4-Star WR Set to Visit Michigan State Soon

Coach Jonathan Smith continues to focus on recruiting as it will be a pivotal part of Michigan State's turnaround. Four-star wide receiver Mason James is set to visit East Lansing.

Ousted MSU football coach Mel Tucker is featured on an Michigan State Football license plate on a vehicle seen parked outside Spartan Stadium, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, in East Lansing. / Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal

Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith has seemingly and rightfully made recruiting one of the top priorities during his first offseason in East Lansing. As the summer progressed, Coach Smith continued to recruit at a high level, considering all he and his coaching staff have faced since arriving at Michigan State. 

Early this offseason, Coach Smith prioritized mainly three-star athletes from Michigan and the surrounding states in the Midwest. He has done a commendable job of recruiting players that were likely to be overlooked by more prominent schools around the country, as he wisely realized most of the higher-ranked players in the 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes had likely already decided on where they would commit to playing football in the future. 

However, after nearly filling Michigan State’s 2025 recruiting class, coach Smith has turned his attention to the 2026 recruiting class. Coach Smith has now secured one of the best transfer portal classes of this season, secured a respectable 2025 recruiting class, and has now upped the stakes as he has begun recruiting higher-ranked players for the 2026 recruiting class.

After focusing primarily on players ranked with three stars or less, Coach Smith has begun recruiting more four-star athletes over the last few weeks.

According to Rivals.com and Yahoo Sports recruiting analyst Marshall Levenson, 2026 four-star wide receiver Mason James is set to visit East Lansing this upcoming weekend.

The Norman, Okla. native is ranked as the 27th-best wide receiver and the 171st-best overall prospect in 247Sports’ class of 2026 recruiting rankings. He is ranked as the third-best player out of Oklahoma in the 2026 recruiting class. James has over 20 scholarship offers from programs nationwide, including multiple notable college football programs, including Alabama, Arkansas, Miami (FL), Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, and Texas A&M.

As Coach Smith puts together the foundation of what he hopes will be a long and successful tenure at Michigan State, the program’s success will largely be decided by how well Coach Smith recruits, signs, and develops talented players. While Coach Smith may have been late to the recruiting party for the 2025 recruiting class, he has plenty of time to prepare for the 2026 recruiting class and beyond.

Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.