Michigan State football pushing for flip of Wisconsin TE commit

Despite the hot seat rumors surrounding Jonathan Smith, the Michigan State football coach is still on the recruiting trail trying to improve the 2026 class that has fallen on some hard times.

Over the past couple of weeks, the Spartans have lost two four-star commits in Colorado-based linebacker Braylon Hodge and Florida-based receiver Tyren Wortham. This has forced the staff to move in other directions. There are still intriguing target left on the board, but those two losses critically hit the otherwise solid 2026 class.

The Spartans are making moves on some guys at other programs that could soon be without head coaches — like Wisconsin, for example.

On Tuesday, the Spartans scheduled an official visit with a three-star Wisconsin tight end commit who happens to play ball right down the road. Jack Janda, a three-star from Orchard Lake, Mich., has been committed to Luke Fickell and the Badgers since June, but with the program falling on hard times and programs re-evaluating Janda as a defensive lineman, he’s decided to look around.

Janda will reportedly be in. East Lansing on Nov. 15 for an official visit.

Michigan State isn’t the only Big Ten program making a push for the Wisconsin tight end commit, as Iowa, too, is hosting him a week earlier on Nov. 8.

Janda is ranked the No. 812 overall recruit and 16th-best prospect in the state of Michigan for 2026.

Wisconsin announced following a loss to Ohio State on Saturday that the school wasn’t parting ways with Fickell — at least not yet. That may be good news for Wisconsin commits, but the program seems to be trending in the wrong direction with no end in sight.

Michigan State, too, could be looking for a new coach this offseason, but at least Janda is from Michigan and he’s familiar with the Spartans program.

We’ll see if Smith and Co. can complete the flip while being on the hot seat.