EXCLUSIVE: Good Gameday Showing Will Be In Order For Jonathan Smith, MSU Target
The Michigan State Spartans have the 2026 class on their radar. The prospects of that class can now be contacted directly by coaches, pretty much at will, except for dead and quiet periods. Soon, the official visit cycle will start for the incoming juniors.
One player that Jonathan Smith's staff has an eye on is cornerback Kasmir Hicks of Decatur Central in Indianapolis, Indiana. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound defensive back has an offer from the Spartans.
And a history -- Hicks has already played for the Spartans. He said his little league team was named after Michigan State. That was when he had first heard of them, and he says it was from then on that he had always liked them.
Last season, Hicks went to a Spartans game during an unofficial visit. He said it was a great atmosphere.
This Spartans staff is full of adept coaches and player developers. It is what Smith is hedging his bets on as he looks to rebuild the Green and White. Hicks wants good coaching. Beyond that, Hicks is not afraid of tough love. A field general won't phase the young prospect.
"One thing I'm looking for is great coaching, like coaches that will get their players, develop them, and get them to the league, because that's where I want to go," Hicks told me. "Good relationships with the players and great coaching ... I'm very coachable, but [the kind of] coaches that I really like are the coaches that get on you, honest all the time, they'll tell you when you wrong, tell you when you do things that aren't right. They'll get on you, they'll cuss you out. But it's all love at the end."
Hicks has received a gameday invite from the Spartans and he will be looking at everything from the sideline to the performance on the field.
"What's the atmosphere around there, really just how [the coaches] coach and what the players are doing, how they play, things like that," Hicks said.
The Spartans have impressed many recruits that have seen them practice. Whether or not the Spartans have a good showing on the gameday Hicks attends is unknown. But the family atmosphere and culture of Michigan State will surely be on display, just as it has been for all who have witnessed the staff and the players.
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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MICHAEL FRANCE