EXCLUSIVE: Michigan State 2025 Commit Jace Clarizio Discusses His Choice to Stay Home

2025 three-star running back Jace Clarizio is an East Lansing High School product. Clarizio will stay home to play at the next level for Michigan State.

East Lansing's Jace Clarizio runs for a touchdown against Everett during the second quarter on | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA

Michigan State football had a successful recruiting week in the Midwest, Michigan and even their own town. The addition of three-star East Lansing High School running back Jace Clarizio checks all of the boxes for head coach Jonathan Smith.

Clarizio is the No. 1 running back in the state and the No. 10 player, per 247Sports. Clarizio is 64th among running backs in the 2025 class. The Trojans' feature back had offers from Power 4 schools in Wisconsin, USC, Iowa, and Kansas. Clarizio also had offers from Group of 5 schools -- such as Central Michigan, just an hour up the road.

East Lansing was and will continue to be home for Clarizio. He spoke with Spartan Nation about the decision.

"Soon as the new staff came in, they reached out to me," Clarizio said. "They brought me and my family in, they were really real, and you know, genuine from the start. Straight up with me, telling me how it was. They told me [it was] a great opportunity to have -- to be a Spartan and just being a hometown kid. Growing up in East Lansing my whole life, a lot of other people don't have that same opportunity because I'm a hometown kid.

"They said the ways they could market me and how people are going to look out for me. They said I'm going to have an opportunity pretty much like no one else."

For Clarizio, the decision pertained to the gridiron as well. The Spartans' offense is a place he feels he can blossom as a running back. Michigan State has a long tradition of running backs finding success in the backfield -- both running and receiving the ball.

Under Smith, that tradition won't change, and it was important to Clarizio.

"Just the scheme -- I feel like the scheme that [the Spartans] run, the type of offense really fits me well as a player," Clarizio said. "Outside zone, inside zone -- they like to give the running back the out the backfield more than just handing them the ball, more than just being a one-dimensional [running] back."

Clarizio committed to the Spartans on Tuesday. He was the Spartans' fifth 2025 commit and third of the week.

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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