As official visits commence this upcoming weekend, let’s take a look at the five most important recruits officially visiting Michigan this summer.
Michigan
Michigan State basketball vs Auburn score prediction: Elite 8 March Madness pick is in
MSU basketball: Video analysis of the Spartans’ win over Mississippi
Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch, Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari and columnist Shawn Windsor analyze MSU’s win over Ole Miss.
Scouting Michigan State basketball vs. Auburn
Breaking down Sunday’s South region final between No. 2-seed Michigan State basketball and 1-seed Auburn:
Matchup: Michigan State (30-6) vs. Auburn (31-5).
Fast facts: 5:05 p.m. Sunday; State Farm Arena, Atlanta.
TV: CBS.
At stake: Winner advances to the Final Four in San Antonio to face West region winner (1-seed Florida or 3-seed Texas Tech) in national semifinals on April 5.
About MSU
Location: East Lansing.
Coach: Tom Izzo (30 seasons at MSU, 737-301 career).
School NCAA tournament record: 76-36 in 37 appearances.
Past 10 games: 9-1.
Scoring leaders: Jaden Akins, 12.8 points per game, Jase Richardson 12.2, Tre Holloman 9.3.
Rebounding leaders: Jaxon Kohler 7.4 rebounds per game, Carson Cooper 5.3, Szymon Zapala 4.
Assist leaders: Jeremy Fears Jr. 5.5 assists per game, Holloman 3.8, Richardson 1.9.
3-point leaders: Richardson 42%, Fears 34.2%, Holloman 34%, Kohler 34%.
The buzz: After entering the season unranked and with tepid outside expectations, the Spartans blew away league competition to win Izzo’s record-tying 11th Big Ten regular-season championship. MSU is in its 11th Elite Eight under Izzo after putting together three hard-fought victories to get there — eventually pulling away from pesky 15-seed Bryant by 25 points in the opening round, then grinding out an eight-point win over 10-seed New Mexico in Cleveland. No game, however, might have been more grueling than the Spartans’ Sweet 16 win Friday night in Atlanta, as the Spartans didn’t get their first lead until more than 32 minutes in against Mississippi before getting enough stops and some key baskets and free throws for a 73-70 victory over the 6-seeded Rebels. It came with more strong play from Richardson, who scored 20 points for the sixth time his freshman season. However, MSU continues to see an uptick in production from sophomore forward Coen Carr, who had 15 points in his starting debut, and another strong floor game from redshirt freshman point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (four points, six assists).
The Spartans went 19-for-22 on free throws after struggling down the stretch and in the first two rounds, drawing 20 fouls and making all 10 of their attempts at the line in the final 7:50. They are 19th nationally at 77.8% by averaging 17.5 free throws (13th) while attempting 22.5 per game (32nd). MSU also held Ole Miss to 9-for-27 from 3-point range, and Izzo’s defense holds opponents to just 28% from the arc, which is second in the nation. Expect a fresh Zapala, after sitting out the tough matchup against the quicker, undersized Rebels, to log more minutes against Auburn after the Spartans were outrebounded (33-29) on Friday.
About Auburn
Location: Auburn, Alabama.
Coach: Bruce Pearl (231-124 in 11 seasons at Auburn, 693-269 in 30 seasons overall).
School NCAA tournament record: 22-12 in 13 appearances.
Past 10 games: 7-3.
Scoring leaders: Johni Broome 18.5 points per game, Chad Baker-Mazara 12.3, Tahaad Pettiford 11.8, Miles Kelly 11.5, Denver Jones 11.
Rebounding leaders: Broome 10.8 rebounds per game, Dylan Cardwell 4.9, Chaney Johnson 4.9.
Assist leaders: Pettiford 2.9 assists per game, Broome 2.9, Baker-Mazara 2.6, Jones 2.6.
3-point leaders: Jones 42.4%, Kelly 38.6%, Baker-Mazara 37.9%, Pettiford 37.6%.
