Two Big MSU Football Targets to Attend Week 3
The Michigan State Spartans will have numerous recruits in attendance for their Week 3 matchup against Praireview A&M. As the weather cools, it will be imperative that the Spartans get as many recruits to campus as soon as possible.
East Lansing has a lot to offer, as does Spartan Stadium. Coach Jonathan Smith and Co. will use the slate of home contests in the beautiful month of September. After that, it is significantly more difficult.
Hunting season starts, for example -- those Midwestern targets tend to like a good deer blind. Especially the in-state ones. The high school season ramps up, especially with the start of high school playoffs. So, a good showing in good weather against Praireview could do wonders.
Of the recruits to be in attendance, two stand out the most to me. The first is interior offensive lineman Ben Nichols, an in-state four-star. The Davison product is part of that deep class of 2026 (he's only listed as the No. 3 prospect in the state, per 247Sports) and he warrants watching.
The 6-foot-5, 315-pound blue-chipper is the No. 17 interior offensive lineman in the country and he has 19 offers from the likes of Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee, and Penn State. All are not just good programs, but good schools that know how to recruit. Especially Penn State.
Smith wants to make the Spartans the forefront of recruiting in Michigan. A critical victory in achieving that goal would be to snag some of those talented four-star prospects in the 2026 class.
Nichols seems like a good option because of Smith's ace in the hole: offensive line coach Jim Michalczik. "Coach M" has been nothing short of a hit with the players I've spoken to. Even the ones he couldn't land had nothing but praise and respect for the coach.
Staying on the theme of offensive lineman, 2027 Hartland interior William Tobin has been making waves. The 6-foot-4, 290-pounder had a good showing at big man camps this summer and received an offer from Central Michigan. He has quickly jumped on the radar for Big Ten schools.
Tobin was in attendance for Week 1's win against Florida Atlantic, and he was also in attendance for Michigan's home opener and win against Fresno State. Tobin is back again for Prairieview. He seems to really like the Spartans, so it could bode well for Smith and Michalczik.
Could there be an offer on the table during this weekend?
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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MICHAEL FRANCE