Four-Star Michigan State Target Speaks on Pat Fitzgerald
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Since arriving in East Lansing and taking over as Michigan State's head coach, Pat Fitzgerald has already made several moves to improve the program, including hiring his staff and extending offers to recruits.
One of the recruits Fitzgerald offered is an in-state four-star 2027 EDGE prospect who recently shared his thoughts about the Spartans' new head coach.
Four-Star In-State EDGE Shares Thoughts on Pat Fitzgerald
On Dec. 20, Michigan State on SI reported that the Spartans had extended an offer to Myles Smith, a four-star EDGE from Farmington High School in Farmington, Michigan. Smith was among the first players Fitzgerald offered, and he's one of the top in-state prospects in the 2027 class.
Rivals' industry rankings list Smith as the No. 195 overall player nationally, the No. 22 EDGE, and the No. 3 prospect from Michigan. He has received offers from several Power Four schools, including Michigan, Ole Miss, and Indiana.
Although Smith is a talented prospect from Michigan, the previous Spartans staff had not extended an offer to him. Fitzgerald quickly corrected that after taking over the program, and the four-star pass rusher recently spoke with Rivals' Senior Vice President of Recruiting, Steve Witlfong, about the new Michigan State head coach.
Smith told Wiltfong that he likes how Fitzgerald is down-to-earth and focused on maximizing his players' potential. The young pass rusher also noted that he likes the direction and mindset Fitzgerald aims to bring to Michigan State.
- “What stands out to me is how down to earth he seems and how focused he is on developing players,” Smith told Wiltfong. “I like to direction he’s looking to take the program, he wants to have the team play tough and physical.”
Fitzgerald's offer to Smith came relatively late in his recruitment, but Michigan State still has plenty of time to make up ground on the other schools pursuing him. If Smith likes the direction Fitzgerald plans to take the Spartans, they should be able to compete with any other program for the four-star.
Smith will likely schedule several official visits this offseason before making a decision, and Fitzgerald and the Spartans should work to get him to campus in East Lansing as soon as possible.
Currently, Rivals' recruiting prediction machine lists Michigan as the clear favorite to land the Farmington native. Still, with Fitzgerald making a strong impression on Smith, the Spartans should be firmly in contention for one of the top EDGE prospects in the 2027 class.
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Max Doresy serves as the Western United States College Recruiting Beat Writer On SI. He graduated from the prestigious Syracuse University – S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Before that, he worked for the Pro Football Network and was part of the recruiting department for Syracuse University's football program.