EXCLUSIVE: Recent MSU Football Offer Recaps Visit
The Michigan State Spartans hosted a fair amount of recruits during their Friday night win against Big Ten rival Purdue. Among them was Indiana native and Franklin Community product Blake Smythe, a 6-foot-3, 275-pound defensive lineman and 2026 three-star prospect.
Smythe has seen a bit of a surge in his recruitment this fall. He was offered by Illinois in late September and Wisconsin just before this visit to Michigan State. The visit was a success. I spoke with Smythe. He built a relationship with defensive line coach Legi Suiaunoa.
"We got there and we got checked in and they got our height and our weight," Smythe said. "I saw Coach Legi walk in and we talked for probably 30-to-40 minutes, getting to know each other and stuff because that was the first time we ever talked. We just talked about our families, his family, where he was from and where I was from. ... He was a really good dude overall, I like him. I liked his vibe. I liked the way he coached.
"I liked watching No. 97, [Maverick] Hansen, on the defensive line. Liked watching him play. I watched [head coach Jonathan Smith], I thought he had good composure throughout the game. ... Overall, the visit was fun. I had a blast."
Smythe had high praise for Suiaunoa, who he said he connected with.
"He was just like straight-up, "We really like you. We want you to come here,'" he said. "I felt welcomed when he came to talk to me."
It was when Smythe went to the field that things got real. A recruiting coordinator signaled him over with an ambiguous "Coach Legi needs you." It was there that the coach offered Smythe to play for the Spartans.
"He was like, 'Hey man, I loved your vibe, talking to you in the recruiting suite and we really like your film,'" Smythe said. "They offered me on the field before the game."
Smythe said that it meant a lot to him that the Spartans offered him in-person on the football field, as opposed to over the phone.
It's those kind of things that can ingratiate a program with recruits.
Michael France is Sports Illustrated's Michigan State recruiting beat writer, covering all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive Spartans recruiting coverage.
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