There’s a good chance Michigan State finishes with 3 of the top 6 in-state OL

Pat Fitzgerald is well aware that finding success with Michigan State starts with recruiting the Midwest well, and especially the state of Michigan. Losing every top in-state recruit to Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Notre Dame, or the SEC isn’t exactly ideal, but it happened often under Jonathan Smith and previously under Mel Tucker.

Fitzgerald is poised to make sure that doesn’t happen on his watch.

So far in his 2027 class, Fitzgerald has two in-state targets committed, but there’s a good chance he adds to that over the next month with official visits. Right now, Fitzgerald has commitments from Jack Carlson, the No. 7 in-state recruit, and Grant Adloff, the No. 11 in-state recruit.

All signs are pointing to him adding Jameer Henry who’s ranked the No. 10 in-state recruit in the 2027 class. The Detroit-native is apparently trending toward the Spartans but Missouri is getting an official visit from him on May 29 while Michigan State has yet to lock one in. I still like Michigan State’s chances with Henry, but Fitzgerald needs to get him on campus.

If Henry does commit to Michigan State, that would give Fitzgerald a whopping three of the state’s top six offensive linemen in the 2027 class, per RallyPreps.

Dewey Young is another offensive lineman who I wish Michigan State would go harder after considering his official visits are to Purdue (the favorite), South Carolina, and Colorado. That’s a winnable recruitment, but it looks like Michigan State is out.

There’s a non-zero chance that Michigan State finishes the 2027 class with the Nos. 3, 5, and 6 offensive linemen from the state. That’s huge for future in-state recruiting.

Relationships in the state are being forged by Fitzgerald. You love to see it.

Comparing Pat Fitzgerald’s in-state OL success to Jonathan Smith’s

Some of the best offensive linemen to ever play for Michigan State (Jack Conklin) have come from the state of Michigan. It’s obviously not a pre-requisite to being a great collegiate offensive lineman in East Lansing, but it’s always good to add recruits who understand the rivalry.

Building a offensive line with Michigan recruits who hate the Wolverines can only yield positive results, right?

How does this in-state offensive line recruiting success compare to the Smith era? Well, from 2024 (he finished off that first class) through 2026 (he recruited most of this class before getting fired), Smith had just four offensive line commits from the state of Michigan. In just his first full cycle, Fitzgerald could have three alone.

Every day, it grows increasingly obvious that Fitzgerald just didn’t fit in East Lansing. He wasn’t familiar with the recruiting landscape in the Midwest, he didn’t focus enough on building the trenches, and in-state recruiting left a lot to be desired.

Fitzgerald is doing a pretty solid job before even coaching a game with the Spartans.

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