We may be in the middle of a special basketball season but Michigan State football is still working behind the scenes. Jonathan Smith hasn't taken a day off yet.
Just a month after signing the 2025 recruiting class officially, Smith has been prepping his team for spring ball. But he's also working hard on the recruiting trail.
The 2026 class is in focus and Smith is already identifying top targets.
Earlier this week, one of those top targets showed love right back at him, naming Michigan State in his list of top 10 schools, stating that his recruitment is still open.
#AGTG Where is home??? Recruitment still open.@McDCoachSule @McDonoghFB pic.twitter.com/AB6Qkwwip5
— Nick Abrams II 4⭐️ (@thenickabrams) February 27, 2025
What a loaded top 10 for four-star linebacker Nick Abrams II which just means that Michigan State has its work cut out. Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, Texas A&M, Georgia, Alabama, Vanderbilt, USC, and Duke all made the cut with Michigan State which means that the Owings Mills, Md., star will be a tough player to land, but he is going to be really good at the next level.
Abrams II holds over 30 offers and to make his top 10 is impressive, but Smith has some work to do. Fortunately, Michigan State has a history of producing elite linebackers and that should help the Spartans' case.
Michigan State has barely gotten started on its 2026 class, landing four players already and sitting in the top 40 nationally, but landing a guy like Abrams would be massive.
Smith's first two classes have been OK, but not great, and this third class is really going to prove if he can recruit with the rest of the Big Ten consistently. It's time for him to make a statement.