Biggest Recruits at MSU on Official Visit Season's First Weekend

These are the recruits to know as official visit season kicks off.

Detroit Country Day's Anthony Cartwright rushes during a football game on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, at Joseph P. Healey Field. | Brandon Folsom/Hometown Life / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One of the biggest stretches of recruiting season is starting Friday.

This final weekend of May is the first weekend when many recruits are starting to officially visit Michigan State. The Spartans have a long list of prospects coming to campus. These are some of the top names to know:

OT Caleb Johnson

Michigan State mascot Sparty carries a flag during the Spartans' game against UCLA on Oct. 11, 2025. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Perhaps the biggest name coming to East Lansing is Noblesville (Ind.) offensive tackle Caleb Johnson. He's a consensus 4-star recruit ranked 212th overall, 17th among OTs, and second among all those from Indiana in the class of 2027 on the Rivals Industry Rankings.

Johnson reportedly visited Indiana earlier this month. He has also reported visits scheduled with Iowa and Missouri for early June. Between incoming 4-star freshman Collin Campbell and 2027 Brighton (Mich.) 3-star prospect Jack Carlson (also on campus this weekend), landing Johnson would have MSU pretty set at offensive tackle for the future.

DL Reinaldo Perez

Columbus Academy's Reinaldo Perez (74) looks at the sideline in the first half of the game at Columbus Academy on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025 in Gahanna, Ohio. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A blue-chip defensive line recruit is also taking a look at East Lansing. Reinaldo Perez is another 4-star prospect coming out of Columbus Academy in Ohio. He's currently ranked 296th overall in the class of '27 on the 247Sports Composite. That's also the 36th-best among defensive linemen and the 11th-best among Ohioans.

Ohio State is the interesting party in Perez's recruitment. Because Perez is so close to the Buckeyes in Columbus, one would think they are the favorite. OSU has three predictions in its favor on Rivals, but they are all relatively dated, with the most recent coming last August.

TE Anthony Cartwright III

Detroit Country Day's Anthony Cartwright catches a pass during a football game on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, at Joseph P. Healey Field. | Brandon Folsom/Hometown Life / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan State is also making a push for in-state tight end Anthony Cartwright III. He attends Detroit Country Day, one of the state's top schools for up-and-coming athletes. He's at 334th overall on the Rivals Industry Rankings, 16th among tight ends, and eighth among Michiganders.

Cartwright cut down his list to five schools in April: MSU, Miami (FL), LSU, Michigan, and Oregon. He also took an official visit to Stanford last week, though.

WR Isaiah Alvarez

Don Bosco's Isaiah Alvarez (1) looks back after catching a pass for a touchdown during the Non-Public A state title game between Don Bosco and St. Joseph at MetLife Stadium on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One receiver high on the Spartans' board seems to be three-star Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) prospect, Isaiah Alvarez. He's ranked 630th overall in the class of '27 on the Rivals Industry Rankings, 86th among receivers, and 21st among those from New Jersey.

Alvarez officially visited Colorado a few weeks ago. Once his trip to check out the Spartans is over, he has other reported visits lined up with Rutgers and Nebraska.

Michigan State Spartans head coach Pat Fitzgerald addresses fans during a men's basketball game against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, at the Breslin Center. Fitzgerald had been formally introduced earlier that day. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI