It’s been a while, everyone. With the summer in full swing and the recruiting frenzy dying down, I thought we should take a quick second to assess where the next Michigan State football class stands before starting the season.
What better way to get the hype train rolling for football? For most of this offseason, Jonathan Smith was drawing a lot of criticism from the fan base on recruiting. That all changed during his June hot streak.
Still with all that in mind, where do the Spartans stand? Who’s committed so far and what more might they add?
Let’s check it out.
Who is currently committed?
Let’s start with who we have committed so far. As of Aug. 3 when I’m writing this article, the Spartans currently sit with 22 commits. Per 247 and the 247 composite rankings, that is good for the 31st-ranked class in the country. That’s most likely not where the numbers will finalize at once signing day hits this December.
We will have rankings recalculations to post, plus any commitments and de-commitments that may come in.
For now, though, I like where the Spartans are sitting.
This class is following Jonathan Smith’s plan very well, in my opinion. He continues to build depth first and foremost. The second thing this class is doing is also raising the floor of this team. While there aren’t many four-star commits, overall this class is very talented. It also possess some major upside. These players remind me a lot of the Mark Dantonio era prototype — players that may be huge impact guys after a couple years in the program and with the work.
The class currently consists of the following players.
Note: Their star rankings are per the 247 Sports rankings.
- Samson Gash, 4-star WR (Novi, Mich.)
- Collin Campbell, 4-star OT (Gilbert, Ariz.)
- Chris Addison, 3-star EDGE (Winnsboro, La.)
- Tyren Wortham, 3-star WR (Sarasota, Fla.)
- Fameitau Siale, 3-star EDGE (Seattle, Wash.)
- Kayd Coffman, 4-star QB (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
- Braylon Hodge, 3-star LB (Englewood, Colo.)
- Adam Shaw, 3-star LB (Hillsdale, N.J.)
- TJ Umenyiora, 3-star CB (Roswell, Ga.)
- Zachary Washington, 3-star WR (Wheaton, Ill.)
- Cory House, 3-star EDGE (Memphis, Tenn.)
- Eddie Whiting, 3-star TE (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
- KJ Deriso, 3-star CB (Fayetteville, Ga.)
- Quinn Buckey, 3-star OT (Bakersfield, Calif.)
- Brayden Thomas, 3-star S (Lakewood, Ohio)
- Jordan Vann, 3-star S (Middletown, Ohio)
- Eli Bickel, 3-star OT (North Branch, Mich.)
- Joey Caudill, 3-star TE (Mansfield, Ohio)
- Jeremiah Favorite, 3-star CB (Boiling Springs, S.C.)
- Tristan Comer, 3-star OT (Freeland, Mich.)
- Eliyjah Caldwell-Hardy, 3-star S (Jacksonville, Fla.)
- Christopher Knauls, 3-star DL (Frisco, Texas)
Highlights of the 2026 Michigan State football class
As I previously stated, this class has a lot of potential, in my opinion. To me the upside is all over the board.
Let’s start with the wideouts. Both Samson Gash and Tyren Wortham are smaller in height, both standing an even 6-foot. These guys make up for that with absolute burning speed. Samson set the state of Michigan high school 100-meter dash record with a 10.41 second 100. For context, that’s under a second slower than the 100-meter dash world record set by Usain Bolt in the 2009 World Championships in Track. Tyren is no slouch either in the speed department and holds 34 Division 1 offers so far.
The third receiver recruited is Zach Washington who is a bigger target at 6-foot-2. His route-running ability, catch radius, and wheels caught the eyes of Courtney Hawkins early on. He brings an all-around game to this room and the upside is huge.
The tight ends are also interesting gets. Both Joey Caudill and Eddie Whiting are big bodied guys. Both stand over 6-foot-5 and weigh over 215 pounds or more. They are both extremely athletic and have major upside. Whiting chose the Spartans over the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Florida, and Colorado. Caudill committed over the likes of Kentucky, Louisville, and Maryland.
The leader of this class would be the quarterback, Kayd Coffman. He was the first commitment of the class when he committed back in February. He since has done nothing but help recruit other players and become a leader for the group. In the latest recruiting recalculations, he did get a bump from other sites making him a composite four-star recruit according to 247Sports. Coffman has been impressing in quarterback camps this spring and was shooting up teams recruiting boards. He was a big get for the Spartans and appears to be 100 percent locked in as well.
In the trenches on both sides of the ball, you have a lot of size and raw talent. On offense, composite four-star Collin Campbell checks in at 6-foot-7, 280 pounds. He is very athletic and will be a huge piece for Jim Michalczik to work with. The other three offensive tackles in Eli Bickel, Quinn Buckey, and Tristan Comer all are big guys as well. Each standing 6-foot-6 and weighing over 260-plus pounds. Size on the offensive line was clearly a need and this class definitely brings that. Michalczik did a wonderful job at identifying these pieces to work with.
On the defensive side of the line, edge rushers Chris Addison and Fameitau Siale are huge gets for the Spartans. Both are quick and can really get to the quarterback. Defensive tackle Christopher Knauls is a raw interior defensive tackle that I believe can be a force after some work with the coaching staff. Same with edge rusher Corey House.
Overall, I could go on an speak highly of every single recruit in this class. The coaching staff has done a great job so far with piecing these guys together. They all seem like hard working, character guys as well. Getting them all in the building next winter and spring will be a huge boost to the Michigan State football program.
What’s left for this class?
Where this class finalizes is a bit of a mystery. The foundation of the class is set. There’s no arguing that. But does the class have room to add more? Of course, but I don’t know if I expect a ton more.
The class currently does not have a running back in it. That is kind of concerning though the current roster is chalked full with young talent. Mahki Frazier and Brandon Tullis all saw playing time as freshman last year. Class of 2025 commit Jace Clarizio is extremely talented and could do the same this fall. I would expect them to monitor some players that they have been recruiting before but committed elsewhere. Maybe Kory Amachree could be a flip candidate? The Spartans were recruiting him heavily before he committed to Kansas.
I would also like to see potentially another linebacker potentially added just because of the turnover coming to that room over the next two years.
Regardless of who they identify, the staff has the luxury of being patient and monitoring potential flip candidates and late senior year risers cause of how effectively they filled out the start of the class.
Overall, Jonathan Smith’s philosophy to recruiting has been questioned by many but you’re starting to see it pay off. He has started to build up relationships in the Midwest like we hoped while still being able to win big West Coast battles. The class features a lot guys from Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois so that’s great. Having the West Coast ties still active though lead him for major upsets with players like Fameitau Siale and Collin Campbell. Both are major wins and could be huge impact players in the trenches for Michigan State football down the line.
Fans seem to forget, this is Smith’s first full cycle of recruiting. To accomplish this class after a slow start and a rough on-field result last season shows that he and the staff can recruit. Continuing the plan and combining that with improvement on the field could set up for a big 2027 recruiting performance.
Regardless, overall I’m really encouraged by the start for this staff and can’t wait for Michigan State football to come back in the next few weeks. Thanks for checking back in, all. Go green.
