Through four games this season, Michigan State football is 3-1 and hoping to build on that winning record after the bye week.
Jonathan Smith knows how important it is to keep winning because, well, recruiting depends on it. If he starts losing games like he did last year after a 3-1 start, it’s going to be much more difficult to recruit and keep currently committed players in the class.
Smith is already feeling the pressure to retain one of those key commitments in the 2026 class, and it may not matter just how much the Spartans win.
Three-star linebacker Braylon Hodge has been one of the hottest recruits in the class lately, going from mid-level three-star to fringe four-star, and now he’s being recruited by some of the top programs in the country. He’s received offers from the likes of Oregon, Michigan, Missouri, and Texas recently, and it looks like he’s scheduling visits to check out these programs.
According to Brandon Huffman of 247Sports, Hodge is planning to visit two Big Ten schools and two SEC schools over the next two months.
Englewood (Colo.) Cherry Creek linebacker Braylon Hodge, a commit to Michigan State, has seen his recruitment take off since the season and now he has four official visits lined up, two to the Big Ten and two to the SEC https://t.co/Kt4fCXndIy pic.twitter.com/dKtwI74wnW
— Brandon Huffman (@BrandonHuffman) September 29, 2025
The three-star linebacker from Colorado is kicking things off with an official visit to Michigan on Oct. 4, which isn’t going to make Spartan fans very happy. And then he’ll be at Oregon, Missouri, then capping things off with a trip to Austin to visit Texas on Nov. 22.
It won’t be easy to keep him in this class, and Smith knows that, but making sure he continues to recruit him and the Spartans keep winning will be important.
Also, getting him to East Lansing one more time before signing day can only help.