Michigan State Football: What’s happening at 2023 Spartan Dawg Con?

The long talked about weekend has finally arrived for Michigan State Football.

Happy July 28, Michigan State football fans. Those following along on social media have know for some time that the 2023 Spartan Dawg Con is being held this weekend in East Lansing.

For weeks now, Michigan State Football and people within the program have talked about today being a special one. We have recruits coming to campus and working out. We have former players and Spartan alum visiting. MSU social media has plans for releasing a potential new uniform as I wrote about before. Also, it appears a fan experience event is taking place for select fans.

Let’s break down the happenings today.

Recruits in attendance

A very large amount of the 2024 commitments are planning to be on campus this weekend currently, along with some other recruits from different classes.

Here’s a list of who’s attending.

• Nick Marsh: 2024 4-star WR — MSU commit
• Anthony Carrie: 2024 4-star RB — MSU commit
• Andrew Dennis: 2024 4-star OL — MSU commit
• Mercer Luniewski: 2024 3-star OL — MSU commit
• Charlton Luniewski: 2024 3-star OL — MSU commit
• Logan Bennett: 2024 3-star OL — MSU commit
• Syair Torrence: 2024 3-star CB — MSU commit
• Jaylen Thompson: 2024 3-star CB — MSU commit
• Camren Campbell: 2024 3-star CB — MSU commit
• Reggie Powers: 2024 3-star CB — MSU commit
• Henry Hasselbeck: 2024 3-star QB — MSU commit

Recruits coming onto campus that aren’t committed yet are as follows

Bredell Richardson, 3-star WR (2024) 

Bredell is a 6-foot-1 receiver hailing from Tampa. He is a high school teammate with Anthony Carrie. He ranks as the 282nd player nationally per the 247 Composite Rankings.

Richardson is a widely popular recruit. He currently boasts 47 offers from schools. Some heavy hitters including Alabama, Colorado, LSU, and Michigan. MSU seemingly came in a little later with him but seems to have made an impression. He is very close with Carrie so you can be sure that Anthony has been working on him for the Spartans. Having him come to campus this weekend is a big get.

Gregory Patrick, NR OL (2026)

The Portage, Mich., tackle is coming to campus being one of the few 2026 prospects MSU is focusing on this early. He stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 262 pounds currently. He holds seven offers and more will be coming. The Spartans and Oklahoma are the two Power Five programs out in the early hunt for Patrick.

Ben Nichols, NR DL (2026)

The other 2026 prospect coming to campus today is Ben Nichols. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound defensive tackle from Davison, Mich., is a target that Mel Tucker has identified early as a potential home run for them. He currently only holds three Division 1 offers but more will be coming. He is crazy athletic for his size and could pose a huge threat for opposing teams at the next level. Playing for Davison, he is already getting a taste for high-level high school football in Michigan.

Carter Lowe, 4-star OT (2025)

Carter Lowe is a 6-foot-5, 290-pound tackle hailing from Toledo, Ohio. He is currently ranked the 164th overall player in the 2025 class by the 247 Composite. He holds 19 offers. MSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Clemson, and West Virginia are some of the bigger names. Lowe has the talent that Chris Kapilovic loves to work with and could be a big get for the 2025 class for the Spartans. It’s nice getting him on campus now for the coaching staff to really start showing him what the Spartan family is about.

Avery Gach, 4-star OT (2025)

Yet more high-end offensive line talent coming to campus. The talented tackle from Franklin, Mich., currently holds 25 offers. Michigan, MSU, and Alabama are among the front-runners. Avery stands 6-foot-5 and weighs about 275 pounds. He’s listed as the 135th ranked player in the 2025 class overall. Tucker is always preaching building the team through the trenches and Gach would be a big get for the 25 class. He and Kapilovic have already built a great relationship and look to further that.

Kamren Flowers, 4-star WR (2025)

Flowers is a speedy wide out standing 5-foot-11 and weighing 170 pounds. The West Bloomfield, Mich., star ranks as the 313th overall player in the 247 Composite Rankings for 2025. He currently holds 10 offers. He and Courtney Hawkins have been in contact a lot and MSU likes the traits he possesses a lot. The Spartans have been in on him since early on. Flowers is super athletic as he also runs track for West Bloomfield, boasting a 10.78 second 100-meter time this past year.

Cooper Catalano, 3-star LB (2025)

Catalano is a talented linebacker from Germantown, Wisc. He stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 200 pounds and is currently listing as the 427th overall player in 2025. Catalano currently holds six offers but more should be coming in soon. The Spartans are the latest offer of his and are just starting to ramp up his recruitment. Tucker and Scottie Hazelton will look to make a great early impression on Cooper starting today in hopes to get him back for future visits this fall.

Cashus Shivers, 3-star ATH (2025)

Last but not least, we have the three-star athletic freak Cashus Shivers who hails from Cass Tech High School in Detroit. He is listed as the 424th player overall currently in 247’s rankings. He holds 16 offers and picked up his MSU one on a visit this past April. Shivers is a target that MSU has identified early and seems very high on. Getting him back on campus again is a good sign for the coaching staff. Harlon Barnett was the one who offered him, as our staff sees him best playing safety in college. Look for the Spartans to keep close contact with Cashus, as they are high on him.

Former players and staff in attendance

I’ll be honest with you here, this list is ever-changing. Many former Michigan State football players and staff try to make it back for this event each year so it’s hard to get a set list and be accurate with it. Many names have been thrown around but the big name I have seen confirmed so far would be former head coach Mark Dantonio.

Coach D will be back in attendance and helping out with the festivities. It’s really exciting seeing him back on campus. Obviously the love we all have for him is apparent but he can be a really important figure for current athletes and future recruits alike as well.

Other former players potentially coming to the festivities are:

• Duane Goulbourne, RB
• Jehuu Caulcrick, RB
• TJ Duckett, RB
• Edwin Baker, RB
• BJ Cunningham, WR
• Mark Dell, WR
• Ike Reese, LB
• Darqueze Dennard, DB
• Kurtis Drummond, DB
• A couple surprise visitors and also many more former players

‘Thy Shadows’ fan event and potential uniform release

The final exciting piece to the party today would be the “Thy Shadows” fan event. Michigan State Football announced this on Thursday officially where select fans were invited to a first look at the 2023 Spartan Team. At the event there will be rumored special guest appearances and a special surprise to conclude the event. Nothing official has been noted but many prominent figures of MSU Twitter, reporters, and influential figures outside the program will be going. As discussed in a previous article, it’s rumored that our new alternate uniforms will be released today as well.

Spartan Dawg Con is an annual event that seems to grow and grow with each passing year. The number of high-profile people attending this year coupled with the exciting releases and chances for fans make this one event you simply can’t miss.

Stay tuned in to us at Spartan Shadows for much more Spartan Dawg Con content as it releases.

Go Green, everyone.