Michigan State football stays hot, lands a quartet of commits

Jonathan Smith remains red hot on the recruiting trail. Four more high school prospects committed to Michigan State football today.

Jonathan Smith continued an amazing lead up to the early signing period by landing four more Michigan State football commitments on Tuesday. All four of them are consensus three-stars, along with Rustin Young being a top-250 four star by 247Sports.

The Spartans landed, in order, Payton Stewart, Rakeem Johnson, Kekai Burnett, and Young. Each commit is a member of the trenches, with Stewart, Johnson, and Young representing the offensive side and Burnett the defensive. All four were previous Oregon State commits that Smith and Co. wanted to bring to East Lansing upon their move. 

Payton Stewart was the first domino to fall

Payton Stewart is a projected left tackle, and is an imposing 6-foot-7, 270 pounds. Stewart brings both great length and power, and should protect Aidan Chiles and Alessio Milivojevic’s blind sides in the years to come. He ranks No. 884 and No. 64 for tackles in the 247Sports composite. He held offers from a lot of Power Five schools, including Duke, Northwestern, Arizona State, and Boston College. He committed to Northwestern in May, but decommitted following the firing of Pat Fitzgerald. 

Then Smith and Jim Michalczik came calling with Oregon State at that point. After taking an official visit in June, Stewart committed in July. He visited Corvallis again in November, and looked to be locked in with the Beavers. Following Smith’s and Michalczik’s move to the Big Ten, Stewart reopened his options for the second time. The Spartans offered Stewart in December, and the staff hosted him for their third time last weekend. Today, he announced his commitment to the Spartans. 

Home 🟢⚪️ @FBCoachM @Coach_Smith @MSU_Football @RealMG96 @BrandonHuffman @RivalsFriedman @BlakeBentz @kelsosports pic.twitter.com/lYOvdHe9QC

— Payton Stewart (@payton_stewart0) December 19, 2023

Rakeem Johnson projects as an interior offensive lineman

Rakeem Johnson is an interior offensive lineman, standing at 6-foot-3, 255 pounds. Hailing from Boise, Idaho, he was named the 2023 MaxPreps Idaho Player of the Year, beating out Michigan leaning receiver Gatlin Bair (No. 43 nationally). For a position that is not the most glamorous, this is quite the testament to his playing ability. Johnson is ranked No. 1254 of all prospects and No. 101 among interior offensive lineman by the 247Sports Composite. 247Sports ranking is a bit higher on the Idaho prospect, ranking him No. 84 among interior offensive lineman. He held offers from Oregon State, Boston College, and Cal, among others. 

Johnson committed to the Beavers in July and re-opened his recruiting on Dec. 11. The Spartans were the first of three schools to offer him a scholarship following the decommitment, the others being Cal and BYU. He elected to take an official visit with the Spartans last weekend alongside Stewart, Young, and Burnett, and it appears the visit made up his mind. 

Locked in🟢⚪️@BKKnightsFB @MSU_Football @BrandonHuffman pic.twitter.com/bV0QaIa4l9

— Rakeem Johnson/3⭐️ (@Rakeemj19) December 19, 2023

Rustin Young might see the field extremely early

Rustin Young is the second tackle to commit to Michigan State football on Tuesday, but might bring some of the most hype. Young comes in at 6-foot-5, 275 pounds. 247Sports is extremely high on the Hawaiian, ranking him in their top 250 and the best player in the state of Hawaii. Young committed to the Spartans over Utah, Oregon State, Arizona State, and Auburn. 

Young has been very open about his interest in the Spartan staff following their relocation to East Lansing, stating he would be interested in them reaching out. After that, it appears things clicked quite well, and he stated that he was honored that the staff believed in his ability to play at the Big Ten level. 

Young originally committed to Oregon State in July. However, he was a player that loads of schools coveted. He visited Arizona State on Dec. 1, and the Spartans offered him a few days later. BYU offered him a few days later, and then came his decommitment from Oregon State. A few days later, Young was headed in for his official visit to the Spartans. On Tuesday, Jim Michalczik and Jonathan Smith landed their offensive line star.

Personally, I believe that Young is a player that we can see on the field quite early. Of the three offensive lineman, I think he is the most filled out and ready to see the field. Johnson will be great after a year or two of bulking up for Big Ten play, and Stewart will be very similar. These three combine with the Luniewski twins to give the Spartans five commits on the offensive line.

Found home in East Lansing! I’m 1000% Committed to Michigan State! #GoGreen @Coach_Smith @FBCoachM @MSU_Football @BrandonHuffman @BlairAngulo @GregBiggins pic.twitter.com/mO5V0rVovP

— Rustin Ezekiel Ka’alokuloku Young (@YoungRustin) December 19, 2023

Kekai Burnett is currently the only defensive line commit in the 2024 class

When Michigan State football received news of Burnett’s commitment, some fans, like me, breathed a big sigh of relief. Before today, the Spartans had yet to land a defensive line commit. Kekai Burnett fills that hole and might see the field immediately. He brings a lot of power with both his hands and legs, and a high motor that the staff, namely Legi Suiaunoa, will appreciate. Suiaunoa has pushed hard for Burnett at both Oregon State and Michigan State, and his effort was rewarded with tonight’s commitment. 

Burnett is rated No. 1,278 nationally and No. 87 among edge rushers by 247Sports Composite. Once again, however, 247Sports is much higher on him. They rate him No. 41 among edge rushers. Burnett comes in at 6-foot-2, 235 pounds. This leaves some room to bulk up, but I do believe that his playing weight is still viable for the field next year. 

Burnett originally committed to the Beavers in July. The Spartans came calling with Jonathan Smith and Suiaunoa on Dec. 1, and Burnett decommitted the same day. However, BYU also coveted Burnett, and hosted him on a visit Dec. 8. The Spartans got the last say, hosting him last weekend, and the last word won out. 

ALL GLORY TO GOD!! 1000% COMMITTED!! #GoGreen #808takeover @Coach_Smith @LegiSuiaunoa @_antjuan_ @MSU_Football @IkaikaAthletics @kia_nate @BlairAngulo 💚✝️ pic.twitter.com/yYkkXhr766

— Kekai Burnett (@braddahkekss) December 19, 2023

Burnett is a player that I can see on field relatively soon, maybe faster than fellow Hawaiian Rustin Young. The defender comes into a position that saw Zion Young, Khris Bogle, and Jacoby Windmon enter the portal, Brandon Wright be carted off in the season semi-finale, and no proven returning productivity. No returning edge rusher posted more than 2 sacks (Jalen Thompson, who takes many reps at defensive tackle) last season.

Jonathan Smith has blitzed his way through the last week and now has the Spartans sitting at 17 commitments and four transfers. With one last day, Earlu Signing Day, remaining, who can we see flip to the Spartans at the last minute? I would not bet against this staff. I can see the Spartans finishing with 18 or 19 commits by this time tomorrow.