Michigan State Offers Scholarship to 2026 3-Star Defensive Lineman

Michigan State's coaching staff has plans of building the team's defense by first building a solid defensive line. Coach Jonathan Smith has offered a scholarship to three-star DE Landon Bland.

Michigan State's defensive line coach Legi Suiaunoa works with players during the first day of football camp on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Michigan State football coach Jonathan Smith has remained aggressive on the recruiting trail this offseason. After sufficiently adding to Michigan State’s 2025 recruiting class, Coach Smith has gone to work on the Spartans’ 2026 recruiting class, extending official invites and scholarships to numerous players. With Coach Smith’s first game at Michigan State on the horizon, he has remained active on the recruiting trail.

During his time in East Lansing, Coach Smith has had a heavy recruiting presence throughout Michigan and throughout the Midwest. He continued that trend with one of his latest scholarship offers. Coach Smith has offered a scholarship to another three-star athlete, an edge rusher from Missouri.

Coach Smith has secured commitments from numerous three-star athletes and hopes they can get another one. Michigan State and Coach Smith have offered a scholarship to edge rusher Landon Bland. The Carthage, Mo. native is a prospect in the 2026 recruiting class and is ranked as a three-star edge rusher.

According to 247Sports, Bland is ranked as the 35th-best edge rusher in the 2026 recruiting class. According to the site, Bland is also ranked as the fifth-best player from Missouri, making him undoubtedly one of the better players Coach Smith has offered a scholarship to in the 2026 recruiting class, a class Coach Smith plans to make a foundational class in his tenure at Michigan State. Bland announced the scholarship offer on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

According to 247Sports, Bland has received nearly ten scholarships from college football programs nationwide, aside from Michigan State. Those schools include Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Purdue, and Wisconsin. While Bland is only ranked as a three-star athlete, the fact that multiple other schools within the Big Ten have offered him a scholarship proves how coveted he is and how much potential he has. 

Coach Smith has done an admirable job scouring the country for talented players to bring to East Lansing. Bland is another player on Coach Smith’s radar for the 2026 recruiting class that has the potential to play a significant role in the future of Michigan State football’s program. Coach Smith hopes he can secure the commitment of one of the best players from Missouri.

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