Michigan State football loses out to Kentucky for 5-star Kiyaunta Goodwin

Michigan State was on the verge of landing one of the biggest signings in program history on Wednesday afternoon, but in the end, coach Mel Tucker and the Spartans will have to be happy with a class that still ranks on the cusp of the top 20 in the nation.

Offensive lineman Kiyaunta Goodwin, a five-star from Charlestown, Indiana, announced was signing with Kentucky, the team he’d been committed to since the spring.

The 6-foot-8, 340-pound tackle had taken several visits to Michigan State, including an official visit last weekend, indicating he was wavering from his commitment to the Wildcats.

Most recruiting experts had predicted Michigan State and Texas A&M were the two schools most likely to land Goodwin, but on Wednesday morning, as the early signing period began, Goodwin was at a signing event in Texas and declared he had not yet made a decision but that he had narrowed it down to Michigan State and Kentucky.

Later in the day, he pushed his announcement from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Goodwin is ranked the No. 25 player in the nation according to the composite rankings at 247sports.com. He is rated the No. 4 tackle in the nation.

It was the biggest news of an already important day for Tucker and the Spartans.

Throughout the day, signed letters of intent were rolling in from plenty of highly ranked players, led by Essexville Garber’s Alex VanSumeren, the top-rated player in the class. The defensive tackle is ranked No. 187 overall by 247sports.com and the No. 26 defensive end.

The Spartans also added a player that had yet to commit as cornerback Caleb Coley of Warner Robins, Georgia, signed his letter of intent. Coley was once a Vanderbilt commit but had been trending toward Michigan State.

Also signed were four-stars quarterback Katin Houser, athlete Dillon Tatum, athlete Jaden Mangham and wide receiver Antonio Gates Jr.

It wasn’t all high school players signing. Tucker has been active in the transfer portal since last season and on Wednesday the Spartans added four players from the portal, including running back Jalen Berger (Wisconsin) and linebackers Aaron Brule (Mississippi State) and Jacoby Windmon (UNLV).

Later in the afternoon, former Florida defensive end Khris Bogle signed with Michigan State. He was a top-75 recruit for the Gators in the class of 2019.

mcharboneau@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @mattcharboneau