REPORT: MSU Sets Official Visit With Rising WR Bardo
A rising name at wide receiver in the 2026 class is that of Tayshon Bardo, out of Penn High School in Indiana. Bardo is the No. 79 wide receiver in the class and the No. 2 player in the state, per the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Bardo has set an official visit for June 26, per Steve Wiltfong of On3.
Mishawaka (Ind.) Penn WR Tayshon Bardo has set his official visits to Wisconsin, Cincinnati, Vanderbilt and Michigan State and talks about what stands out regarding each program: https://t.co/iI7AlGkHip pic.twitter.com/ml6LOB5QmI
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) February 12, 2025
Michigan State is among his top teams, and wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins is a huge part of that.
"Hawkins offered Bardo on Jan. 8," wrote Allen Trieu of The Detroit News. "By that point, he was an established high-major recruit with over a dozen offers. But Hawkins quickly moved the Spartans from new offer to contender. They got the junior day visit scheduled [Sunday, Jan. 19], had a successful visit, then Hawkins turned right around and was at Penn on Tuesday [Jan. 21], even though Bardo had just been to campus."
Bardo likes the Spartans, but Trieu acknowledged the stiff competition that Michigan State will face for a prospect who has been a hot name recently.
"Wisconsin has been recruiting Bardo for several months and he has had good visits to Madison," Trieu wrote. "In-state Indiana has momentum after a playoff season and they have let Bardo know he is an important target for them. Louisville and Cincinnati have offered and had him to campus. There are also a handful of programs like Alabama, Michigan and Notre Dame who have been in contact or had Bardo to visit, but have not offered yet. Coming into his junior year, Bardo was a known Division I recruit. After scoring three touchdowns in the first game, which included a highlight-reel contested catch, he almost immediately rose to be one of the Hoosier State’s top recruits. His offer list quadrupled by the end of fall."
The fact that the Spartans are targeting Bardo so heavily, specifically Hawkins, is a telling sign. Hawkins has a phenomenal eye for wide receiver talent, maybe the best in the country, and the Spartans are highly selective under Coach Jonathan Smith. They are looking for the right traits on the field and off.
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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