2024 DB Reggie Powers III commits to Michigan State: 'I feel like myself'
Michigan State’s 2024 recruiting class has a new commitment. The Spartans earned a pledge from three-star defensive back Reggie Powers III on Wednesday.
"I committed (to Michigan State) because I felt like myself on campus with the guys and (loved) the family setting," Powers III told Spartans Illustrated. "I feel like I could be myself off the jump and the fit in the defense I feel complements my playing style very well. I feel like I will have a great opportunity to play early."
The Centerville, Ohio native took an official visit to Michigan State this past weekend. He previously took an official visit to Pittsburgh during the first weekend of June and one to Northwestern in May. Powers originally had official visits planned for Cincinnati and Ohio State later this month, but will no longer be taking those.
It was the first time that Powers and his family made a trip to East Lansing. He took the visit with his father, Reggie Powers Jr., his mother, Ivy Clark, and his 5-year old brother, Iverson.
Head coach Mel Tucker, secondary coach Harlon Barnett and the rest of the Michigan State staff obviously did a great job with Powers and his family during the visit, which made him comfortable enough to commit to the Spartans.
"My overall thoughts were very, very good on MSU," Powers III said about the official visit. "First thing that I saw I liked was the campus — the size was good and it was very nice. They are building a new facility, which will be a great update to what they already have. Even though it was my first time on campus, I saw everything and liked it all."
Powers’ dad, Reggie Powers Jr., was also impressed with the official visit and what Michigan State has to offer.
“Well, it was the first time up there (for us), and it was a very nice campus," Powers Jr. said. "I know one thing that he liked, the other places he's always been were near big cities, so this was the first one where it was almost like a college town. Even though there's more than just a college, it wasn't the big city, so he liked that.
“The way the coaches treated us was fantastic. The whole recruiting staff, Coach Barnett, Coach Tucker and everybody, it was just a real good experience. It was like a family atmosphere. Saturday, the cookout that they had outside was good – all the hosts were there, the recruits were getting along and intermingling. So it was great. Facilities are nice, I like what they're building.”
Something else that was important with the younger Powers is how the Spartans plan to use him on the field. Powers prides himself on being a big hitter, but he is also strong in coverage and sees himself as a defensive back. While certain other programs may want him to add weight and play as a linebacker, MSU views him as a safety/nickel back.
“The role that they would see Reggie (III) playing, I know that's important to him,” Powers Jr. said about Michigan State. “Some recruit him as a ‘star’ linebacker type where they want to get him to be like 215, 220 (pounds). And then, some recruit him as what he plays now, the nickel/safety, which he really likes because he gets to show his versatility.
"He can blitz, he can cover, of course he helps in (defending) the run, he's a hitter. So that lets him do everything that he likes to do, not just be a linebacker that only covers tight ends and running backs. He thinks he can do a little bit more than that … He’s got a full game that he could show.”
While Powers III has the ability to play multiple spots on defense, he expects to start his career as a nickel back, while perhaps learning the safety position as well.
"Michigan state sees me as a nickel," Powers III noted. "They said I can also play safety with my versatility, but I would start when I get there learning nickel back."
His player host on the trip was Michigan State senior defensive back, and fellow Ohioan, Angelo Grose. Reggie III got along very well with Grose, who reminded him of his brother, Marshall true freshman defensive back Caleb Clark-Glover.
Grose told Powers III about what life as a Spartan is truly like, and an instant connection was made.
"I got along with Angelo very well," Powers III said about Grose. "I could easily talk to him and ask him about anything, and he would be very honest with me. We had a little connection because we are both from Ohio and play the same position and grew up not too far from each other. He said he's enjoyed his time at Michigan State and can’t wait for the upcoming season."
As a father, Reggie Powers Jr. was ecstatic to see how his son interacted and fit in with Grose, the other players and recruits, and the Michigan State program overall.
“Honestly, to me as a parent, to see that my son was very, very comfortable (was my favorite part of the trip),” Powers Jr. said. “He's usually a little reserved and then warms up, but the way Angelo, his host, got him loosened up and then the way he was interacting with the current players, I just saw a difference, like he was very, very comfortable. He was good in all the other places too, but this one was a little different. As a parent, I was like, ‘My kid is happy.’”
