Michigan State football official visit preview: June 23

Michigan State football is entering its last official visit weekend of the month and it happens to be the most important.

The final weekend of June is fast approaching and there is one main focus for the Michigan State football staff: recruiting. With many recruits setting commitment dates for early July, the time to make impressions on top prospects is coming to an end.

The last big official visit weekend is coming up as well and MSU has some high-value targets coming to campus. It’s imperative that Mel Tucker and the staff pull out all of the stops this weekend and put together a great pitch. Doing so could net some really influential recruits.

Overall, there are four top-100 recruits on campus this week. All of them could have a big impact in East Lansing.

Let’s break down the visitors.

Charles Lester III, 5-star CB (unofficial visit)

OK, so Charles Lester III is not coming this weekend. He surprisingly showed up in East Lansing on an unofficial visit Wednesday. I couldn’t make a list without including him.

Lester III is the No. 18 overall player in the 2024 class and the No. 2 overall cornerback. The visit announcement came as a shock as there had not been many rumblings of him coming to campus prior to him posting his arrival on Instagram. He has set a commitment date of July 29 and most experts believe he will pick Florida State.

Getting him on campus at all is a good sign so hopefully Mel made a good impression. If somehow he decided to schedule an official visit for a later date, that would be a good sign that MSU made enough of an impression to make him think twice.

David Stone, 5-star DL

The No. 5 overall ranked player in the 247Sports Composite will make his much-anticipated return to East Lansing this weekend. Everyone’s favorite five-star has been on campus three times prior to this weekend.

Many fans were worried that the Spartans may not get an official visit on the books for Stone but that is not the case. He has been very vocal about his love for East Lansing and Tucker and is looking forward to spending the weekend in Michigan.

The Spartans are battling it out against Oklahoma, Miami, Florida, and Oregon for Stone.

The five-star has said very recently that he is still undecided on his timeline for a commitment and a school. He did go on record saying that he plans to take his time committing and that once he does he plans to stay committed. Getting him on campus for an official visit is definitely a good sign.

Hopefully the coaches will continue to build that good momentum with him. Landing Lester or Stone would be the first official five-star commit for Tucker as the Spartans’ head coach.

DeAndre Carter, 4-star IOL

Another top-100 overall player coming to campus, DeAndre Carter lists as the 88th-best player in the 2024 class. The 247Sports Composite has him as the No. 2 overall interior lineman.

Carter stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 340 pounds. He currently holds 28 offers from other schools. As of now, the Spartans are fighting against USC, Auburn, and Texas for Carter’s services. I don’t anticipate any quick resolution of his recruitment in the future as he has no concrete timeline for his decision. And 247Sports also shows him tentatively penciled in for an official visit to Texas in September.

Carter has been to East Lansing once so far when he took an unofficial visit this past March.

Jason Brown, 4-star RB

Sticking to the theme of top-100 visitors coming this weekend, Michigan State football welcomes in running back Jason Brown. He ranks as the No. 90 overall player in 2024. Brown hails from Seattle, Wash., and has been a priority target for the Spartans for some time.

The four-star back holds 23 offers and is being heavily recruited by several major programs. It appears MSU, Washington, Alabama, USC, Georgia, and Texas are the major players so far. The Spartans are Brown’s only official visit on the schedule thus far, however. That is a good sign for MSU.

Brown was most recently on campus during an unofficial visit this past April. He has given no official timeline but has hinted at potentially committing somewhere during the summer. A great impression this weekend could maybe persuade that.

Nick Marsh, 4-star WR

This name is surely ringing a bell for Spartan fans. The former MSU commit is back on campus for his final official visit before his commitment date on July 7. Marsh originally committed to the Spartans back in July of 2022 and was thought to be the focal point of the class early on. He decommitted on March 7 of this year, stating his intention to continue his recruitment, but mentioned that the Spartans would still be a strong candidate.

MSU has kept up its push for Nick to the very end.

Most experts believe that the Spartans and Penn State are his top two schools. Marsh’s mother has also been very vocal in her support for Michigan State but also states that it’s his decision solely.

Tucker and the staff having the last visit before his commitment is a golden opportunity to sway the momentum back in our favor for good. Marsh has always been vocal about his love for East Lansing. Whether or not Tucker does enough this weekend to convince the recommit remains to be seen. You have to think the Spartans have a decent shot here regardless.

Marsh ranks as the No. 102 player in the 2024 class, per the 247Sports Composite.

Jamari Howard, 4-star CB

Here’s another former MSU commit who the Spartans would love to have back in the class. Also, another top 100 overall player visiting this weekend.

The 6-foot 2 corner from Miami is ranked the No, 10 cornerback and No. 88 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite.

Howard decommitted from MSU in May, but the Spartans are still on his short list of schools. Others fighting for his services are Florida, Miami, and Rutgers. He is another electric piece that could really upgrade the Spartan secondary should he commit.

Look for the Spartans to make a significant effort in landing him this weekend

Justin Denson, 3-star DB

I wrote a piece on Justin Denson earlier this week when he officially came out with his top five list of schools. He also set his commitment date for July 1. Getting the last shot to pitch to Denson is big as well.

The Spartans have been trending in the right direction for him. He has 28 total offers. MSU, Florida, and Oklahoma appear to be the top three for him. Winning out against those schools is no small task, but the Spartans have just as good of a shot as any here.

The Providence, R.I., standout would be a great addition to a rebuilding secondary in East Lansing.

Mercer and Charlton Luniewski, 3-star OL prospects

I had to list Mercer and Charlton Luniewski together cause they are being recruited together. In fact, that’s one of MSU’s main factors for the kids in their recruitment. They want to play together at the next level and not all schools are offering both.

Regardless, the twin tower offensive line prospects will be in East Lansing again this weekend. Mercer plays offensive tackle and Charlton slots as a guard. Michigan State is viewed as the front-runner for the dynamic duo however other schools are getting involved.

The twins are coming off an official visit to Cincinnati last weekend. Look for the coaching staff to stay aggressive in their recruitment. Having current 2024 commit Andrew Dennis back on campus to help pitch them will certainly help as well. Dennis has returned to campus on visits every weekend this month to help try to pitch prospective recruits.