BREAKING: Spartans 2025 Target DL Brad Fitzgibbon Announces Michigan State Among 'Soft' Top 3 Teams

Three-star defensive lineman Brad Fitzgibbon is one of the top 2025 players in the state of Illinois -- he was recently selected to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl -- and he has offers from many Power Four schools. When Spartan Nation first spoke to Fitzgibbon almost two weeks ago, he was still narrowing down his top schools.

When Spartan Nation spoke with Fitzgibbon on Monday, he was a little more confident about which schools were at the top for him. The Marist High School product gave exclusive insight into what he considers a "soft" top three teams he is most interested in.

"Right now I think my top three teams are gonna be Michigan State, Kansas, Iowa -- not in any specific order, but those are the three teams I have official visits with right now," Fitzgibbon said. "And those are the three teams that are most accurately recruiting me. With that being said, though, I don't have a [ranking], I just have a top three. And it's come down to the wire ... Kansas, Michigan State, and Iowa, they're all great schools and they're great academically and athletically ... it's gonna be really, really hard for me."

Fitzgibbon was clear to Spartan Nation that his top three teams were a "soft" top three -- he is still open to any school that has shown interest in his abilities. He wanted it known that he is still actively looking at all schools.

"I haven't really released this three yet ... I feel like anybody can come in and start building that relationship ... I haven't said that that's a guaranteed top three either," Fitzgibbon said. "I'm just saying, right now, what I'm looking at is my three official visits as probably my top three."

Fitzgibbon is a 6-foot-4, 280-pound defensive lineman that can just about play anywhere on the line. He is the No. 28 player in the state of Illinois, per 247Sports' composite rankings, and the No. 80 defensive lineman in the 2025 class.

Fitzgibbon would be a huge addition for Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith, and a big step in re-establishing his program as the pre-eminent destination for the Midwest's top talent.

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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