Every great college football program has a history of elite quarterback play from Alabama to Ohio State to LSU and LSU. All of these programs have had some of the best quarterbacks in NCAA history and they usually produce them rather consistently. To be a contender, you must have elite quarterback play.
Pat Fitzgerald knows that and he’s acting on it in his first couple of recruiting cycles.
The first-year head coach convinced four-star quarterback Kayd Coffman to sign with Michigan State after Jonathan Smith left which was his first big win for the position. Then he landed Eli Stumpf in the 2027 class which may not have been the “big fish” that fans were hoping for, but he’s much better than his modest recruiting ranking and he’ll fit in well within Fitzgerald’s system.
The 2028 class will be extra important for Fitzgerald’s quest for an elite quarterback and he’s already identified his top three targets at the position.
Just this week while running a camp, Fitzgerald offered two in-state quarterbacks who are likely going to be highly-coveted before the 2028 class is sewn up as well as a four-star from Pennsylvania. Fitzgerald has his top three targets in mind with his first three quarterback offers in the class and there’s a good chance that one of them becomes a Spartan.
Get familiar with the names James Armstrong, Grayson Thurston, and Brayden Tillman.
Michigan State should feel good about at least two QBs
Fitzgerald extended one out-of-state quarterback offer (Armstrong) which might end up being a long-shot with programs like Georgia, Auburn, Arkansas, Florida State, Ole Miss, Penn State, and Wisconsin already involved. Landing the No. 10 quarterback in the 2028 class won’t be easy.
Tillman was an offer that I felt coming for about a week after seeing the in-state quarterback receive offers from Florida State and Wisconsin. He’s been garnering a lot of attention lately and I think he’s going to be a borderline four-star when he finally gets a ranking. Nick Sheridan has to feel good about where he sits with the 6-foot-4, 170-pounder from Traverse City.
Thurston, like Tillman and Armstrong, camped at Michigan State this week and stood out, earning an offer from Fitzgerald and Sheridan. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound quarterback holds offers from Cincinnati, Iowa, and Minnesota but is currently unranked. That, too, will change soon.
The latter two are high on Michigan State’s list and being in-state recruits, the Spartans have to feel good about where they stand with both.
Add us as a preferred source on Google