Jonathan Smith has been off to a strong start offering recruits and now he gets to show them Michigan State football.
What a whirlwind it has been for Michigan State football over the past couple of weeks since new head coach Jonathan Smith was hired. As soon as he arrived in East Lansing, he made it clear that there was a lot of work to be done and he was ready to get started. Smith talked about recruiting and wanting to bring in players from all over but wanted to emphasize the area of a few hours around East Lansing to build a strong base.
Regardless of who he was going be targeting right away, it was obvious that Smith needed to hit the ground running on the recruiting trail.
With just over two weeks until Early Signing Day, the staff that’s in place needed to get out and start meeting with prospects to salvage any sort of recruiting class for this year. The early returns are promising with some news about potential players being interested in MSU via the transfer portal.
Smith also started the process of reaching out to currently committed players who were left in MSU’s 2024 class and started evaluating and reaffirming their commitments. Most notably on that list was top-100 prospect Nick Marsh. Over the last few days, more commits and recruits have signed on to take official visits to MSU after receiving new offers from Smith. The first weekend of visits starts this weekend so let’s take a look at the prospects signed on to be in East Lansing this weekend.
- Aidan Chiles, former 4-star QB (2023), Oregon State transfer
Welp, as the article goes up, news always breaks. The name we have all been waiting for to announce his visit has officially done so. Per MSU 247Sports insider Justin Thind, Oregon State quarterback Aidan Chiles will also been coming to campus this weekend. Aidan is listed as the No. 2 overall player on the current transfer portal rankings. He is also the No. 1 ranking quarterback on that list. Aidan has developed a great relationship with Jonathan Smith and has been widely connected with MSU since the coaching hire. Should he transfer here, he would be firmly considered MSUs QB1. The former top 60 recruit is a dual-threat quarterback and has the potential to really be special in this new offense. This is a big get to lock in this weekend.
- Nick Marsh: 4-star WR, River Rouge (Mich.), current MSU commit
As I mentioned in the last paragraph, the most notable name on this list would be Nick Marsh. He’s the highest-rated prospect per 247Sports’ rankings who will be attending so far over the next few weekends. The four-star wideout from River Rouge, Mich., has been well discussed at length among Spartan fans.
This past week, he and “Mama Tron” went on the This Is Sparta! MSU podcast and advised Spartan Nation that they are locked in under the new regime and are working at bringing others with him. This was a breath of fresh air for the Spartan fans. Not only are we getting an excellent player on the field, but an amazing human off the field who will represent all Spartans perfectly.
- Brady Pretzlaff: 3-star LB, Gaylord (Mich.). current Minnesota commit
This name may also sound familiar to Michigan State football fans. Former coach Mel Tucker and staff initially were recruiting him earlier this season trying to flip him. Eventually, MSU did not make enough headway before Tucker was fired and he remained committed to the Gophers. Jonathan Smith has since re-evaluated that and is looking to potentially flip him still. Brady is a 6-foot-3, 230-pound linebacker. He ranks currently as the 15th-best player in Michigan according to 247Sports. Brady has the talent to potentially be a difference-maker for the defense. Flipping him would make a great early statement for Smith. His mission to re-establish MSU’s competitiveness in in-state recruiting would be greatly boosted if Brady signs here in a couple of weeks.
- Justin Denson: 3-star DB, Kinston (Penn.), current MSU commit
Yet another familiar name for MSU fans will be back home this weekend. Justin Denson has been one of the focal points of this class. The 6-foot-1 corner has been committed to MSU since early July and was a big get for Tucker originally. While not as highly rated as some other prospects, Denson’s talent is very noticeable and he was drawing major interest from schools such as Oklahoma, Florida, and Alabama. He ultimately chose MSU and has remained committed. Many Spartan fans were not sure if he was planning to stay committed before signing day, however. Getting him to reaffirm his pledge and stay in East Lansing could do wonders in eventually helping transform a secondary that has had issues over the past couple of seasons.
- Jadyn Walker: 3-star LB, Portage (Mich.), current MSU commit
Jadyn Walker remains the most recently committed Michigan State football prospect in the class. The linebacker from Portage, Mich., pledged his commitment to the Spartans back on Sept. 9 and has remained committed despite the coaching change so far. Like all the other MSU commits, he was able to speak with Smith last week and is excited to get back to campus this weekend and check out the new staff. The Portage linebacker is listed as the 20th overall player in the state of Michigan for this year’s cycle. He recently picked up an offer from USC so it will be nice to see if Smith can keep him committing to playing in East Lansing next season.
- The Luniewski Twins (Mercer and Charlton): 3-star OL, Cincinnati (Ohio), current MSU commits
I always feel bad about writing about these two in one discussion, but then they always do everything together so we are used to seeing it. The twins are familiar names in MSU fandom as they have been committed to the Spartans since late June. The outstandingly talented twin brother combo of Mercer and Charlton have been outspoken about remaining committed to playing together at MSU. They, along with Nick Marsh, are excited to be Spartans first and foremost, regardless of coach. According to Charlton’s post on social media, he and his brother will be on campus this weekend to meet and check out the coaching staff as well. As you see above, both Mama Tron and Marsh are excited the twins are coming back this weekend.
Mercer stands 6-foot-7 and plays primarily tackle in high school. Charlton is 6-foot-5 and plays primarily inside. The duo both are ranked as top 100 offensive linemen in the 247 rankings. Both were key prospects for former offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic. New line coach Jim Michalczik has expressed a desire to keep them in the green and white as well.
- Wyatt Hook: 3-star TE, Cupertino (Calif.), current Oregon State commit
The next two names brought up will likely be less known here in East Lansing. Wyatt Hook is a tight end prospect from California currently committed to the Beavers. He, Smith, and new MSU tight ends coach Brian Wozniak developed a great relationship during Hook’s recruitment to Oregon State. The hope is that he would like to continue that relationship now that the staff is in East Lansing.
It appears that the new coaching staff plans to heavily feature the tight end position in the offense so getting a commit you are already comfortable with to join the class would be great. Wyatt is ranked as the 66th-best tight end according to 247Sports. He would be a solid pick-up for the Spartans, should Smith convince him to flip.
- Brandon Tullis: 3-star RB, Frisco (Texas), current Oregon State commit
The last name on the list is none other than Oregon State commit Brandon Tullis. He is a three-star running back from Texas and is a dual-sport athlete there. He has been pledged to Oregon State since early July. Tullis was recruited to Oregon State by then-running backs coach Keith Bhonapha. He has since joined Smith’s staff here in East Lansing and is hoping to bring Brandon along with him. Tullis would be a solid depth add for a Spartan backfield that is certainly talented.
Overall, this is certainly a very talented group of players coming to East Lansing this weekend. Look for Smith to try to lock in as many commits as possible. Doing so would make a statement and continue to add to a talented core here in East Lansing.
We here at Spartan Shadows will have all the latest updates to any potential new names coming out before the weekend visits. We also will have reactions and other content related to this weekend’s festivities. Also, check back for more familiar names potentially coming to East Lansing for a new round of visits next weekend.
As always, Go Green.
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