Jonathan Smith, MSU Football Extend Offer to Elite Recruit
The Michigan State Spartans are far from finished when it comes to recruiting the 2025 class. However, with 15 commits, they certainly have room to look ahead. The 2026 class has some interesting names to watch.
Tight end Lincoln Keyes, a top in-state talent from Saline High School, is intriguing, as is fellow in-state tight end Jack Janda. There are several big-time edge rushers out West that the Spartans are interested in, and four-star Ohio linebacker Cincere Johnson was Joe Rossi's first call when the clock hit midnight on June 15th, when the direct contact window opened for the class.
The Spartans just added another name to the list of 2026 players to watch. Four-star safety Clifton "CJ" Hester was offered by the Spartans on Thursday. Hester, a Florida prospect, is the No. 19 ranked safety in the 2026 class per 247Sports Composite. He is the No. 214 player overall and the 38th-ranked player in the state.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound safety would be a huge grab. One can assume that the expectation for Hester would be to fill the shoes of current Spartans safety and former blue-chip prospect, Dillon Tatum. Tatum is entering his junior year and regardless if he stays for his senior year, he would be gone when Hester would tentatively arrive to the collegiate level in the fall of 2026.
Hester has 14 offers now, including Kentucky, Pitt, West Virginia, and Indiana, to name a few.
The position of safety has not been a priority in the 2025 class, but notably one that has been heavily recruited for 2026. It will be important to find long-term talent at the position. The Spartans have offered 12 safeties, and a lot of them are blue-chippers. Four-star safeties Craig Tutt and Xavier Lherissee have both been priority targets and have the potential to be big-time impact players and perhaps even Day 1 contributors for the Spartans. Both are Top 250 prospects.
Fringe three-star/four-star targets Keenan Harris and in-state Marcello Vitti look promising, too.
The Spartans seem to be aiming high when it comes to the safety position, which makes sense given the added responsibilities of the modern safety. Also, Rossi has an affinity for the position -- arguably the best safety in the NFL, Antoine Winfield, was a Rossi product, as was the arguably the best safety in the recent draft, Tyler Nubin.
Not a bad pitch for Rossi.
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