In-State Prep School Proving to Be Difference Maker For Jonathan Smith, MSU Football
The Michigan State Spartans received their 15th 2025 commitment on Thursday night, from three-star athlete Bryson Williams. Williams is a talented athlete who plays both wide receiver and safety, but the Spartans will intend on using him as a wide receiver.
When Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith took over last November, he made it clear he wanted to recruit the Midwest and re-establish the Spartans as a pre-eminent destination for the Great Lakes region's top talent. Part of his goal was by making the Spartans a top recruiting power in their own state of Michigan.
With seven out of 15 commits coming from the Mitten, it seems that Smith is well on his way to achieving his goal. He can thank one school in particular for giving him three of those seven recruits. Orchard Lake St. Mary's, a preparatory school just outside of Detroit, is home to three-star linebacker DJ White, three-star tight end Jayden Savoury, and Williams.
Back in April, I wrote about what White told 247Sports.
"Being an in-state guy, I'm definitely gonna help out with recruiting definitely starting out with my teammates like Antonio Johnson, Bryson Williams, [and] Jayden Savoury," White said.
Speaking with Savoury and Williams, they both told me about White's recruiting them to East Lansing. In April, I wrote about how Michigan State seemed to have a possible pipeline at St. Mary's and how it would be vital to Smith's goal of recruiting the state at large.
All three are on the higher end of the three-star rating from 247Sports -- White has the highest grade at 88, and Savoury and Williams are both 87 grades. Essentially, they all bring Power 4 starting potential, with a likelihood that they can be impact players.
White is 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, and has elite athleticism and speed. He used to play safety, and probably still could. Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Joe Rossi will be able to utilize White in just about any way he wants.
Savoury has only one year of high school football under his belt and it was enough to become the No. 1 tight end in the state. Savoury has a high ceiling, and if his blocking develops, he could be a big-time player at the collegiate level.
Williams will likely play receiver but running backs coach Keith Bhonapha likes him so much that Williams could end up in a Deebo Samuel-type role and get some carries.
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