What MSU Football Coach Has Noticed About New Recruiting Region
Michigan State Spartans secondary coach Blue Adams is a vital part of what is a stacked defensive coaching staff. He is a prolific recruiter and talented player developer.
Adams has played a big role in several of the Spartans' commitments this cycle and he has been tireless in setting up connections with future prospects in 2026 and 2027. For 2026, Adams has been targeting top safeties like Craig Tutt and Xavier Lherisse.
Adams, like many of the Green and White's new staff, has gotten acclimated to recruiting in the Midwest. Like his West Coast contemporaries, Adams has been impressed, he told reporters on Thursday after practice.
"It's a lot of ballplayers in a short radius," Adams said. "There's some ballplayers. And so sometimes you end up at some schools that you gotta get on a plane to go find some players or just put some gas in the car. You'll find a couple. Very close."
Spartans tight ends coach Brian Wozniak, another coach who followed Jonathan Smith from Oregon State (and one that has a track record of success), also praised the Midwest's output.
"I love it ... you get to go down and hang out in Ohio for three or four days," Wozniak said. "You kidding me? It's awesome. Got to spend some time in my own college stomping grounds, Wisconsin, and then you get to recruit the state of Michigan. Really, really good high school football. It's been a lot of fun. To me, it doesn't feel like a new landscape, but it almost does because I haven't been in it for so long. So it's cool seeing those older high schools that maybe I knew growing up, playing against, or even my own high school, going in and seeing it. It's been a lot of fun."
Both coaches validate what Smith said at Big Ten Football Media days. The Spartans are active.
"Trying to get out in schools as much as possible, trying to invite them to campus. Watch us practice, or talk some ball, those kind of things," Smith said. "Did some camps in the state," Smith said. "When there's such limitations on the head coach getting out, our staff has made an emphasis on getting in a lot of Midwest high schools."
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