EXCLUSIVE: Potential Jonathan Smith, MSU Football Target Discusses Relationship with Spartans
Michigan State Spartans head coach Jonathan Smith has made recruiting the Midwest his No. 1 priority on the trail.
Whether at a micro-level, the state of Michigan, or more macroly with the key states of Ohio and Wisconsin, Smith wants to re-establish the Spartans as a recruiting power in their geographical region. However, he also wants to keep his strong West Coast pipeline healthy, and so far he has.
In between those key regions is the football gold mine of Texas, of which Smith has shown a proclivity for recruiting. In the 2025 class alone, 40 prospects from the Lone Star state have received an offer from Smith. Texas is Smith's third-most offered state.
One player from Texas to keep an eye on does not have an offer from Michigan State. That could soon change. 2026 interior offensive lineman JJ Mays is 6-foot-4, 285 pounds. The Weiss High School product has 18 offers from programs like Arizona, Baylor, Oregon, Miami, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Texas Tech, and Duke (who just produced a first-round interior lineman in Graham Barton).
Mays' relationship with the Spartans has been interesting, to say the least.
"I haven't spoke with the coaches, not very much, I've spoken more with the Michigan State recruiting page, they send me graphics and say 'Oh, you're really high on our board,'" Mays told me. "And I know they come to our school a lot because they offered one of our running backs there ... DJ Dugar."
Smith and the Spartans have favored running backs from Texas, having offered seven from the state. Dugar, a three-star, 87 grade prospect per 247Sports, committed to Oklahoma State on June 15.
"Every offer that I get, you know, it feels good because it shows that all the hard work that I've done is paying off because I was like, not good at football at all coming into my freshman year, I just had to work, work, work, to get to the level I am now," Mays said. "So if I got an offer from [Michigan State], you know, it would really mean a lot to me."
Mays seems to fit the measurables for what offensive line coach Jim Michalczik wants in his interior prospects; he is bigger than 2025 target Houston Kaahaaina-Torres (now a Nebraska commit), but an inch shorter and 15 pounds heavier than 2025 commit Drew Nichols.
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