MSU Football Offers Top JUCO DB

Under Jonathan Smith, Michigan State is not afraid to take a more unconventional approach to scouting talent.

The Spartans are willing to scout players before they even get to high school and even offer them; they are not afraid to take a shot and be the first offer to a recruit who might be on the fringe of getting such attention, perhaps interest without offers.

Smith recently addressed the Spartans' somewhat polarizing approach when he spoke to the media on the Dec. 4 National Signing Day.

"We will trust our evaluations and whatnot," Smith said. "There are some four-star, five-stars who, yeah, we would love to have if they fit -- we would like to get a few more of those. But if they truly fit our place. The landscape, how it's continuing to go, roster retention, I don't know if it's as vital to win a championship ... You can add to your roster in different ways than maybe in years past. I'm not here to say four- or five-stars aren't a bunch of good players, but not all of them, and not all of them fit our place."

One route Smith and the Spartans are looking is the junior college level. There is a plethora of unmined gems playing JUCO football, whether they are fresh out of college or fell back to the level as a bounce back from a bigger program. Sometimes it is a player who struggled at a higher level and needed more time to develop at the pace right for them.

The Spartans were high on a top cornerback in the 2025 JUCO class -- Keshawn Davila. However, Davila's biggest connection was with Demetrice Martin, and with Martin at UCLA, the Spartans might not have the best chances in landing him.

Iowa Western Community College standout Anthony Pinnace, a 6-foot, 170-pound cornerback, was just offered by the Spartans, he announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday. Already things are looking good. Per 247Sports, Pinnace is "warm" in his interest for the Spartans. He plays in the NJCAA National Championship on Saturday and he plans to make his decision then, per 247Sports.

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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