Spartan Men’s Soccer Adds Four to 2022 Signing Class

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State men's soccer head coach Damon Rensing announced the addition of four players as part of the 2022 recruiting class.

The Spartans will welcome freshmen Jack Guggemos (Okemos, Michigan) and Jeremy Sharp (Roseville, Michigan), along with transfers Owen Finnerty (Walled Lake, Michigan) and Elijah Howe (Canberra, Australia).

They join previous signees Tyler Crawford (Lutz, Florida), Josh Mason (South Lyon, Michigan), Kyle Schueneman (Rochester Hills, Michigan), Jake Spadafora (Northville, Michigan) and Jonathan Stout (Wyoming, Michigan) to the 2022 roster.

Jack Guggemos
Fr., M, 5-11, Okemos, Michigan/Okemos High School

Prior To MSU: Played at Okemos High School for his father Brian … Named Mr. Soccer Michigan in 2021, as well as Michigan Division I Offensive Player of the Year … Named to the Michigan Dream Team in 2021 … Earned first-team All-State honors in both 2020 and 2021 … As a senior, scored 46 goals along with 16 assists as the Wolves went 20-0-4 en route to the Division I State Championship … Sister, Sarra, competed in skiing, winning the MHSAA slalom state championship in 2021 … Son of Brian and Nicki Guggemos.

Coach Rensing on Guggemos: "Jack had a storybook senior year of High school. One that is hard to even script. He led Okemos high to the State Championship earning Mr. Soccer honors for the state of Michigan, while playing for his dad who was the Okemos head coach! On the soccer field, Jack is a very technical midfielder who can play either wide or central. He is quick and sees the game well. He also has the ability to impact the final third of the field by scoring himself or setting up his teammates. We also really like the potential of Jack's leadership qualities and how his mentality affects his teammates in a positive manner."

Jeremy Sharp
Fr., D, 5-11, Roseville, Michigan/Olathe East High School

Prior To MSU: Played for Earned a 2018 USYS National Championship … Trained with the Sporting Kansas City MLS second teams … Son of Donald and Stacy Sharp.

Coach Rensing on Sharp: "Jeremy comes to Michigan State having developed at one of the best youth academies in the country. This is a highly competitive environment so the path to success is not always smooth. I have grown to admire how Jeremy has handle and grown through this process. He also has had to live away from his family while pursuing his soccer dreams. This takes a lot of maturity and that is a quality needed to succeed in the college environment. On the field, Jeremy's fitness and athleticism is at a very high level. At the right back position, he is very comfortable on the ball playing out of the back as well as getting forward in the attack."

Owen Finnerty
Sr., GK, 6-1, Walled Lake, Michigan/Detroit Catholic Central

Prior To MSU: Played three seasons at Michigan … Started 10 matches with 24 saves and a 1.07 GAA, playing over 800 minutes … Played high school for Detroit Catholic Central … Saw action for both Detroit City FC and Last Vegas Lights in 2019 ... Played club for the Michigan Wolves … His father, Bryan, played at San Diego State … Twin brother, Josh, plays soccer at Cal Tech.

Coach Rensing on Finnerty: "Owen, transferred to us in January. It has been great to have him here to train, get to the know the players, and understand our system and style. The transition has been fairly seamless which has allowed Owen to focus on school and soccer. Owen has a high soccer IQ and understanding of the game. He communicates and organizes his backline well. He is an intense competitor who pushes himself and teammates in practice on a daily basis. He also brings Division I regular season and NCAA tournament experience leading a team to the Sweet 16."

Elijah Howe
So., D, 6-2, Canberra, Australia/Radford College/West Florida

Prior To MSU: Named to the D2CCA All-South Region second team, while at West Florida ... Registered 1642 minutes in all 19 appearances ... Scored one goal against West Alabama for the game-winning goal … Spent two seasons at Goldey-Beacom College ... Started all 19 games in his second season with the Lightning ... Had one goal on the season against Chestnut Hill ... Named to the conference academic Honor Roll and CACC All-Academic Team ... Recorded the highest GPA of all Goldey-Beacom College male athletes ... Son of Stephen Howe and Delwyn Griffith.

Coach Rensing on Howe: "We are excited to add Elijah to an already great class and talented team. Elijah has proven himself as a top Division II center back and has also excelled at the USL 2 level. We were very thorough with our recruiting process with Elijah both on and off the field. His qualities off the field matched his qualities on the field. Off the field he is a high character, disciplined individual with strong leadership skills. These are qualities that have been very important to MSU Soccer. On the field, Elijah is very good playing out of the back and distributing the ball. He has a very good range of pass. At 6-2, he is very good in the air at both ends of the field. He reads the game very well which allows him to organize and communicate effectively."

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