Spartans Making Bold Move For Committed 2026 LB
The Michigan State Spartans had a host of recruits in attendance for their commanding win over Purdue on Friday. It was an especially good effort from the defensive side of the ball, which could play well for the defensive prospects who were in attendance.
In attendance was 2026 linebacker Daiveon Taylor, an Aliquippa product and commit to West Virginia. The Pittsburgh native is 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, the No. 48 linebacker in the class, per 247Sports Composite.
The mere fact that he took a visit to East Lansing could be an indication of his standing with the Mountaineers. It is not uncommon to see early commits who make the decision long before the official visit cycle to flip or decommit. Good signs for the Spartans, who have recruited the linebacker position heavily under Joe Rossi.
Taylor certainly fits the prototype for a Rossi linebacker. The coach gave his preferences for linebackers earlier in the fall.
"Long, athletic, and smart," Rossi said. "That's what we look for and that's a sliding scale ... if a guy's 6-foot and runs 4.4, that's cool. But if you're going to be a low 4.8, you better be 6-foot-3 and a half. So my point is -- it slides, but the ideal thing, if I'm just giving you three, it's length, it's athleticism, and it's intelligence. Not necessarily in that order."
In this defense, linebackers over 6-foot-3 are likely to be moved to the line of scrimmage to play a stand-up rush end position. At 6-2, Taylor is a likely choice for an off-ball linebacker. The Mike position is another story, but Rossi has outlined what he wants from his Mike.
"I think a portion of it's leadership, but from a physical standpoint, you gotta have guys that are comfortable in space," Rossi said. "You wouldn't even think that I would say that to start with the Mike, but you know, the Mike ends up out of the box all of the time in three-by-one formations, and so the guy has got to be physical and he's got to be able to stop the run, all those things, I got it. You know, if you're getting recruited as a Mike, you gotta have that skillset but you gotta be comfortable in coverage. Doesn't mean you're playing man-to-man on people all the time, but it just means you got to be able to go out there play in space and function. So I think that that's something that's going to be big for us in terms of that position."
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.
Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
