With more than a year to go before the early signing period, Kristian Phillips could have continued fielding interest from different schools.
The 2022 three-star offensive lineman from Salem High School in Georgia could have waited until the recruiting dead period ended, visited campuses and, for the first time, been in the same room as coaches pushing to land him. Although his parents wanted him to delay making a decision, Phillips was already sold and committed to Michigan State on Nov. 8, 2020.
“I didn’t really need to see anything, I didn’t really need to meet the coaches in person,” said Phillips, who was born in Detroit. “That’s my dream school so I wanted to be a part of that. Plus, I love the atmosphere, I love the type of work they do, I love the fans, I love the atmosphere on the field.”
Phillips, 6-foot-5 and 340 pounds, committed to the Spartans when they were three games into coach Mel Tucker’s complicated first season leading the program. While Tucker was still working to close out a 2021 recruiting cycle done almost completely virtually due to the pandemic, Phillips was the first commit in a solid 2022 class that ended up ranked among the top 25 in the nation.
“It was surreal committing when COVID was real big and we couldn’t really go anywhere,” Phillips said. “I feel like I had to be the one to start everything off and get things going for Michigan State.”
Phillips moved from Detroit to Alabama when he was young and then to Georgia for his freshman year in high school. He started playing football at age 8, began taking it seriously in his first of four varsity seasons at Salem, then colleges started taking notice when he was a sophomore.
“That’s when I knew I can really take it to the next level and I can play at the next level,” Phillips said. “It was really just my coaches putting it in my ear, me working as hard as I was.”
In developing as a player and Division I prospect, Phillips had help from his older brother, Shonye Reams. He was a offensive lineman at Alabama A&M and named second team All-Southwestern Athletic Conference as a senior in 2019.
“He was the one who taught me everything,” Phillips said of Reams. “When I wanted to take football serious, he was the one who took me under his wing and had me come up to Huntsville and work with him during the spring. I feel like he was the biggest factor in my whole football career.”
Prior to his pandemic-shortened junior season, Phillips picked up his first offer from Arizona State, then Delaware State and Michigan State followed. Those came during the NCAA’s dead period put in place due COVID-19, preventing in-person recruiting. Phillips spoke primarily with Tucker and offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic and felt more of a push from the Spartans than others, which led to his verbal commitment.
“Really it was just the coaching staff and the fan base and everything,” he said. “It was really a no-brainer that I was going to come back home and play in front of my home state.”
Although other schools were interested in Phillips, he felt them back off after the commitment. Almost 15 months after the dead period began, it was finally lifted in June 2021 and Phillips visited Michigan State for the first time that month.
“It kind of felt unreal because when you see stuff like that on TV, you never expect it to be like that,” he said. “It was really just unreal, it just didn’t feel true. Seeing everything, seeing how the players work, seeing the facilities, the nutrition and all that – it just felt unreal.”
Phillips returned to Michigan State for an official visit in December and signed a national letter of intent less than a week later, on the first day of the early signing period. Listed as a guard, he is one of four offensive linemen in the Spartans’ 2022 recruiting class, along with three-star tackles Ashton Lepo and Braden Miller and three-star guard Gavin Broscious.
“He is a massive human being,” Tucker said of Phillips in December. “He’s physical, he loves contact, he wants to finish and he’s got very quick feet for his size. He’s somewhat of a dancing bear.”
Phillips, who is one of seven signees in the 2022 class from Georgia, primarily played left tackle in high school but also has experience guard and center. Michigan State projects him at guard.
“Wherever they put me at,” Phillips said, “that’s where I’m going to play and that’s where I’m going to go make a statement.”
Michigan State had nine scholarship early enrollees in its 2022 recruiting class who were part of spring practice while Phillips is among 14 from the group who will arrive this summer. He has been focused on eating healthier and getting in shape before joining the program when he leaves home on June 1 to drive to East Lansing.
“I feel like I can play at my size and my weight,” Phillips said. “I move real well, I have good feet. I feel like the weight is not the problem, I just need to get more in shape and quicker.”
Michigan State will head into the fall with a reworked offensive line after losing three starters and experienced depth. The Spartans return only five offensive linemen who have taken a snap in college and will need younger players to step up. It’s difficult to crack the rotation in a player’s first year but Phillips is hoping to do so.
“My goal my freshman year is to just go in and make a huge impact,” said Phillips, who plans on majoring in kinesiology. “I know when I get there things are going to be tough, conditioning is going to be tough, practice is going to be tough. Just getting adapted to a new environment is going to be tough because this is going to be the first year where I’m not going to be around my mom or my family so it’s going to be tough just adapting, period.”
It was more than 18 months ago when Phillips committed to the Spartans and he is now just a few weeks away from joining them. He made three visits to campus – including for the final spring practice at Spartan Stadium on April 16 – but still hasn’t been to a Michigan State game and his first will be as a member of the program.
“I’m just ready to go and get up there,” Phillips said. “It’s been a long time coming and I feel like I have a lot to prove, I have a lot to play for.”
Related Michigan State football stories:
Michigan State football depth chart projection after spring practice
Former Michigan State RB Donovan Eaglin picks transfer destination
Michigan State football’s spring transfer portal departures down from last year
Washington State OL transfer Brian Greene brings versatility, grit to Michigan State
An early look at Michigan State’s 2023 NFL draft prospects
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After long wait, Michigan State OL signee Kristian Phillips ready to arrive at ‘dream school’ - MLive.com
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