Michigan State football lands safety AJ Kirk, brother of former Ohio State star
Mel Tucker drew from his past to build on Michigan State’s football future.
The Spartans added another commitment for their 2021 recruiting class Tuesday from three-star safety AJ Kirk from Archbishop Hoban in Akron, Ohio. The Columbus native is the brother of former Ohio State star safety Mike Doss, who played for the Buckeyes when Tucker was defensive backs coach under then-defensive coordinator Mark Dantonio in 2001-02.
![Hoban senior AJ Kirk intercepts a pass thrown by Walsh quarterback Matt Natale during the second half of a football game at Walsh Jesuit High School, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. [Jeff Lange/Beacon Journal]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/M5BKH_pEAwSv0Lt4ht0aUQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE0OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en-us/detroit_free_press_usa_today_sports_articles_655/2e7aefba6a64ca8f63aaf80e4c4b5184)
Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Minnesota and Kentucky were among the teams in the mix for Kirk, according to Rivals.com. Purdue and Nebraska also offered, according to Cleveland.com.
Kirk, who announced his decision on Instagram, is the 16th commitment to MSU’s 2021 class, Tucker’s first full recruiting cycle since taking over for Dantonio on Feb. 12.
The 6-foot, 200-pound Kirk is not rated in 247Sports.com’s composite rankings but is graded a three-star prospect by the website’s grading system. He transferred from Dublin Coffman to perennial power Hoban this fall.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football lands AJ Kirk, brother of ex-Ohio State star
