Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast: Day 1 of Early Signing Period
The Michigan State Spartans were expected by many to have a rough first day of the 2025 early signing period. They lost Cornerbacks Coach Demetrice Martin, who reportedly left for UCLA, and with that, there were concerns that the Spartans could lose what was a stout defensive backs haul.
They lost LaRue Zamorano III, who followed Martin.
The Spartans did make massive gains, flipping running back Jace Clarizio from Alabama after losing him to the Crimson Tide. The hometown East Lansing High School product is a talented player but the flip marks something far bigger in regard to implications.
Our Michael France and Sport's Illustrated podcast host Claudette Montana analyzed the first day of the 2025 early signing period in this latest edition of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast.
You can watch below:
Coach Jonathan Smith sent a clear message to college football -- relationships and tenacity to the very end in recruiting, and the Spartans under his leadership will go toe-to-toe with any powerhouse program with a massive NIL war chest for the talent they feel is the right fit for their program.
Not only will Smith's Spartans compete, they will win.
"I think it shows we can compete at the highest level," Smith said on Wednesday. "A couple of these guys had some really high profile options, and we were able to them choose us, have them believe in us and so I think it shows a great direction of where we are heading. I'll say this a little bit, though -- we are going to make our own evaluation, too, we like guys whether they are highly sought after, but we also like guys that have great senior years and continue to work and fit us. So we want to be able to compete at the highest level and trust deeply our own evaluation."
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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