estime choosing MSU.

Brian Dohn, a leading recruiting analyst who works for 247, compares Estime’s playing style to that of Miami Dolphins RB, Jordan Howard. Dohn lists Estime as a halfback who “can easily play at 225-pounds once his body matures.” This is a scary prospect for the rest of the Big Ten, as Estime is currently 6-foot-1 and 215-pounds. He has a muscular frame, can run through contact with ease and is a pain to try and drag down. Dohn also categorizes Estime as a strong downhill runner who “does not waste time dancing.” In addition to being a physical force on running downs, he also has shown success as a receiver out of the backfield.

Estime was recruited heavily by Spartan RB coach William Peagler. The talented RB held offers from five ACC schools (Duke, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Louisville), one Pac-12 university (Arizona State), three Big-12 schools (Oklahoma State, Iowa State and West Virginia), six Big Ten universities (MSU, Rutgers, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Maryland), one SEC school (Texas A&M) and Temple. 

With Estime in the fold,  Michigan State’s 2021 recruiting class is almost complete. One intriguing prospect who could help round out the field is three-star cornerback Steffan Johnson. Johnson decommitted from Rutgers on July 25 and is currently the high school teammate of current Spartan’ commit Charles “Chuck” Brantley. Both of them currently play corner for the Venice Indians (Venice, Fla.).