After committing to Michigan State football on June 1, it felt like Braylon Hodge was going to join a strong linebacker room in East Lansing and he had a chance to be the next great.
The three-star linebacker from Colorado was being overlooked on the recruiting trail, and his commitment to Jonathan Smith and the Spartans over programs like Colorado and a dozen others was somewhat surprising, but he wasn't exactly the most sought-after recruit in the class.
Things have changed in a hurry, however.
Colorado, Michigan, and Texas have all made strong pushes to land the linebacker, and he has gained some respect from recruiting experts, getting that four-star bump this week.
Appreciate the update ‼️💪🏾 pic.twitter.com/KzmSvpx2Wg
— 4⭐️- Braylon Hodge (@BraylonHodge) September 15, 2025
Hodge got a nice bump on Rivals, which has bumped him up to a composite four-star, ranked the No. 274 overall player in the country as well as the 18th-best linebacker. He's also the state of Colorado's No. 1 overall prospect.
This bump has been nice, and his growth has been fun to watch, but will it be all for naught? The Spartans are going to be battling to keep him around because he just visited Colorado and both Texas and Michigan recently offered, pursuing a flip. Now it looks like he's planning to visit Texas this week, which can't feel good for Smith and Co.
The staff needs to put on the full-court press to get him to remain in the class, because it's fairly obvious that he's a special player, and he was identified early on.
Hate on Smith for clock management or his defense, but you can't hate on him and his staff for identifying talent early on, seeing as multiple 2026 commits have gotten nice bumps.