The buzz: Despite stumbling into the tournament in losing three of its last four (to NCAA squads Texas A&M, Alabama and Tennessee), the Tigers still earned the overall No. 1 seed and blew through 16-seed Alabama State by 20 and 9-seed Creighton by 12 in Lexington, Kentucky, before eliminating 5-seed Michigan on Friday night, 78-65. Broome, a 6-10 senior forward, had 16 rebounds against the Wolverines, including nine on the offensive glass, but went just 9-for-21 in getting his 22 points as Auburn shot just 39.4% overall and went 8-for-28 from 3-point range. According to kenpom.com, the Tigers have the nation’s third-most efficient offense and eighth-most efficient defense, with their 83.6 points scored 12th nationally and their 29.6% 3-point defense 11th-best. Auburn’s 9.4 turnovers per game ranks 12th in the country, but U-M forced Pearl’s team into 15 on Friday. Pettiford is the catalyst of the Tigers’ offense, a 6-1 freshman from New Jersey who was a McDonald’s All-American a year ago and whose attacking style and slight frame is a little reminiscent of former MSU combo guard Tyson Walker. Containing his quickness off the dribble, play-making ability and left-handed outside shooting will be equally as critical for the Spartans’ defense Sunday as it is to mix-and-match big bodies against Broome. Meantime, the Tigers’ complementary players all can score and present another long-armed defensive problem for MSU’s perimeter players.
Chris Solari’s March Madness prediction for Michigan State basketball vs. Auburn
Don’t be fooled by the offensive capabilities of these two teams, both Izzo and Pearl know the key in this will be defending each other at an elite level. For the Spartans, that means alternating their bigs on Broome and their guards on Pettiford to keep them confused and force the rest of the Tigers’ eight-man rotation to play above their averages. Auburn can get sloppy, but MSU also must continue to play through their own mistakes and keep it close into the second half, where Izzo’s adjustments and his players’ sheer will to win send the Spartans back to his ninth Final Four, and first since 2019. The pick: MSU 68, Auburn 66.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
Subscribe to the “Spartan Speak” podcast for new episodes weekly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
As temperatures rise in Michigan each summer, so to do the chances of harmful algal blooms (HABs) developing in our lakes, causing a risk to both ecosystems and public health.
HABs are formed wherever there is rapid growth of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, which are naturally found in lakes, rivers and ponds. Some cyanobacteria found in blooms contain toxins that can be harmful to people and animals, and often present as blue-green, yellow or brown streaks, foam, or thick paint-like scums on the water surface, according to the Michigan Departments of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)
To help keep track of these harmful algal blooms across the state, EGLE has teamed up with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to update its online reporting form to include harmful algal blooms. Now the public can easily report suspected HABs to the state by filling out the form at Michigan.gov/HABs. Individuals can also make a report by calling EGLE’s Environmental Assistance Center at 800-662-9278.
“This new online form is an easy and efficient way for Michiganders to help monitor and safeguard our water resources,” said Jerrod Sanders, director of Water Resources Division at EGLE, in a news release. “This tool improves efficiency and helps us respond to potential risks more effectively.”
It will also allow EGLE and MDHHS staff to better understand how HABs develop, and creates the potential to send out public notifications about what areas to avoid as a way of keeping people and pets safe when they’re detected.
Breathing in or swallowing water with HAB toxins can cause asthma-like symptoms, difficulty breathing, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, runny eyes and nose, weakness, headaches or dizziness. Skin contact can also cause rashes, blisters or hives.
“If you had contact with or swallowed water with a suspected HAB and feel sick, call your health care provider or seek medical attention as soon as possible,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive.
Locations of HAB reports verified by EGLE and results of cyanotoxin testing will be displayed on the Michigan Harmful Algal Bloom Reports Map for the public to review.
For more information on health effects, causes and reports on the occurrence of HABs in Michigan lakes, visit Michigan.gov/HABs.
Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Beach season is here, and Lake Michigan is the most popular of the Great Lakes for swimming. However, it can also be the most dangerous.
According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, 81 people drowned in the Great Lakes in 2025. 36 of those drownings, or almost half, happened in Lake Michigan.
“Even an Olympic swimmer is not going to swim against the rip current,” Pat Whelan, Plainwell district supervisor for the Michigan DNR Parks and Recreation Division, said.
What makes a rip current so dangerous is the natural instinct to try and swim back to shore. However, it is not the way to escape.
“It’s a term called ‘flip, float, and follow,’ where you flip on your back so you can breathe,” Whelan said. “Follow that, float on the top of that current and follow it out into the lake until you can feel it release you. Then you’re going to swim parallel to the shore, and then the waves themselves will help push you back into the shore.”
It’s been more than 20 years since Andy Fox, 17, drowned in a rip current at Grand Haven State Park, but the pain is still fresh for his mother, Vicki Cech, who rarely goes to the beach.
“When I have company in, sometimes I’ll walk out on the pier, but as a rule I just don’t go there anymore,” Cech said. “Not that beach, because that one does have a lot of sad memories for me.”
Pictured is Andy Fox, 17, in this undated photo. Fox drowned in a rip current at Grand Haven State Park in 2006. (Cech/WWMT)
Compared to other Lake Michigan beaches, Grand Haven State Park has added safety features as conditions are known to change rapidly.
