Michigan State football lands 3-star OL Justin Bell

Michigan State football landed three-star offensive tackle Justin Bell on Wednesday night, improving the offensive line class.

I led off Tuesday’s article announcing the commitment of Adyan West saying, “The Spartans remain hot on the recruiting trail.” Now I should amend that saying Michigan State football is simply scorching hot on the recruiting trail. This new commitment comes in the form of 2025 three-star offensive tackle Justin Bell.

Bell becomes the 12th commit for the Spartan class and he is a massive pick-up for Jonathan Smith and offensive line coach Jim Michalczik. When I say massive, I mean it both figuratively and literally for the group. Bell is the 90th-ranked tackle in the country per the 247Sports Composite. He also stands 6-foot-8 and weighs about 290 pounds. He’s got the size and length to become a dominant force up front for the offense.

Bell played his high school ball at Macomb Dakota High School in Macomb, Mich., and 247Sports ranks him as the 21st-best player from Michigan in the 2025 class. He held 15 other offers besides the Spartans. Some other notable schools interested in him were Indiana, West Virginia, Kansas, and Army.

Michalczik should have a great possibility to develop Bell. His game shows everything you’re looking for from an offensive tackle prospect. He fits the mold of the other offensive linemen being recruited under Michalczik so far. Size, skill, big upside — all of the traits the staff is looking for. With some coaching, adding a little more size for the Big Ten, and some refinement of certain skills, Bell could be an anchor of the future for the Spartan offensive line.

Another in-state prospect pick-up for the Spartans is big. Smith and the staff have done an amazing job working in the state to re-establish some connections with area high schools. Recruiting in the state was a big part of Mark Dantonio’s success in East Lansing but slipped away a little bit under Mel Tucker. That was one of the major goals when Smith took over and so far he has succeeded.

Bell marks the fifth Michigan commit from the 2025 cycle for the Spartans with a couple more potentially in the mix.

Also, with commits Emmett Bork and Braylon Collier being from Wisconsin and Ohio respectively, Smith is trying to stick with Midwestern targets to help build the foundation of his first few classes. Seven of last year’s prospects hailed from the Midwest as well. When Smith was first hired, a major question both myself and Michigan State football fans alike asked was if he was going to be able to recruit from this area. So far, so good for the new Spartan head coach.

Overall this is a great pickup for the Spartans.