Just hours after finding out that a new athletic director has reportedly been identified, Michigan State football picked up its first commitment of official visit season.
It was a relatively quiet first official visit weekend of the summer, but it yielded the first commitment for Michigan State since February. This is also just the fifth overall commitment for Michigan State in the 2026 class so there's plenty of work to be done still.
On Sunday afternoon, Smith put on the bat signal on Twitter, teasing a commitment, and then shortly after, Braylon Hodge announced that he would be joining the Spartans' 2026 class.
The three-star linebacker had other official visits scheduled, but he decided to give his commitment to Michigan State thanks to the connections he made with the coaching staff and his belief in the staff's ability to develop players.
Hodge is ranked the No. 45 linebacker in the class and the ninth-best prospect in Colorado, per 247Sports. He's rated an 88 by 247Sports which means he's on the verge of four-star status, but he has yet to be ranked on the composite. My gut tells me that he'll be a four-star before the class is all sewn up.
This commitment was big not just because it ended a near-four-month drought without a pledge for Smith and he canceled three big officials following his trip to East Lansing.
Canceling trips to Iowa, Minnesota, and Utah just goes to show that Smith did a fantastic job here of identifying a talented linebacker who is flying under the radar and made sure he didn't get a chance to see the other schools that are known for developing linebackers.
Hodge is a big get for Rossi and Smith.