Since everyone is riding high after the Jeremy Fears Jr. decision which came hours after Anton Bonke announced he was returning, I thought I’d bring the mood down a bit in true Michigan State football fashion.
Pat Fitzgerald and Michigan State have officially been eliminated from a now-former top in-state target’s recruitment.
Four-star edge rusher Myles Smith from Farmington, Mich., announced on his Instagram that he’s announcing his commitment on Thursday afternoon and he’s choosing between five finalists: Michigan, Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, and Oklahoma.
Michigan State is officially out.
Farmington (Mich.) 2027 four-star DL Myles Smith slated to make his commitment tomorrow at 3PM via his IG.#Michigan a finalist for the local standout. pic.twitter.com/tn8RW9AOoT
— Brice Marich (@BriceMarich) May 28, 2026
I can’t say that this is a huge surprise considering he just cancelled his official visit to Michigan State which was set for May 29, but it is rather shocking that he’s committing before official visits. I thought Michigan State might have a shot to get him on campus in the fall, but since he’s committing now and the Spartans aren’t even in his top five, that dream is likely dead.
It’s incredible how quickly Michigan State went from getting one of his first official visits to being completely out of the running.
Smith is ranked the No. 246 recruit in the 2027 class and the state’s No. 7 prospect.
Michigan State has DL options
Obviously missing out on a four-star in-state defensive lineman is less than ideal but Michigan State is going to have plenty of options in the 2027 class.
The writing had been on the wall for a few weeks that Smith was fading and when he cancelled his visit for an Oklahoma official, the chase for the in-state four-star ended. He has only taken one official visit and he’s ready to commit so it could very well be Indiana poaching a star from Michigan State’s backyard — that’s a phrase that I’m not used to.
The options for Fitzgerald and defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere III are aplenty. Even during the first official visit weekend of the summer, Michigan State is going to have some big-time defensive line targets on campus. Reinaldo Perez and Nehemiah Ombati will be in East Lansing and the following week will see four-star commit Ohimai Ozolua.
Missing out on a talented in-state recruit like Smith hurts, but until Michigan State starts winning games, that’s going to happen often.
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