Where Does Jonathan Smith, Michigan State Football Stand as Decision Nears From Top Target

The Michigan State Spartans are among the three finalists that could land defensive lineman Brad Fitzgibbons, who is making his decision after his official visit to Iowa. Could Fitzgibbons be the Spartans 10th 2025 commit?

Oct 12, 2019; Madison, WI, USA; Michigan State Spartans logo on footballs during warmups prior to the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Michigan State Spartans have been reasonably successful with securing their top targets in the 2025 class. Head coach Jonathan Smith has plenty to be happy with, he has dominated in-state and Midwest recruiting, while setting himself up good with his West Coast pipeline.

However, Smith and defensive line coach Legi Suiaunoa have failed to secure any defensive linemen from the class so far. Defensive line is something the Spartans desperately need, especially for long-term success.

One 2025 target that has stood out is Marist High School prospect Brad Fitzgibbon. Fitzgibbon is a three-star, per 247Sports Composite, and the 89th-ranked defensive lineman in the class. In May, he was selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

Michigan State is among the Top 3 teams for Fitzgibbon, with Iowa and Kansas.

Fitzgibbon has spoken with me multiple times. From Day 1, he took to the recruitment process methodically, weighing his decisions, asking the right questions, and valuing honesty from schools above all else.

"I'm keeping it very honest with them," Fitzgibbon had told me in May. "And kinda like, 'I wanna commit by the end of June.' That's been like a point of focus for me -- letting them know that I'm on a shorter timeline than some people, but also I still have a lot of time for my recruitment, so I feel like going in person, going down and shaking the coach's hand telling them face to face that you're going to commit to their school -- that's important."

Based on that logic, things might be looking best for Iowa. Fitzgibbon will be in Iowa City for his June 21 visit this weekend, and it could be poignant that the Hawkeyes will be his last stop before his announcement day on June 25th.

247Sports' Crystal Ball is heavily favoring the Hawkeyes to land Fitzgibbon. Iowa Insider Sean Bock rated his confidence in Fitzgibbon choosing Iowa as "high." 247Sports publisher Michael Swain also has high confidence. Swain has gone six-for-six in his commitment predictions this year, Bock five-for-five.

Official visits are usually the time for commitments to be made, and while this reporter does not make predictions, things do not look good for the Spartans.

Fitzgibbon visited the Spartans on the weekend of May 31.

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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