Top 2022 prospect Emoni Bates backs off Michigan State pledge

According to a tweet by Joe Tipton of Tipton Edits, No. 1 prospect Emoni Bates has decommitted from Michigan State and will re-explore his options on both the college and professional fronts.

The 6-foot-7, 185-pound forward committed to the Spartans in June of last year amid enormous fanfare and sky-high expectations. Bates becomes the the second 2022 five-star recruit to part ways with MSU in recent weeks, joining Enoch Boakye, who eventually landed at Arizona State before reclassifying to the class of 2021.

WHAT COULD BE NEXT: Even when Bates was committed to Michigan State, most expected the class-of-2022 star to forgo college and test the professional waters in some capacity.

Friday’s news could definitely lend even more viability to that line of thinking.

That said, it could also work in the other direction, as most major college programs will likely make a call or two in order to gage the top prospect's interest in the weeks ahead. Decommitting now could be a move to signal to the rest of the country that he’s open to exploring new options for a college career that once seemed unlikely to come to fruition.

Prior to his Michigan State commitment, Bates was lightly recruited for a top prospect because of a widespread belief that he’d never play a single college game. Whether or not that line of thinking has shifted in recent months will determine the level of college interest that develops now that the Ypsi Prep Academy star is back on the market. Still, the pro route seems like the most likely ending to the saga,