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Four-star wide receiver Antonio Gates Jr. commits to Michigan State football

MSU gets its highest-rated recruit of the 2022 class

NCAA Football: Michigan State at Arizona State Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Antonio Gates Jr., welcome to the Spartan Dawg family.

The 2022 recruiting class for Michigan State just got a huge commitment from the four-star wide receiver, who announced his decision on Monday.

The commitment comes just three days after announcing his top-five that included Michigan State, Florida, Penn State, Tennessee and Kentucky. In addition to those programs, Gates Jr. also had scholarship offers from Ole Miss, Arkansas, Iowa State, Illinois, Maryland, Nebraska, West Virginia and several others.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound prospect from Dearborn Fordson is tabbed as the No. 293-ranked overall recruit in the nation, per 247Sports Composite. He is also the No. 45-ranked wide receiver and No. 8-ranked player in the state of Michigan.

Gates Jr. is of course the son of former NFL-great tight end, Antonio Gates Sr., who played for the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers from 2003 through 2018.

With his .8994 rating on the 247Sports Composite, he is the highest-rated player in MSU’s 2022 recruiting class, and is the second-highest recruit Mel Tucker has nabbed in his two recruiting cycles. Ma’a Gaoteote, a 2021 linebacker, had a higher rating of .9316.

Gates Jr. makes it 16 commits for Michigan State’s 2022 class, joining Tyrell Henry and Jaron Glover as the other two receivers in the class.

In his junior season, Gates Jr. had 750 receiving yards to go with 30 receptions and 10 touchdowns for Fordson.