One thing you can expect from an offensive-minded head coach and former quarterback is that he will always be looking to land one of the top passers in every class. So the news that came out over the weekend regarding Michigan State football's involvement with the No. 5 quarterback in the 2026 class shouldn't be shocking.
In his first cycle, Jonathan Smith landed Aidan Chiles via the portal who was considered the No. 1 transfer quarterback in the country. In his second cycle, he landed one of his top quarterback targets, Leo Hannan, relatively early on.
Now, he's trying to knock it out of the park in his third cycle with top-100 passer Brady Smigiel.
According to a report from Hayes Fawcett of On3, Michigan State is one of six schools standing out to the No. 5 quarterback in the 2026 class.
These schools now stand out to Elite 2026 QB Brady Smigiel, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 26, 2025
One of the Top Available QBs in the country just decommitted from Florida Statehttps://t.co/mwF0PRbGHA pic.twitter.com/5yyfCUptbs
Smigiel said that Michigan State is standing out to him along with Ohio State, Washington, Michigan, South Carolina, and UCLA. That's an interesting list but he clearly is leaning toward the Big Ten if five out of the six programs he listed as standouts are from the conference that has produced the last two national champions -- and both are on his list.
Smigiel just decommitted from Florida State on Jan. 26 so it's a good sign that Michigan State is staying consistent with him and standing out to him with a big summer ahead.
The Spartans have a long battle ahead if they're going to land the No. 63 overall recruit and fifth-best quarterback in the country from Newbury Park, Calif. A big 2025 season from Chiles could help the Spartans out here big-time.