Michigan State Offers Scholarship to 2026 4-Star Safety

Michigan State and Coach Jonathan Smith continue to express interest in multiple talented athletes in future recruiting classes. The trend continued at this weekend's Spartan Dawg Con event.

Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith talks the media on the first national signing day for college football recruits Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA

Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith has done a solid job expressing interest in and securing talented players on the recruiting trail this offseason. He continued to do so this weekend at Michigan State’s annual Spartan Dawg Con event in East Lansing. As Coach Smith has nearly filled Michigan State’s 2025 recruiting class, he has gradually turned his recruiting efforts to recruiting classes even further into the future.  

Spartan Dawg Con is an annual event hosted by Michigan State’s football program that was started three seasons ago and again this offseason. The Spartan Dawg Con event brings together previous, current, and future eras of Michigan State football as current and former players, as well as 2024 commits and Michigan State prospects in future recruiting classes, come together in East Lansing to strengthen the football program.

At this year’s event, Michigan State and Coach Smith offered four-star safety Kaden Gebhardt a scholarship. The Lewis Center, Ohio native announced the offer on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. Gebhardt was one of many 2026 prospects to attend the event this past weekend and one of many four-star prospects Coach Smith and his coaching staff expressed interest in.

According to 247Sports, Gebhardt is ranked the 17th-best safety in the 2026 recruiting class. He’s also ranked as the 215th-best overall player in the 2026 recruiting class and the eighth-best player from Ohio.

Including Michigan State, Gebhardt has received scholarship offers from nearly 20 schools nationwide, including multiple notable football programs. According to 247Sports, Gebhardy also holds offers from Duke, Illinois, Cincinnati, Indiana, Missouri, Louisville, Oklahoma, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. Gebhardt is one of the most talented players Coach Smith has offered a scholarship to and would be a welcomed addition to Michigan State’s rebuilding football team. 

Coach Smith has experience turning around a college football program at Oregon State and will need to lean on that experience to succeed at Michigan State. To do so, he must secure the best talent possible, as college football is an arms race where the teams with the best talent almost always walk away victorious. Coach Smith’s recruiting practices have shown that he understands that fact, as he continues recruiting higher-ranked players as time passes.

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