Which Jonathan Smith, MSU Football Targets Are In East Lansing This Weekend For High Stakes Official Visit?

The Michigan State Spartans will entertain their top 2025 targets for the fourth weekend in a row. This one will be crucial, so will be in East Lansing for one of Smith's most crucial official visit weekends?

Michigan State's head coach Jonathan Smith leaves the file after the Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA

The Michigan State Spartans will be hosting their final official visit weekend before the summer dead period this weekend for the June 21 official visit. Head coach Jonathan Smith and the Spartans had a solid month of June, successfully securing talent from their target regions of the Midwest, the West Coast, and in between.

They received their first June commitment from three-star Ohio wide receiver Braylon Collier, who announced his commitment on June 7. Their second commit was three-star California interior offensive lineman Drew Nichols when he announced just a few days after Collier. Three-star Texas receiver Charles Taplin announced his commitment on June 14, and the No. 1 tight end in Michigan, three-star Jayden Savoury, announced on June 17.

This weekend, the Spartans will be hosting five key recruits. Perhaps the biggest headline will be three-star Maryland cornerback Aydan West. The Spartans were late to the party, offering West in early June, and he plans on committing on June 25, just days after his trip to East Lansing. That's a good sign for Michigan State.

Both parties, the Spartans and West, worked to make this quick turnaround official visit happen, which is telling about the mutual interest they share. The 247Sports Crystal Ball projects West choosing Virginia over favorites like West Virginia, Cincinnati, and Wake Forest, among others.

However, cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin is a talented recruiter and West wants a good team culture above anything else, a family-like atmosphere. As I previously reported, how much of a priority the Spartans make West feel could be the biggest difference.

"Make me feel like I'm going to be an impact player, soon as possible," West had told me. "Do you really see me playing at your school and making you successful ... will you make me successful? Will you take me where I want to go?"

Another notable recruit is athlete Bryson Williams, a three-star out of Orchard Lake St. Mary's. Two of Williams' teammates, Savoury and linebacker DJ White, are already 2025 Spartan commits. I spoke with Williams at the MHSAA Division II state finals for track and field. Williams plays receiver and safety. He told me that the Spartans are recruiting him as a wide receiver.

Williams mentioned that running backs coach Keith Bhonapha likes him as a running back.

Williams said he is looking for a program with a good culture and offering a good education. The Spartans again are at an advantage in that they are the final visit. I think it also helps the Spartans' case that two of his teammates chose the Green and White.

Three-star corner Vanzale Hinton is already committed to Vanderbilt, but taking this official visit could be bad news for the Commodores. Last weekend, cornerback Chris McCorkle was committed to Indiana before his visit. After his trip to East Lansing, he decommitted. Hinton is the highest-graded player visiting this weekend, with an 89 grade per 247Sports.

Justin Bell is a three-star offensive tackle out of Dakota High School, a suburb near Detroit. Bell has intriguing measurables at 6-foot-8 and 288 pounds. 247Sports' Crystal Ball has the Spartans favored to land Bell, and it could help that his Cougars teammate Di'Mari Malone is a Spartan 2025 commit.

George Mullins, from Bushnell, Florida, will be the third corner visiting this weekend as the Spartans continue their search for a cornerback commitment in the 2025 class. Three-star California prospect LaRue Zamorano considers the Spartans a favorite, but the Green and White have nonetheless failed to secure one up to this point.

That could change with 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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