Michigan State received a commitment from four-star wing Gehrig Normand on Tuesday evening, and he’s the Spartans’ third top-75 commitment in the class. He joins four-star guard Jeremy Fears and five-star forward Xavier Booker in what’s shaping up to be one of Tom Izzo’s best classes in recent memory.
Below, Normand details why he chose the Spartans.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
“The question is ‘Why did I choose Michigan State?’, but it should really be, ‘Why wouldn’t I?’ The coaching staff there is amazing, they’re the best coaching staff that I’ve ever met, from the first guy to the last guy on the staff. They’re all kind all they’re all the best people I’ve met. They understand my situation and they gave me time to choose what school I wanted to, but I didn’t need time. I knew where I was going once I left that campus. The players were amazing. There’s a lot of guys like me and my personality there.
Matt McQuaid went there and he’s from Texas, he’s a Texas dude, so it’s really a comfortable decision for me because of that. I had someone to guide me through this situation because he’s been on my path before.
I’d just like to thank the coaching staff for giving me this opportunity because if it wasn’t for them, I don’t know where I’d be. The coaching staff has been amazing, and the fan base as well. They’ve got the best fan base in the whole country. My phone is blowing up every day, all day still, three days after my visit. It’s amazing to see how much their fan base cares and how in-tune their fan base is. We’re going to be natty champs, so that’s another reason I chose Michigan State as well.”
RIVALS REACTION
Tom Izzo has really done a fantastic job of recruiting the 2023 class and has put together one of the best classes on paper in this cycle. Gehrig Normand really compliments what Jeremy Fears and Xavier Booker bring to the table. The four-star wing is due for a rankings bump in a few weeks.
Normand is very efficient from the field and is very comfortable scoring from the mid-range and from the outside, where Fears will do a good job of setting Normand up to play to his strengths. Normand is also very athletic and will surprise some people with his tenacity in game when attacking the glass or trying to put a defender on a poster.
