Although the results haven't proven it yet, Pat Fitzgerald and his Michigan State coaching staff have been putting in some serious work on the 2027 recruiting trail.
Fitzgerald has landed five commitments since the beginning of March and a somewhat dead recruiting class is now ranked No. 34 in the country. That may not sound impressive, but having a top-35 recruiting class after four straight seasons without a bowl berth is not an easy task. Couple that with the fact that Fitzgerald has been out of coaching for a few years, and a slow rebuild was almost expected.
Just two weeks ago, Fitzgerald boosted his 2027 class with the commitment of four-star defensive lineman Ohimai Ozolua from Chicago.
He's now in the mix for another four-star from Illinois, according to reports.
Rivals' Greg Smith reported that Michigan State is one of two schools that have a confirmed visit locked in with four-star offensive lineman Corey Laga.
NEW: Four-star OL Corey Laga (6'5, 260) has a couple official visits locked in👀
— Greg Smith (@GregSmithRivals) May 6, 2026
Michigan State (June 5) and Vanderbilt (June 12) are confirmed. Wisconsin, Arkansas, Notre Dame, Missouri also in the mix.
Intel: https://t.co/NAGGNbPpAN pic.twitter.com/fGBhRYpc0J
Vanderbilt is getting his other visit, but Smith is reporting an early-June visit for Laga, but 247Sports has already posted that he's taking a visit on May 29. I'm not sure which date is the correct one, but I'm going with Smith's reporting since it's the latest update as of May 6.
Laga is listed as a three-star on 247Sports, ranked No. 435 in the country, but On3 has him listed as a four-star. He's also the No. 43 offensive tackle in the class, but he's got some serious beefing up to do.
The four-star from Lemont, Ill., stands 6-foot-5 and weighs just 250 pounds. That would be great size for a tight end, but he's going to need to add at least 50 pounds if he's going to be able to handle the rigors of Power Four football in the trenches.
Michigan State isn't recruiting like a rebuilding team
If you looked at Michigan State's 2026 class, you'd realize that the Spartans are in the middle of a rebuild. The class isn't bad, by any means, but it does lack starpower and many believed that Fitzgerald was going to have a tough time with his first class.
That doesn't seem to be the case so far.
Michigan State has the nation's No. 34 class and it's in the mix for several four-star recruits in 2027 like Gideon Gash, Myles Smith, Nehemiah Ombati, Caleb Johnson, Marvin Nguetsop, and Anthony Cartwright. And those are just the guys who are expected to take official visits this summer.
Fitzgerald took over and has been recruiting at a high level since December. It’s impressive what he’s been able to do while only really selling hope and a resume that wasn’t exactly stellar post-COVID.
Imagine what he can do when he starts winning.
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