Grand Haven uses the color warning system, but at other beaches, they have flags.
At Grand Haven State Park, however, there is an electronic lighting system on an orange tower. When the life ring on that tower is pulled, Ottawa County dispatch is alerted right away.
Blue towers on the beach are equipped with cameras, providing a video feed of what is happening where the life ring was pulled.
Electric lights instead of flags are used to alert people of swimming conditions at Grand Haven State Park.
“They can push the bottom and actually talk back and forth with central dispatch,” Whelan said.
Alongside these additions, Cech would like to see lifeguards on Grand Haven’s beaches.
“I know there’s all kinds of different things we have down there. Life rings closer to the water and everything like that,” Cech said. “But I’d say the only thing which I see South Haven has finally gotten lifeguards, the ultimate would be lifeguards.”
Michigan got rid of lifeguards at state parks in the 1990’s. The DNR said it was a combination of cost and liability concerns.
South Haven, however, welcomed lifeguards back to the city’s beaches for the first time in 25 years on Monday.
Those lifeguards do not yet have chairs and towers yet, but they will be posted between each flag section, with green, yellow and red colors marking that day’s swimming conditions.
More information about the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project can be found online.
Five-star CB Joshua Dobson, June 12
247Sports “only” has Dobson ranked 43rd nationally. Meanwhile, their composite says he is the 11th-best player in the entire class. Regardless of what the analysts think of the versatile Dobson, he would be a fantastic get for the Wolverines.
Four-stars Tavares Harrington and Darius Johnson, along with three-star Charles Woodson Jr. and three-star Maxwell Miles form an excellent foundation for the class’s secondary. Dobson would not only be the cherry on top, but the hot fudge, sprinkles and peanuts, too.
Here is what he said about Michigan, according to Rivals’ Keegan Pope ($):
“Man, they’re definitely up there. Not a lot of people talk about them in my recruitment, which I don’t know why, but Michigan is strong.”
Four-star WR Dakota Guerrant, June 19
We all know about Guerrant and the Wolverines’ interest in the Harper Woods, Michigan, product. Landing four-star Quentin Burrell does ease some of the pressure of adding a potentially elite playmaker on the perimeter, especially with Oregon playing a significant role in Guerrant’s recruitment, too.
Those Ducks appear to be a serious obstacle. Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong recently talked about Guerrant’s potential pairing with Oregon on “The Wiltfong Whiparound” and how he loves their offense.
Perhaps that marriage is set in stone and Michigan is simply entertaining him on the visit. Perhaps Whittingham and Ron Bellamy can sway the in-stater to stay home.
Three-star edge rusher Ifeanyi Emedobi, June 19
The Wolverines are trending up for the Fort Wayne, Indiana edge rusher. Emedobi may seem a bit redundant with Recarder Kitchen and Jayce Brewer already preparing to don the maize and blue. However, perhaps there are plans for either of the 6-foot-6 Kitchen or 6-foot-5 Brewer to play a more complete defensive lineman role, rather than pure edge work, which feels more likely for someone of Emedobi’s stature (6-foot-1.5, 215 pounds).
Emedobi also only recently started playing football, so who knows where he ends up at the collegiate level. Considering his final four includes Penn State, Indiana and Minnesota, let’s hope Michigan — not the conference foes — gets to solve that question.
Three-star WR Charles Britton III, June 19
Another in-state wide receiver, Britton III, aka “Tre,” hails from Belleville but is drawing heavy interest from Missouri, according to Rivals.
Here is what he had to say about Michigan, via Rivals’ Allen Trieu ($):
“Really, just like being so close to home,” Britton said. “I get to visit them whenever I want really, so I can just get to see how things are going with them. They could take up with me whenever they want too. They’re in my face more, I’d say, because they’re right down the street, so I get to go to them, they get to go to me as many times as possible. So I’m just putting in new relationships and building them fast. It really is — they’re Michigan.”
The official visit should help determine if this is simply love for the hometown school or a legitimate interest in being a Wolverine.
Four-star IOL Lincoln Mageo, June 5
Mageo, from Oceanside, California, may not be regarded as a blue chip prospect, but this is a program that does not necessarily need the most highly touted trenchmen to develop stars. Mageo recently talked to Maize n Brew and praised offensive line coach Jim Harding.
“I loved watching coach Harding break down technique during indy period so that everyone could understand,” Mageo said. “That is the type of coaching that I’m looking for. A coach who takes time to break down technique and focuses on development.
Four-star Jakari Lipsey, and three-stars Sidney Rouleau and Louis Esposito make up the offensive line group in this cycle so far.
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