EXCLUSIVE: Spartans Recruit With Honesty, Elite Commit Tells Why
The Michigan State Spartans were on a role through the months of May and June when it came to recruiting. One of the many commits to come out of that month planning to wear the green and white for the next four years was three-star offensive lineman Justin Bell.
Bell, a 6-foot-8, 288-pound Dakota High School product, is one of many underrated prospects with a high ceiling. He has a great frame that offensive line coach Jim Michalczik can do a lot with, especially with a long-term approach developmentally.
Michalczik is one of the big reasons that Bell committed to the Spartans.
"He's had a lot of people come in and put in the work, and with his drills, his teaching, and his play-calling, he's had a lot of guys develop to be great football players to go to the NFL," Bell had told me. "And I really can see myself being able to get developed under him."
I caught up with Bell on Sunday, and he said that the relationship with the Spartans is stronger than ever.
"It's been going great, I've just been getting closer and closer with them every day, talking to some of the players and just building relationships before I get there in January," he said.
Among those players, perhaps the most prominent is true freshman do-it-all offensive lineman Rakeem Johnson, maybe the gem of the 2024 class. Johnson has seen significant snaps due to an injured Spartans offensive line.
Johnson is proof that the Spartans mean it when they tell recruits they can compete to make an impact on Day 1.
"He's just telling me that anything's possible," Bell said. "He's just always coming to work and he's like, if you do the same thing you can get a shot, too. When I get there, I'm going 100 percent, hard work and then I'm gonna get there."
Bell said that the communication with Michalczik has remained consistent and the relationship has been "great" post-commitment.
"He's been checking up on me every week, asking about how I'm doing with the season," Bell said. "Just wishing me good luck before every game, so yeah, it's been great."
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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