Don’t look now, but it appears that Michigan State head football coach Jonathan Smith is hitting his stride on the recruiting trail.
After a quiet stretch of nearly three months without any additions to the Spartans’ 2026 recruiting class, Smith finally broke the silence on Sunday with a key commitment from linebacker . The pledge came at just the right time—immediately following Michigan State’s first official visit weekend of the summer—and brought a welcome spark of momentum to the program.
Hiscommitment was more than just symbolic. The Spartans managed to impress him enough during his visit to East Lansing that he canceled his remaining scheduled official visits to Iowa, Minnesota, and Utah. That’s no small feat, especially considering that he is hovering just below four-star status in several recruiting services. His decision gave MSU a serious recruiting win and, perhaps more importantly, a wave of forward momentum.
That wave carried into Monday, when Michigan State added another key piece to the 2026 class—this time flipping a player who was already pledged elsewhere.
Three-star defensive back Brayden Thomas announced his decommitment from Iowa State and revealed his decision to join the Spartans instead. The Lakewood, Ohio, native became the sixth overall commitment in Michigan State’s 2026 class. Ranked as the No. 843 player nationally and the No. 71 safety in the class by 247Sports, Thomas marks another significant pickup from the recent official visit weekend.
Braylon Hodge’s recruitment unfolded rapidly in Michigan State’s favor. After receiving an offer from the Spartans on May 14, Thomas quickly scheduled an official visit for May 30. Just days later, on June 2, he flipped his commitment to Michigan State—a major turnaround considering he had been verbally committed to Iowa State since February.
The combined addition of Hodge and Thomas has dramatically changed the outlook of MSU’s 2026 recruiting efforts. In fact, the Spartans have now jumped to No. 51 in the national team rankings for the 2026 class, according to 247Sports. That’s a significant rise from just a week ago, when they were teetering dangerously close to slipping into the 70s.
Coach Jonathan Smith appears to be heating up at the right time, just as the summer recruiting season kicks into high gear. With newfound momentum and a string of positive developments, all eyes are now on whether he and his staff can sustain this surge and continue building a strong foundation for the program’s future.
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