4-star Michigan State QB commit silences rumors after Jonathan Smith was fired

Sunday was a whirlwind not only for Michigan State fans and players, but also recruits who have been committed to the Spartans under Jonathan Smith.

First, Smith was fired by J Batt and then Pat Fitzgerald was hired about two hours later. It was one of the quickest coaching turnarounds that I’ve seen, and it showed that Michigan State was serious about a change. Batt had a coaching candidate in mind already, and he wasted no time negotiating a contract and making the move with one of the more respected coaches on the market.

Recruits have some time to make a decision on their future, and the players on the roster will have a transfer portal window that they can take advantage of — Makhi Frazier has already announced his intention to enter the portal.

We will be seeing some key commits either announce that they’re going to reopen their recruitment or reaffirm their pledges to Michigan State.

On Monday afternoon, the first big name revealed that he would be signing with the Spartans despite Smith getting fired about 24 hours earlier. Four-star quarterback Kayd Coffman showed that he plans to be a leader in East Lansing, announcing that he’s sticking with Michigan State.

Coffman, a four-star quarterback from Grand Rapids, Mich., just got done leading East Kentwood on a deep playoff run that came just short of a state title, losing to fellow Spartan commit Samson Gash and Detroit Catholic Central. He gave the decision some thought after seeing the coach who recruited him get fired on Sunday afternoon.

Michigan State’s 2026 recruiting class has had a rough fall as it lost commitments from four-stars Braylon Hodge and Tyren Wortham in the midst of the Spartans’ losing streak.

There’s also a rumor that Gash could follow suit after visiting Alabama, but there has been no clear decision made on that front. Fitzgerald has some phone calls to make before signing day, but it looks like he’s going to lock up his quarterback of the future.

Unlike when Smith took over, the quarterback room looks to be in good shape for the foreseeable future, especially if Alessio Milivojevic opts to return.