Michigan State football: Where does the 2026 recruiting class stand after Early Signing Day?

It was a pivotal moment for the Michigan State football program as the Early Signing Period for the 2026 recruiting class has closed. Pat Fitzgerald’s job began in full swing, as the former Northwestern head coach was forced to abandon the idea of hiring a staff first as a usually coach would do, instead focusing on retaining the existing recruits that previous coach Jonathan Smith had before his dismissal.

The Spartans signed 18 total recruits. Some current verbal commits, and even two flips from Group of Five schools.

Below is a breakdown by recruit status, and where they stand now.

Players signed with MSU

Kayd Coffman, Four-Star QB

The East Kentwood, Mich., quarterback rose fast up the rankings after a promising senior season. Coffman led his high school team to the state semi-finals where the Falcons lost to Detroit Catholic Central, and current MSU commit Samson Gash.

Coffman finished his senior season with 2,599 passing yards, 34 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also rushed for 710 yards and eight touchdowns. He was also a candidate for Mr. Football in the state of Michigan.

Standing at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Michigan State held off other programs, Ole Miss, Colorado and Duke for his commitment. Coffman is ranked as the No. 364th nationally, No. 25 quarterback and the No. 5 from Michigan in his entire class.

Collin Campbell – Four-Star OT

Campbell out of Gilbert, Ariz., has been a consistent four-star over the course of the entire recruiting cycle. Campbell committed to the Spartans earlier on Dec. 5, minutes before the Greg Williams press conference announcement.

The Spartans had to fend off a flurry of other teams who were interested in Campbell’s services. Utah, Arizona, BYU, Texas A&M and Arkansas just to name a few. Some of those west coast schools have most likely reached out to Campbell to gauge interest.

Campbell is ranked No. 197 nationally, No. 21 offensive tackle, and No. 2 player in Arizona.

Joey Caudill – Four-Star TE

Caudill is another player who was identified early by the previous staff, and rose up the boards. The Mansfield (OH.) athlete played both tight end and quarterback during his high school career. Caudill will play tight end at Michigan State.

Caudill is ranked as the No. 432 player nationally, No. 23 tight end and the No. 21 player from Ohio in his class. Size is not an issue either with Caudill being 6-foot-5, 215 pounds entering as an early enroll.

The Spartans held off Kentucky, Louisville and Maryland for Caudill’s commitment. He is one of the two tight ends the green and white added this cycle.

Eli Bickel – Four Star OT

Bickel is another four-star for MSU. The North Branch (MI.) product was an early commit for Michigan State, and opted to stay home in his home state of Michigan after other programs Cincinnati and Northwestern came calling.

Bickel is ranked as the No. 457 player nationally, No. 43 offensive tackle and No. 7 player in Michigan. Standing at 6-foot-6, 270 pounds, Bickel has good size as an early enroll for the Spartans.

Brayden Thomas – Three-Star S

Brayden Thomas is ranked No. 901 nationally, No. 80 safety and No. 44 player in Ohio. He flipped from Iowa State following an official visit in June.

Jack Ziarko – Three-Star OL (Miami, OH. Flip)

Jack Ziarko is ranked No. 966 nationally, No. 76 offensive lineman and No. 45 player in Ohio. Ziarko flipped from Miami (OH.) on signing day, joining former and current classmate Hudson Aultman.

Adam Shaw – Three-Star LB

Adam Shaw is ranked No. 967 nationally, No. 82 linebacker and No. 22 player in New Jersey. The double MSU legacy was a one-time Rutgers commit, but elected for the longer road from home to follow in his family’s footsteps.

Hudson Aultman – Three-Star DL

Hudson Aultman is ranked No. 1219 nationally, No. 125 defensive lineman and No. 57 player in Ohio. Aultman, as mentioned above, flipped from Miami (OH.) a few weeks prior to signing day.

Eddie Whiting – Three-Star TE

Eddie Whiting is ranked No. 860 nationally, No. 53 tight end and No. 2 player in South Dakota. Whiting is a four-star on some sites, and had received attention from Alabama.

Eliyjah Cardwell-Hardy – Three-Star S

Eliyjah Cardwell-Hardy is ranked No. 1125 nationally, No. 10 safety and No. 121 player in Florida. Caldwell-Hardy also had a visit scheduled with FAU, as well as holding an offer from UCLA during the recruiting cycle.

Cory House Jr. – Three-Star EDGE

Cory House Jr. is ranked No. 1153 nationally, No. 102 edge rusher and No. 35 player in Tennessee. He had a visit scheduled with Iowa during the recruiting cycle. As of the end of the early signing period, he is the only EDGE commit, following the flips of Fametiau Siale and Chris Addison.

