It’s Early Signing Day, and multiple players have committed to join Michigan State Football!
The arrival of head coach Jonathan Smith, securing a substantial contract after departing Oregon State, brings a new era to the Michigan State Spartans. Early Signing Day has also proven fruitful for the Spartans, with commitments from several players marking a promising start in building the team’s future. This flurry of changes and signings hints at an exciting and transformative period for the Michigan State football program.
Jonathan Smith has already done a good job recruiting to Michigan State Football
As of Tuesday night, Michigan State was ranked 52nd in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite ranking. With today being Early Signing Day, the period will officially end on Friday, and Smith has already done a good job of helping to build up the class of 2024 that had taken considerable hits thanks to the controversy surrounding former head coach Mel Tucker.
Multiple players commit to joining Michigan State Football
School: Wyoming Seminary Upper School, Kingston, PA
247 Ranking at position: 53
Scouting Report via The Detroit Free Press: “Originally committed to Smith at Oregon State, Brinson possesses a blend of ability that could translate to either side of the ball. As a cornerback, he has speed to run stride-for-stride with receivers. As a safety or nickelback, he has hard-hitting downhill tackling ability. And his ball skills and quickness could allow him to shift to wideout or potentially return punts.“
School: Gaylord High School, Gaylord, MI
247 Ranking at position: 60
Scouting Report: “Extremely productive high school player. Physical and also a strong blocker on offense during his career. Good size already and will get stronger in college. Shows good ability to run to the ball and pursues hard. That helps with the lack of a verified speed measureable currently. Did play some offense and caught the ball some so we have evidence of ability to in space and ball skills. Should be a solid coverage linebacker and is a good all around athlete. Approach to the game and intangibles make him a very high floor prospect.”
School: St. Louis High School, St. Louis, MO
247 Ranking at position: 51
Scouting Report via The Detroit Free Press: “Young, who was the highest-rated prospect in Smith’s Oregon State class, decommitted after the coaching change and picked the Spartans less than 24 hours before the signing period opened. The familiarity with Michalczik and other former Beavers commits helped lure Young, one of two players from Hawaii in the class, to pick MSU. He shows good power and footwork as a blocker, using strong hands and upper-body strength to wall off edge rushers.”
School: Memorial High School, Frisco, TX
247 Ranking: 112
Scouting Report via The Detroit Free Press: “Originally committed to Smith at Oregon State, Tullis is a big-bodied, upright runner who displays good body control and balance. He generates plenty of power through contact with his leg strength and shows an ability to make plays in the passing game with soft hands.”
School: Helix High School, La Mesa, CA
247 Ranking at position: 98
Scouting Report via The Detroit Free Press: “Originally committed to Utah State, Jessee also had Smith’s former team Oregon State pursuing him late in the cycle before picking and signing with MSU on Wednesday. Jessee uses his strong footwork to avoid pressure and roll the pocket, becoming a threat to run when his poise under pressure erodes, and he throws a good ball with velocity and touch as needed.”
School: Homestead High School, Cupertino, CA
247 Ranking: 70
Scouting Report via The Detroit Free Press: “Originally committed to Smith at Oregon State, Hook has a frame to add bulk as a blocker but already shows soft hands and ability to make tough catches in traffic. His connection with new MSU assistant coach Brian Wozniak initially drew him to the Beavers, who relied on tight end play in new Spartans coordinator Brian Lindgren’s offense.”
School: Kelso High School, Kelso, WA
247 Ranking at position: 65
Scouting Report via The Detroit Free Press: “Originally committed to Smith at Oregon State, Stewart blocks with an edge and feistiness about him, using his long arms to fight off defenders and remaining aggressive through the whistle. Adding more weight will be a priority, but new offensive line coach Jim Michalczik liked Stewart’s frame and upside enough to recruit him twice.”
School: Riverdale High School, Murfreesboro, TN
247 Ranking at position: 142
Scouting Report: “Keshawn is the kind of kid you want on your team. He never wants to come off the field and besides that, he has great intangibles. His arms are super long, he’s twitchy, he has every quality you look for in a DB. I tell Keshawn all the time he can be as good as he wants to be. I played with guys who played in the NFL or are currently in the NFL and every quality those guys have, he has. Keshawn can go as far as he wants to go.” – Riverdale defensive backs coach Gentry Bonds
School: Bishop Kelly High School, Boise, ID
247 Ranking at position: 100
Scouting Report via The Detroit Free Press: “Originally committed to Smith at Oregon State, Johnson plays with good knock-back power at the point of attack and showed agility and speed to pull while playing tackle in high school. He’ll move inside at the collegiate level and need to put on bulk, but that shouldn’t hamper his foot quickness and athletic ability.”
School: McKinney High School, McKinney, TX
247 Ranking at position: 120
Scouting Report via The Detroit Free Press: “Originally committed to Smith at Oregon State, Frazier runs with a low center of gravity and power to get through traffic, flashing good vision and stop-start cutback ability to get through holes while playing behind USC commit Bryan Jackson. Frazier also is a downhill thumper on defense who was The Dallas Morning News’ No. 3 linebacker and No. 41 player on its top 100 rankings.”