Powers III has nearly 30 scholarship offers. In addition to Michigan State, his offers list includes Ohio State, Louisville, Iowa State, Cincinnati, Northwestern, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Duke, Boston College, Connecticut and many others.
Ohio State was considered a leader in the recruitment of Powers III for a long time. With Michigan State having just offered him the scholarship on May 1, the relationship is still somewhat new. But MSU wasted little time showing the Powers family how big of a priority they were making him. A strong bond is being built between Barnett and Powers III, who both hail from Ohio.
"My relationship with Coach Barnett is very good," Powers III mentioned. "He was the first person that offered me, the first person I got in contact with at Michigan State. I spent a lot of time with him on the visit and enjoyed having some one-on-one conversations about my fit and more."
Powers Jr. trusts Barnett to guide the development of his son on and off the field. Coming out of the same area in Ohio, the Powers family already knows people who know Barnett well, and they sing his praises.
“It's good,” Powers Jr. said about the relationship between his son and Barnett. “It hasn't been the longest because they first offered him at his high school showcase on May 1, and then it's picked up quickly. That was the first time Coach Barnett saw him live and he told him right away that he was 'that guy,' and then he told him they were gonna be going in hard on him, and they did.
“And Coach Barnett being from southwest Ohio as well was good, knew a lot of similar people, so it was good. I'm comfortable with it. Everyone that I've talked to that knows Coach Barnett speaks highly of them. It's a good situation."
The Powers family also bonded with Tucker while on the trip. Reggie III, Reggie Jr. and Ivy were able to have chats with Tucker at his house, at the exit meeting and multiple other times throughout the weekend.
“I liked him,” Powers Jr. said about Tucker. “He's kind of got my demeanor. Obviously, when a coach is coaching, you're gonna be amped up a little bit. But he was real chill and mellow. Sometimes, coaches go into sell mode, you can tell ... So he was just chill every time, every interaction was cool. He was still relaying information, talking about the program, things of that nature. But it never felt like it was on an overload. It was almost like just two dudes talking.”
Powers III also was able get quality individual time with the head coach. Ultimately, Tucker was somebody who the young defensive back wanted to play for.
"I spent time with Coach Tucker," Powers III noted. "I had a few one-on-one conversations with him, one of them being me committing, but he explained the program a lot, which I love to hear, and his past. He is a great dude that keeps it real and I love his competitive spirit."
Powers III now ranks as the No. 41 safety prospect and No. 19 player in the state of Ohio in the 2024 class.
In addition to safety, Powers III also has played outside linebacker and nickel back for Centerville High School, while spending some time on the offensive side of the ball as well. He recorded 80 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, 10 pass break-ups, four forced fumbles and two sacks as a junior last season.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound defensive back was a first-team All-Greater Western Ohio Conference selection and second-team Southwest Distirct honoree in 2022. Powers’ highlight tape below illustrates his hard-hitting style and overall game quite well. In the classroom, Powers has a 3.3 grade point average.
Of course, Michigan State is coming off of a down year in 2022. The Spartans finished with a disappointing 5-7 record. The Powers family is aware of that, but sees the vision and necessary steps being implemented for the future. Powers III wants to be part of that future and his father is certainly on board with that.
“I liked the campus, I liked how everything is set up, I like what they're building there,” Powers Jr. said. “I know they had a down year last year, but when we had the talk with the player panel, they knew what the issues were, and of course the coaches are going to make adjustments, but they kind of knew what to do as players internally on how to regulate things and have everybody on the same page, so that was good. Every year isn’t gonna be a great year, but it's how you respond. So, to me, it looked like they were making the necessary changes as a staff and as players, holding each other accountable to bounce back this year and moving forward.”
With Powers now added to the group, Michigan State’s number of commitments for the 2024 class grows to four. He joins four-star cornerback Jaylen Thompson, three-star offensive lineman Andrew Dennis and three-star offensive lineman Logan Bennett.