Spartans in a Position to Potentially Flip 2026 Linebacker?

2026 Aliquippa linebacker Daiveon Taylor is committed to West Virginia. However, he visited Michigan State during their matchup against Purdue.

Per 247Sports, he seemed to enjoy the visit.

"The coaches I have a good relationship and it keeps building every day because they keep in contact with me and keep it real with me," Taylor said. "My favorite part of the visit was the hospitality and how the coaches treated me."

Taylor's review was similar to that of elite 2026 linebacker CJ Sanna, who visited earlier in the season. I spoke to Sanna, who highlighted defensive coordinator Joe Rossi.

"Right away when you talk to him about football, you can tell he's a really intelligent coach," Sanna had said. "There's a lot of coaches who like the yelling and the real in-your-face coaching style, and that's just a different kind of coaching style. But he seems really calm and collected. Just informative, almost, and that's a coaching style that I can appreciate. ... Just really good conversation, just talking about football. We had some really good back-and-forth talking about schemes or he'll talk to me about our defensive plan for the week -- for my games. So pretty good relationship with him overall."

Per 247Sports, Taylor and Rossi clicked over their Pittsburgh heritage. Taylor said that the hospitality was a big plus during the visit and he would like to make a return trip in the winter or spring.

The official visit cycle could be huge for Taylor, as a behind-the-scenes look could only make the program look more promising. The staff Jonathan Smith has assembled has utilized the official visit effectively.

Taylor could be a big piece for Rossi. At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Taylor fits the right measurables for Rossi's prototype. Rossi once described his preference as a sliding scale -- if a linebacker doesn't fit the size requirements, their athleticism and how they handle coverage could be the key.

If the comfort in space in not there, then he wants big, downhill tacklers.

Taylor seems to be more of the former, an athletic linebacker -- but he has good size at 6-2.

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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