School: Riverdale High School, Murfreesboro, TN
247 Ranking at position: 60
Scouting Report via The Detroit Free Press: “Thompson spent nearly a year waiting to become a Spartan, and he maintained his pledge despite Tucker’s firing. He shows strong instincts to break and close on plays and ball skills in coverage to make plays, along with an ability to fly downhill and hit with force, whether it be on the corner or at safety.”
School: St. Francis High School, Wheaton, IL
247 Ranking: 67
Scouting Report: “As a senior, led St. Francis to a 10-3 record and the semifinals of the Illinois 5A playoffs. Finished the year with the second-most passing yards and second-most passing touchdowns in the state. Completed 251 of 345 pass attempts (72.8%) for 3,408 yards with 40 TD and 4 INT. Also carried the ball 51 times for 331 yards and 9 TD. Named the DuPage County All-Area Football Team Captain and the Kane County Chronicle Football Player of the Year. An honorable mention for the 247Sports ‘Dream Team’ at the OT7 Finals back in June.“
School: Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, Cincinnati, Ohio
247 Ranking: 110
Scouting Report via The Detroit Free Press: “Luniewski and his twin brother, Mercer, kept their pledges to MSU through the coaching change, and Charlton continued to grow and add bulk throughout his senior season and played both inside and outside. He used an 87-inch wingspan to fend off defenders and lower-body power to drive them off the line.”
School: Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, Cincinnati, Ohio
247 Ranking: 53
Scouting Report: “Big-frame, big body who has backgrounds in basketball as well as on the defensive side of the ball. Relatively new to football as he only started playing in high school, then began to focus more on the sport and added a lot of weight in a short period of time. Has kept his athleticism as the weight has come on, which is a good sign for future development. High school left tackle who could stay there in college. Moves side to side and backwards well for a bigger player. Has functional strength at the moment and is adding more of that. Still a work in progress with technique given his newness, but has worked hard to shed the rawness and has been coming along. Has the natural tools as well as work ethic to continue to accelerate through his development in college and be a Power Five starting tackle.”
School: Midpark High School, Cleveland, OH
247 Ranking at position: 164
Scouting Report via The Detroit Free Press: “Originally committed to Bowling Green, Clay flipped his pledge to the Spartans on Monday following his Division I All-State selection in Ohio. Clay is elusive with the ball in his hands at receiver and on special teams, a long-strider with good vision and cutback ability who also has speed to outrun coverage. There is some Justin Layne to his game on both sides of the ball, including toughness to make catches in traffic and ball-tracking ability that could allow for a move to defense.”
School: River Rouge High School, River Rouge, MI
247 Ranking at position: 20
Scouting Report: “Big-bodied outside receiver who wins with physical superiority, and increasingly often with athleticism. Showed improvement as a junior in linear acceleration and top-end speed. Legitimately 6-foot-3, 200 pounds with a big catch radius and natural high-pointing acumen. Plays strong when the ball is in the air and after the catch. Dangerous contested-throw combatant. Combines physical traits with body control and adjustment ability to make difficult throws in coverage and along boundaries. Three-sport athlete with track and field experience and bouncy basketball context. Will drop the hammer on top of your head in the open floor or if given the lane. Can improve lateral fluidity and twitch, and combine testing reflects that. Plays a bit tight through the lower half, resulting in gear-down when redirecting in open-field situations. Displays promising short-to-intermediate leveraging of DBs, but will need to enhance close-quarters agility to enhance late-separation consistency. Year-over-year field and testing speeds are promising as he continues to add more juice to his top gear. Possesses the size, athleticism, and multi-sport profile that projects very well in the long term. Traitsy mismatch wideout with high-major impact potential and the ceiling to develop into an NFL Draft candidate.”
School: Gaither High School, Tampa, FL
247 Ranking at position: 88
Scouting Report via The Detroit Free Press: “Originally committed to Smith at Oregon State, Brinson possesses a blend of ability that could translate to either side of the ball. As a cornerback, he has speed to run stride-for-stride with receivers. As a safety or nickelback, he has hard-hitting downhill tackling ability. And his ball skills and quickness could allow him to shift to wideout or potentially return punts.“
TL;DR (too long didn’t read)
- Head Coach Jonathan Smith has been effective in recruiting for the Michigan State Class of 2024, especially considering the challenges stemming from the Mel Tucker scandal that impacted the team.
- Today is Early Signing Day and marks the commencement of the early signing period, and several players have already announced their commitments to Michigan State Football.
- With the signing period extending until this Friday, it’s an encouraging start for Michigan State amidst the recruiting efforts led by Coach Smith.
Bottom Line: Michigan State is poised for a big rebound
The 2023 season for Michigan State Football indeed unfolded as a nightmare, marred by the scandal that resulted in Tucker’s dismissal and compounded by the team’s disappointing 4-8 record. It was undoubtedly a challenging and tumultuous period for the program both on and off the field.
The influx of several new faces joining the team for the 2024 season presents an opportunity for the school to start anew and move beyond the challenges and memories of the previous year. It’s a chance to bring in fresh energy, talent, and perspectives, potentially revitalizing the team and setting a new course for success.