TJ Umenyiora – Three-Star CB

TJ Umenyiora is ranked No. 1152 nationally, No. 93 corner back and No. 115 player in Georgia. Umenyiora’s father Osi was a second-round draft pick out of Troy in 2003 at defensive end, and a one-time All-Pro.

His son, TJ, plays defensive back and has elected to take his talents to East Lansing over an offer from Auburn.

Jonathan Granby – Three-Star ATH

Jonathan Granby is ranked No. 2497 nationally, No. 192 athlete and No. 232 player in Georgia. He was the second flip on signing day, from Georgia Southern. He will likely slot in as a defensive back with the Spartans, although some graphics had him listed at quarterback when he flipped.

KJ Deriso – Three-Star CB

KJ Deriso is ranked No. 1004 nationally, No. 80 corner back and No. 106 player in Georgia. Deriso chose MSU over offers and scheduled visits with UCF, Louisville, and Kentucky.

Zach Washington – Three-Star WR

Zach Washington is ranked No. 770 nationally, No. 108 wide receiver and No. 20 player in Illinois. Washington hails from St. Francis High School in Wheaton, Illinois. In addition to having a school mascot of the Spartans, St. Francis is where starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic starred.

Washington’s first varsity touchdown came from Milivojevic, and now, the incoming freshman will look to replicate that first touchdown with MSU’s presumptive starting quarterback. Washington chose Michigan State football over Wisconsin and West Virginia as his final three.

Raishawn Elmore – Three-Star WR

Raishawn Elmore is ranked No. 1486 nationally, No. 213 wide receiver and No. 54 player in North Carolina. Elmore was a one-time ECU commit.

Tristan Comer – Three-Star OT

Tristan Comer is ranked No. 1053 nationally, No. 90 offensive tackle and No. 19 player in Michigan. He chose MSU over Oregon State, Northwestern, and West Virginia.

Jeremiah Favorite – Three-Star CB

Jeremiah Favorite is ranked No. 1310 nationally, No. 111 corner back and No. 24 player in South Carolina. He chose MSU over Oklahoma State, Wake Forest, and Indiana.

Players who have not signed

Samson Gash – Four-Star WR

Gash has pushed his signing day back to national signing day in February after Smith was fired at MSU. Most recently, Gash took a visit to Alabama and gained another Big Ten offer from Wisconsin. West Virginia has also been a main team to mention in Gash’s recruitment. Gash’s commitment to MSU has stayed pure, but there has been a slight amount of nerve in the air surrounding Gash’s level of commitment.

Gash is ranked No. 381 nationally, No. 55 wide receiver and No. 6 player in Michigan. The Detroit Catholic Central (MI.) product is also a candidate for Mr. Football inside of Michigan after winning the state championship with the Shamrocks this past season.

Gash also competed in track, where he ran a 10.42 40-yard dash. Standing at 6-foot, 185 pounds, Gash finished his senior campaign with over 1,700 receiving yards and 18 receiving touchdowns.

Players who did not sign with MSU

Chris Addison – Three-Star Edge

Addison announced he was flipping his commitment to Mississippi State shortly after Smith was fired. The Winnsboro (LA.) product signed with the Bulldogs yesterday after his senior campaign.

Addison is ranked No. 546 nationally, No. 56 edge rusher and No. 17 player in Louisiana. Standing at 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, Addison has the size and athleticism to compete at the highest level, and it looks like he will in the SEC with Miss. State.

Christoper Knauls – Three-Star DL

Knauls announced on his social media that he will not sign with MSU, and will instead reopen his recruitment. The Frisco (TX) product had 13.5 sacks as a defensive tackle in his senior season, and will look to repeat that success at wherever he plays in college.

Knauls is ranked No. 1451 nationally, No. 154 defensive lineman and No. 211 player in Texas. Standing at an absurd 6-foot-4, 262 pounds, and moving as fast as an edge rusher, Knauls has all the tools to play and dominate at the next level.

Fameitau Siale – Three-Star Edge

Siale had been committed to the Spartans since mid-June. The Seattle (WA.) product announced his decision to flip and sign with Utah to stay closer to home soon after Smith was fired by MSU.

Standing at 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, Siale is a technical player, who excels at footwork and beating his opponents in the trenches with technique and not raw skill. Utah will look to harness that IQ and strength and attempt to develop Siale into a player that can thrive at the next level.

Michigan State football adds a pair of walk-ons, one more pending

The Spartans bring in a pair of walk-ons for their 2026 class, with those being LB Jack Lansing III and WR Colin Charles. Both played their high school ball in Michigan, and were recognized by the previous staff. Additionally, long snapper Zach Curtis committed to Michigan State football as a preferred walk-on under Jonathan Smith, but has not signed yet. His X (formerly Twitter) bio lists him as an MSU commit as of Dec. 7.