MSU Football Makes Bold Move to Flip In-State 4-Star
The 2025 class has been a fruitful one in the first year of Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith. He established connections with the state of Michigan, he constructed a solid Midwest pipeline already and the west coast didn't suffer for it either.
That Michigan class is something special, though. Linebacker commits Di'Mari Malone and DJ White could very well outplay their grades. Running back Jace Clarizio is a four-star per ESPN. He can very likely be a feature back someday for the Spartans.
Clarizio runs angry, has plenty of twitch, and is growing more and more comfortable rushing between the tackles. The two wide receivers -- Braylon Collier and Charles Taplin -- can both play inside or outside and look like prototypical yards-after-catch threats, with plenty of vertical in their games.
Quarterback Leo Hannan is vastly underrated as a fringe four-star, tight end Emmett Bork is the real deal, and Derrick Simmons is the Spartans' four-star per 247Sports.
LaRue Zamorano III might be the best player of the bunch at cornerback, but versatile athlete Bryson Williams is probably the best athlete pound-for-pound.
Yes, the Spartans have a solid class with plenty of potential. It could get any better. Four-star do-it-all Belleville safety Elijah Dotson committed to Pittsburgh back in May. It marked a massive gain for Panthers head coach and former Spartan defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi.
But now it seems that Dotson could be looking at new options. He will be in attendance for Michigan State's matchup with Iowa on a gameday visit. It could signal he has second thoughts.
The Spartans were after Dotson heavily in the spring. The former Detroit Jesuit star left for Belleville to play with phenom No. 1 recruit and quarterback Bryce Underwood.
Dotson is the No. 118 player nationally, per 247Sports, as well as the No. 10 safety in the class and the second-best player in the state of Michigan, behind Underwood.
Allen Trieu of 247Sports wrote that Dotson, who is incredibly versatile, could probably play any defensive backfield position.
"Most likely projection is safety, but it is not out of the question a school could try him as a big corner," Trieu wrote. "Track background speaks to his athleticism and has enough straight line speed to recover and run down plays."
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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