EXCLUSIVE: How 7-on-7 Was Measuring Stick For Jonathan Smith, MSU Football Commit
Three-star 2025 linebacker DJ White was Michigan State's second commit and a huge step for head coach Jonathan Smith as his first in-state recruit from the class. The linebacker is the No. 72 player at his position and the No. 12 ranked player from the state of Michigan, per 247Sports.
I spoke with White at The D Zone's 7-on-7 shootout Tuesday at University Liggett School. The Spartans commit looked good during the competition, despite there being no line play nor pads or hitting. However, that doesn't mean White took a different approach than he would with 21 other players on the field and full contact.
"I'm just approaching it with the same mindset I do every game. Just play my coverage, you know, be the leader on defense, same as any regular game," White told me.
With every play favoring the pass, there is plenty of room for defensive players to work on their coverage and ball skills. White is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound linebacker who used to play safety. He is a very good athlete, having been a superb wrestler and a good track athlete. Coverage is one of the strongest facets of his game. White uses 7-on-7 competitions to work on defending the pass.
"It's a real good measuring stick for me, especially because I get to work on my footwork, I get to reading the quarterback, and not so much have to read the run," White said. "I get to focus on my pass coverage and my drops. ... I think 7-on-7 helps me a lot with that."
White committed to Michigan State back in April, the second commit of the 2025 class, but he still took his official visit to East Lansing in June. He said the visit went well and that the connection is still going strong, and he remains in touch with the staff.
"[The visit] was real fun actually," White said. "They showed a lot of love. Just being committed, I think you get more love than the non-committed guys, so we had a lot more fun than I think a regular guy would."
White was vocal from the beginning on helping Smith recruit the state of Michigan, and both teammates Jayden Savoury and Bryson Williams, also Spartans commits, told me that he was recruiting them hard. Now, both are on board.
"It helps me out because I get to tell them the guys we got going to State and that just shows how much the pipeline goes with St. Mary's and Spartans," White said. "So getting Bryson on board was a big help."
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