MSU Football Offers Texas OL
Michigan State first appeared on 2026 interior offensive lineman Jerald "J.J." Mays' radar when it stopped down to visit his Weiss High School in Pflugerville, Texas.
Even then, the contact was minimum.
"I haven't spoke with the coaches, not very much -- I've spoken more with the Michigan State recruiting page; they send me graphics and say, 'Oh, you're really high on our board,'" Mays had told me in the summer of 2024. "And I know they come to our school a lot because they offered one of our running backs there ... DJ Dugar."
Mays had offers from Arizona, Baylor, Oregon, Miami, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Texas Tech and Duke at the time. But the Spartans alluded him.
"Every offer that I get, you know, it feels good because it shows that all the hard work that I've done is paying off because I was like, not good at football at all coming into my freshman year, I just had to work, work, work, to get to the level I am now," Mays had said. "So if I got an offer from [Michigan State], you know, it would really mean a lot to me."
The Spartans have finally offered Mays, a 6-foot-4, 285-pound prospect. Mays is a long, athletic offensive lineman that gets the second level quickly and is effective in both run and pass blocking.
Mays announced the offer on social media on Tuesday.
#AGTG I’m blessed to receive an offer from Michigan State University!!! #GoGreen @Coach_Smith @FBCoachM @CoachHawk_5 @WeissFootball @9ine0Elite @Coach_Hughes2 @CoachM_Duncan @CoachB_Morgan pic.twitter.com/oOWKXCgCHC
— Jerald “JJ” Mays (@JeraldJJMays) January 7, 2025
His Texas pedigree also brings more intrigue. There are a few states in the country that produce the best football talent -- where even their three-stars are better than most states' four-stars and even those sacred few that are branded as five-star talent.
Atop those states is likely Texas, but it includes California, Georgia, and Florida. Texas is the mecca of football, after all. There is a certain passion and toughness, a fire for the game that can only be found in Texas prospects. Michigan State has made several swings down to the Lone Star state under Coach Jonathan Smith, looking to develop a pipeline that sits firmly between the Midwest and West Coast.
A player like Mays is relatively unheralded as far as Texas prospects go -- but there is a lot to like there.
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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