Jonathan Smith and Michigan State football have been on a recruiting scorcher over the past month and the second-year head coach is trying to parlay that success into a great start to the 2027 class.
The Spartans have gone from having one of the worst classes in the Big Ten, ranking in the 70s nationally with just four commits heading into June's official visits all the way up to No. 23. Smith has flexed his recruiting muscle that many fans didn't know he had, beating out programs like Alabama and Georgia in the process.
Now he's turning some of his focus toward the 2027 class.
Smith has obviously been working hard with 2027 targets but he made some headway with one over the weekend, landing in his final five.
Where’s home 🏠✈️?? @grimsleyfb @RossMartinNC @RivalsFriedman @RivalsWardlaw @Rivals @AuburnFootball @HokiesFB @LSUfootball @MSU_Football @FSUFootball pic.twitter.com/OMsQWONmZt
— Andrew ”pook” Rogers (@DrewRogers2027) June 27, 2025
Andrew Rogers, a four-star edge rusher in the 2027 class, released his top five schools on Friday and Michigan State made the cut along with Auburn, LSU, Florida State, and Virginia Tech. This is a loaded top five but Smith has shown that he can beat out some of college football's biggest powers for recruits -- just ask Kirby Smart and Kalen DeBoer.
Rogers is a 6-foot-6, 240-pound edge rusher from Greensboro, N.C., who holds nearly two dozen offers. Michigan State offered him nearly two weeks ago and the Spartans already made his top five.
He's ranked the No. 232 overall recruit and 27th-best edge rusher in the 2027 class, according to the composite. He would be a nice addition to the class, especially after losing the only pledge in that cycle a couple of weeks ago in Khalil Terry.