4 Michigan State 2024 Early Enrollees To Watch For
It’s not too early to start thinking about Michigan State Football’s spring practices. There is a lot of unknown surrounding the Spartans currently, but we’ll know more about this program in the coming weeks and months.
Winter conditioning is currently underway and new head coach Jonathan Smith said Thursday that MSU will begin spring ball in the second or third week of March. Michigan State signed 18 incoming freshmen in the 2024 recruiting class, and 11 players from the transfer portal so far. Of those freshmen, nine have enrolled early this January for offseason workouts and spring practice.
Five of the early enrollees were committed to the Spartans’ previous staff, while the other four committed after Smith was hired. There’s only one four-star recruit in the incoming class, but Smith showed an ability to find hidden talent in his previous time at Oregon State. Here are some names to get familiar with before spring practice.
River Rouge (Mich.) Wide Receiver Nick Marsh
The lone four-star and highest rated recruit for the Spartans, Marsh is the closest thing Michigan State has to an “instant impact” freshman in 2024. The Michigan native is the No. 115 recruit in the country (247Sports composite) and drew nearly 40 FBS scholarship offers. Despite attempts from multiple schools to flip his commitment amidst MSU’s coaching staff shakeup, Marsh stayed true to his commitment to MSU and is now on campus.
At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Marsh is a walking mismatch against smaller defensive backs due to his size and strength. The 18-year-old adds speed and coordination to high-point the football with that size, making him one of the top-ranked receivers in the country. Michigan State has a young wide receiver room and Marsh should fit in well and have an opportunity to play right away. The Spartans don’t have a wideout with his combination of speed and size, and Marsh addresses their need for a bonafide, No. 1 pass-catcher. With three new quarterbacks on the roster, Marsh could emerge as a favorite target early in spring.
Gaylord (Mich.) Linebacker Brady Pretzlaff
Michigan State isn’t in dire need of immediate help at linebacker, but Pretzlaff will catch some eyes in spring. Ranked the No. 17 player in the state of Michigan, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound talent is good enough to find his way onto the field on special teams, if not on defense. New defensive coordinator Joe Rossi recruited Pretzlaff when he was the DC at Minnesota, and Pretzlaff was once committed to the Gophers. Rossi being familiar with Pretzlaff’s style of play may help get him on the field quicker.
In high school, Pretzlaff played on both sides of the ball as a linebacker and wide receiver. In 2023, he was named first team All-State in Michigan and was an All-Conference awardee three years in a row. Watching his high school highlights, it seems Pretzlaff was underrecruited because of the level of competition he played against. His early enrollment this January could help the youngster adjust to the level of competition and make a quick impact for the Spartans.
Wheaton (Ill.) St. Francis Quarterback Alessio Milivojevic
Milivojevic had a successful 2023 high school season which saw him rise in his recruiting rankings throughout the past year. Once a Ball State commit, Milivojevic gained Power 5 interest the last couple months of his recruitment and landed with Michigan State. Oregon State transfer quarterback Aidan Chiles is the presumed starter for MSU, and North Dakota transfer Tommy Schuster the projected backup. With that understood, Milivojevic adds some much-needed insurance and is one of two QBs the new staff will start to build around.
Milivojevic led St. Francis to the Illinois state semifinals while setting school passing records on the way. He has a good arm talent, can throw accurately downfield and in the short-to-intermediate game, and is able to change speed on his throws. While he’s not ready to play at the Big Ten level right away, Milivojevic’s intangibles will be on display this spring. With Chiles having three years of eligibility left and Schuster being a graduate transfer, Milivojevic can push for the backup spot this season and for the starting spot in 2025.
Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Riverdale Defensive Back Jaylen Thompson
Thompson has been committed to the Spartans since December 2022 and was the first player to commit in this class. He kept his commitment to MSU through the coaching turnover and has since built a relationship with new defensive backs coach Blue Adams. Thompson was once rated a four-star recruit but finished the 2024 cycle as a high three-star and is a quality talent for Michigan State to land from Tennessee.
What makes Thompson interesting is his versatility. Projected as a cornerback at the college level, the 6-foot-1, 173-pounder played safety his senior year of high school. Similar to Pretzlaff, he impacted his team on both sides of the ball, also playing wide receiver on offense. While he will likely play on the defensive side of the ball, it will be intriguing to see Michigan State chooses to develop him at cornerback or safety. The Spartans need depth at safety and focusing on that position could allow him to get on to the field earlier in his career.
Michigan State’s Other Freshman Early Enrollees:
- Cincinnati (Ohio) Hills Christian Academy Offensive Lineman Charlton Luniewski
- Cincinnati (Ohio) Hills Christian Academy Offensive Lineman Mercer Luniewski
- Frisco (Tex.) Memorial Running Back Brandon Tullis
- Kingston (Penn.) Wyoming Seminary Upper School Cornerback Justin Denson
- La Mesa (Cali.) Helix Ryland Jessee
For more coverage of Michigan State Athletics:
- Subscribe to our YouTube channel: @SpartanNationPodcast
- Follow us on Facebook: @SpartanNation
- Follow us on Twitter: @mlounsberry_SI | @a3danm | @Dylan3ngels
