MSU Making Attempt to Poach Star Commit From Conference Foe
![Michigan State's head coach Jonathan Smith touches the foot of the Sparty statue before the game against Florida Atlantic on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, outside Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. Michigan State's head coach Jonathan Smith touches the foot of the Sparty statue before the game against Florida Atlantic on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, outside Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_1500,h_843,x_474,y_119/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/spartan_nation/01jjr9t3cdpjbgvtv0y4.jpg)
Under Harlon Barnett, Michigan State offered 2026 athlete Marcello Vitti, an elite four-star from in-state power Divine Child. When Demetrice Martin took over as cornerbacks coach, that relationship waned.
Now, SpartanMag's Jason Killop reports that Michigan State is making a push for the Iowa commit under new safeties coach James Adams.
The Spartans recently visited Divine Child, and Vitti spoke to Killop about the visit.
"Coach Adams reached out to me a couple of weeks ago when he took the Michigan State job and re-offered me on the phone,” Vitti said. "Today he and Coach Rossi visited my school. It was a good visit. It was good to meet Coach Rossi. I was impressed with him and how he described how he wants to run his defense and how I would fit into it. They definitely got my attention and respect for sure.”
Vitti told Killop that the pitch was to help the Spartans return the defense to the heights of the Mark Dantonio eras best.
"They think I would be a key part to bringing back the Coach Dantonio winning defense that was made up of Detroit and instate players before," he said.
Per 247Sports, Vitti plays both safety and running back but will likely find his home on defense when he reaches the college level.
"As a junior, Vitti had 151 carries for 815 yards and 16 touchdowns with 24 receptions for 579 yards and eight touchdowns," Sean Bock wrote. "On defense, he had 76 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, five forced fumbles, and 10 pass breakups, with zero receptions for positive yards in man coverage. He also returned four kicks for 220 yards and a touchdown. Iowa sees Vitti as a perfect fit for its CASH position."
Vitti, a 6-0, 180-pound prospect, is rated the No. 21 athlete in the class per the 247Sports Composite rankings. He is a Top -300 prospect.
"Marcello is a great two-way high school player," wrote Allen Trieu of 247Sports. "He's really had more impact as a running back, but I think when you look at him as a college defensive back, there are a lot of things that translate like his feet and toughness. I have also seen him go through drills on the defensive side of the ball and he's quite buttoned up as far as his technique, his backpedal in his transition. Ultimately, I think he's probably a nickel, but he will fit very well with Phil Parker, a great coach who will appreciate a player with the kind of technical focus and outstanding intangibles that Vitti has."
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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