EXCLUSIVE: Top CB Commit Tells Powerful Tale of Spartans' Loyalty
Cornerback LaRue Zamorano III might just be the best player in Michigan State's 2025 recruiting haul.
He is a very high three-star, fringe four-star talent. He is the No. 43-ranked corner in the class and the 41st-ranked player in the state of California, per 247Sports. The Centennial High School standout combines elite speed with a 6-foot-2, 180-pound frame that one football mind I know thought looked more like 6-3.
Zamorano was one of the highest priorities for the Spartans in the 2025 cycle, cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin had been recruiting him since his freshman year and scouting him since even before that.
Just reading the scouting report on Zamorano by 247Sports' Greg Biggins will have fans excited to see what the recruit can do in Joe Rossi's defense.
"Zamorano is one of the region’s top defensive back prospects with a very high ceiling," Biggins wrote. "He has a rare combination of length and athleticism. ... He’s a high Power 4 prospect with the ability to be a multi-year starter at the college level and the talent to play on Sundays as well."
I spoke with Zamorano, who told me a fascinating story of his battle with a shoulder injury. He tore his posterior labrum during this spring at a showcase and he has been rehabbing it since. It has cost him his senior season at Centennial.
Nonetheless, the Spartans, namely Martin, have been loyal to Zamorano and see the bigger picture.
"That means a lot," Zamorano said. "It means a lot because a lot of coaches or another staff would have recruited over me or picked up somebody else. But they chose me because they got faith in me and they trust me to completely handle my business with my recovery."
Zamorano is an intense competitor and a warrior in the truest sense of the word.
Zamorano told me that the hardest thing about recovery is the mental part. Getting in your feelings is part of the biggest battle. That is where Martin comes in. Zamorano and his family consider Martin to be like family, it's been described to me as an uncle-type role.
The cornerback said that Martin has been there for him when he has been at his lowest mentally. He "talks sense" into Zamorano and guides him through rough waters. Perhaps nothing is more touching than Zamorano's story of learning about the injury.
"I leaned on him a lot, actually," he said. "The day I found out I tore my shoulder -- it was at my official visit [to Michigan State]. I found out that day. They told me, and I ain't gonna lie -- I broke down. [The Spartans] were there for me, 'Everything's gonna be alright, we are still recruiting you, you gonna be back better than ever.' Stuff like that. That's what made me want to commit there."
Zamorano's mother, Brittani, told our Hondo Carpenter that it was easy for her as a parent to send Zamorano to East Lansing. She made this discovery during the trip to Michigan State.
"I wasn't feeling 100 percent. ... But they took care of me, they didn't know me, they catered to me, as the parent," Brittani said. "It gave me a peace, that if I was to leave my child here, that they would take care of him as well."
Seems like the Spartans have already been doing their part. Zamorano will arrive in January as an early enrollee. He told me he is confident that the shoulder should be good to go by then.
Zamorano wants to compete from the start.
"College is a different ball game than high school," he said. "Everybody's good in college. So, as far as me getting on the field and being competitive and stuff like that, that's really where I'm at with this. I'm ready to start competing, earn my spot."
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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