Nobody is Talking About How MSU Football is Dominating Key Part of the Offseason

The Michigan State Spartans are hot on the recruiting trail during the month of June. So far they have received four commitments in the month alone, and more are on the way. How are they doing it?

Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith looks on during the Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA

Michigan State knew a big month was coming in June. As official visit season began on the weekend of May 31, the floodgates were bound to be open. Now, the Spartans have four commits halfway through June.

Numerous recruits were already favoring the Spartans, but it was the official visits that put it over the edge. There is no such thing as a bad official visit, as 2025 defensive lineman Brad Fitzgibbon once told me. But the Spartans are going above and beyond on these visits, and it has seemingly made a difference.

The Spartans' first June commit was three-star wide receiver Braylon Collier. He said that the hospitality in East Lansing was "amazing."

"The Michigan State staff treated myself as well as my family like royalty all weekend," Collier had told me. "It was really first-class treatment ... really had that family feeling for sure."

Another recruit on that visit was three-star California cornerback LaRue Zamorano said that the Spartans rolled out the "red carpet" for his family. He brought more than the usual familial entourage with him, too -- mother, father, grandmother all four siblings.

Three-star Utah offensive lineman Darius Afalava appreciated the Spartans' allowing him to bring his entire family, too.

"It was really something big, because, for example, I went to UCLA," Afalava said. "I asked them the same thing, and they weren't willing to do it. And it wasn't really a bad thing because I know the rule is three, but the fact that [Michigan State] was able to go out of their way to bring all six of us, me and my family together -- the little ones stayed home, but they were able to bring us six it was actually crazy. It was really, it seemed so small but that was really big, I feel like for me and family. To bring my whole family here and get to watch the whole thing. It was nice."

More recently, three-star tight end commit Emmett Bork's June 14 visit saw him get to talk on the phone to one of his football idols, Green Bay Packers tight end Luke Musgrave. Musgrave happened to play for Spartans tight ends coach Brian Wozniak when he was at Oregon State, and Wozniak knew that Bork, a Wisconsin native, loved the Packers.

The Spartans' staff has been described as everything in the realm of nice and genuine, and perhaps the X-factor is the courtesy they show recruits.

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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