Well, everyone, we’re one step closer to Michigan State football.
Spring camp has ended and now Michigan State will turn its sights onto the world of recruiting. As we wind down the holiday weekend, official visit season officially opens up on Thursday. Most class of 2026 prospects will take this time to officially visit schools and try to start making decisions as to where their college home may be.
Schools have a window this year from May 29 until June 23 when they can host players on campus and fully recruit them before summer camps get underway in August. A lot of high school prospects like to have their recruitments come to an end before their senior seasons. This way they can enjoy their last year of high school without having to worry about big decisions looming.
With this being the case, schools go all out during this month each year to try to host as many players as possible to get them comfortable with campus and build stronger relationships with staff. MSU is no exception and as of right now, the next four weeks are shaping up to be crucial ones.
Let’s examine the list of prospects currently scheduled to visit East Lansing over the next month.
**Disclaimer: This list is ever-changing. Some recruits on this list may not make it to campus or end up rescheduling visits due to the nature of recruiting. I will do my best each week to get as up to date of a prospect list out for the coming weekend to try to stay as accurate as possible**
Weekend of May 30 (10 visitors currently)
Here are the prospects currently scheduled to be on campus next weekend. All prospects are listed in order of overall grade. Stars and rankings are per 247Sports ranks.
- Collin Campbell: 3-star OT -- Gilbert, Ariz.
- Fameitau Siale: 3-star EDGE -- Seattle, Wash.
- Braylon Hodge: 3-star LB -- Englewood, Colo.
- Eddie Whiting: 3-star TE -- Sioux Falls, S.D. (Current MSU commit)
- Cory House: 3-star EDGE -- Memphis, Tenn.
- Brayden Thomas: 3-star S -- Lakewood, Ohio (Current Iowa State commit)
- KJ Deriso: 3-star CB -- Fayetteville, Ga.
- Koloi Keli: 3-star IOL -- Honolulu, Hi.
- Jeremiah Favorite: 3-star CB -- Boiling Springs, S.C.
- Elijah West: 3-star WR -- Cantonment, Fla.
All players visiting this weekend are ranked an 86 overall or higher by 247Sports.
June 2 (4 visitors currently)
- Carter Gooden: 4-star EDGE -- Marion, Mass.
- David Schwerzel: 4-star DL -- Seattle, Wash. (there are rumors that he canceled, but nothing official yet)
- Jaxson Gates: 3-star CB -- La Verne, Calif. (Syracuse commits
- Adrian Hamilton: 3-star IOL -- Washington D.C.
All players visiting this day are ranked 87 or higher per 247Sports.
Weekend of June 6 (5 visitors currently)
- Zachary Washington: 3-star WR -- Wheaton, Ill.
- Nehemiah Kolone: 3-star DL -- Stillwater, Okla.
- Christopher Knauls: 3-star DL -- Frisco, Texas
- Eliyjah Caldwell-Hardy: NR S -- Jacksonville, Fla.
- Tyson Sanford: NR S -- Suwanee, Ga.
Weekend of June 13 (12 visitors currently)
- Dezyrian Ellis: 3-star ATH -- Winnsboro, La.
- Chris Addison: 3-star EDGE -- Winnsboro, La.
- Adam Shaw: 3-star LB -- Hillsdale, N.J. (MSU legacy)
- Khalief Canty: 3-star OT -- Detroit, Mich.
- Amauri Polydor: 3-star CB -- Baltimore, Md.
- TJ Umenyiora: 3-star CB -- Roswell, Ga.
- Angel Luciano: 3-star LB -- Harrisburg, Penn.
- Samson Gash: 3-star WR -- Novi, Mich.
- Joey Caudill: 3-star TE -- Mansfield, Ohio (MSU commit)
- Arthur Scott: 3-star DL -- Streetsboro, Ohio
- Nelsyn Wheeler: 3-star RB -- Omaha, Neb.
- Obinna Umeh: NR Edge -- Houston, Texas
Adam Shaw is the son of former Michigan State offensive lineman Scott Shaw. His mom, Angela, played field hockey for MSU as well.
June 16 and June 19 (3 visitors currently)
- Xavier Warren: 3-star WR -- Georgetown, Texas
- Damon Ferguson: 3-star RB -- Gwynn Oak, Md.
- Kallen Martinez: NR S -- Seffner, Fla.
Weekend of June 20 (10 visitors currently)
- Logan Nagle: 3-star DL -- Wayne, N.J.
- Xavier Stinson: 3-star WR -- Vero Beach, Fla.
- Devonte Anderson: 3-star CB -- Winter Garden, Fla.
- Ezaya Tokio: 3-star LB -- Oceanside, Calif.
- James Williams Jr.: 3-star IOL -- Indianapolis, Ind.
- Bradley Brown: 3-star S -- Plano, Texas
- Alex Willis: 3-star ATH -- Orlando, Fla.
- Aaden Aytch: 3-star EDGE -- Lafayette, Ind. (Northern Illinois commit)
- Djidjou Bah: 3-star DL -- Germantown, Tenn.
- Jack Lansing III: 3-star ATH -- Hartland, Mich. (MSU commit)
All players listed are ranked 84 or higher on 247Sports.
Overall thoughts
Overall, there’s a lot of talent coming to campus this month. Most of these players probably won’t end up committing to MSU, but it is nice to see Jonathan Smith and Co. making a solid run at them. The staff’s ability to forge close relationships has been really good so far in the Smith era. Hopefully the coaching staff can build on a solid start to this cycle's recruiting and lock in some high-end talent to join the current class of 2026 class.
I’m hoping once the official visits conclude, MSU will have a lot more commits joining the class. I’m thinking if we can get into the 10-12 commitment range for the class by the end of the month, we would be in a good place to really attack the fall recruiting cycle and finish with a strong class.
Once the fall starts, your on-field play can give your recruiting a nice boost. The final class of 2026 prospects who haven’t made decisions yet will be watching and will make decisions based on that. Anyone who the staff pursues will get the luxury of being able to witness East Lansing on game day. Something the staff could use to its advantage if the on-field product is succeeding. They will also take that time to work on convincing any other team’s commits about a possible flip.
Regardless, the opportunity in front of the staff this next month is a big one. A strong month would really go a long way to changing the vibes around Michigan State football for the fanbase.
Here’s to hoping for a good month. Go Green.