Five games into his freshman season, Aydan West is making waves.
The first-year cornerback from Maryland was receiving some serious interest from Ryan Day and Ohio State near the end of his recruiting process, but he decided to stick it out with Jonathan Smith and the Spartans, and now he’s playing meaningful snaps in year one.
He probably wouldn’t have been able to do that at Ohio State.
West has been holding his own when he sees the field, and defensive coordinator Joe Rossi attributes that to him being a quick learner and never making the same mistake twice.
The second-year Spartan defensive coordinator raved about the former three-star who was being courted by Ohio State during his weekly presser on Wednesday.
MSU DC Joe Rossi had a pretty glowing review of freshman CB Aydan West when I asked about him today.
— Stephen Brooks (@StephenM_Brooks) October 8, 2025
West has already burned a redshirt and seen more action than anyone in the freshman class. pic.twitter.com/VxVerNN5Kg
Not only did Rossi rave about him for a minute, he also hinted at the possibility that he’s going to see the field more this season. He did say he doesn’t know if that increase will come soon, but he knows that West is going to be a great player eventually.
The freshman cornerback is already having his redshirt burned, so that shows just how much confidence the staff has in him, and he’s usually out there making solid plays.
It’s been a minute since a true freshman cornerback was really given this much praise, but the staff really likes what they’ve seen from West, and it’s going to translate into more snaps and a potential starting job by the end of his first year at Michigan State.
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