Michigan State lands four-star New Jersey offensive lineman Geno VanDeMark

Michigan State landed its top-rated recruit to date of the 2021 class on Saturday when four-star offensive lineman Geno VanDeMark announced he was committing to the Spartans.

The 6-foot-5, 295-pound tackle from Montvale, N.J., is ranked the No. 160 player in the nation by Rivals.com and chose Michigan State over the likes of Rutgers, Arizona State, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Nebraska after developing a solid relationship with offensive line coach Chris Kapilovik.

“I have a really great relationship with coach Kap, which we built over the last four or five months,” VanDeMark told 247Sports.com. “I love the school. It’s a great academic school. I think it is going to be a great fit for me.

“It just felt right. On the inside, it just felt right. That’s the best way I can put it. It just felt like I was making the right decision. I’m ecstatic to be committed. Also, they are the school that showed the most interest in me.”

VanDeMark as able to visit Michigan State’s campus last weekend along with high school teammate Audric Estime, a four-star running back who has the Spartans in his final six teams.

Ranked the No. 4 player in the state of New Jersey by 247Sports and No. 5 by Rivals, VanDeMark plays tackle in high school but could project to either tackle or guard at Michigan State.

“I want to play tackle in college,” VanDeMark told 247Sports. “That’s what I like more. I like being alone on that island and for that, I felt like I needed to get more athletic as well as stronger. So I improved my speed, my athleticism, my balance and my strength as well.”

VanDeMark is the 13th member of coach Mel Tucker’s 2021 class and is one of three offensive lineman. He joins a pair of three-star prospects — Ethan Boyd of East Lansing and Kevin Wigenton from Princeton, New Jersey.

mcharboneau@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @mattcharboneau