Michigan State Fighting to Keep Star Linebacker in 2025 Class
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Jonathan Smith has done a good job building Michigan State’s 2026 high school recruiting class.
In fact, he and his staff might have done too good a job.
The Spartans’ 2026 class currently sits at No. 27 nationally on 247sports.com. If the team finishes there, it will be MSU’s best high school class since 2023, when it finished 24th.
Smith has never been billed as an ace recruiter, so what he has been able to do with little financial resources has been impressive. His strategy of identifying low-ranked talented players and deeming them to be culture-fitting appears to be paying off.
However, Smith and his staff are in danger of losing out on one of their prized recruits.
MSU linebacker Braylon Hodge
Linebacker Braylon Hodge, who recently earned his fourth star, has scheduled multiple visits to high-level programs, including Texas, Michigan, and Oregon.
Hodge is the No. 273 overall player in the 2026 class after a major ratings bump. He committed to Defensive Coordinator Joe Rossi and the Spartans in June.
Throughout the summer and into the fall, Hodge has continued to rise. He was not a highly-regarded prospect when he committed to MSU, but as more programs got their eyes on him, he became a more sought-after prospect.
Fans have seen high-level prospects commit to MSU, stay for a cup of coffee, then decommit and join a program with higher prestige far too many times.
Four-star running back Kedrick Reescano was committed until he flipped to Ole Miss. Linebacker Jadyn Walker flipped to USC on signing day. Rayshaun Benny remained committed to MSU until February of 2021, eventually flipping to Michigan.
There are many more examples, but the point is that MSU has been a stepping-stone program far too often. If the Spartans want to compete with some of college football’s best teams, they must hold onto Hodge.
New athletic director J Batt has prioritized football for his athletic department, so it would not be surprising if he made sure Hodge was well-compensated. He will have to fight off big checks from Oregon and Texas, which will be quite the battle.
If MSU loses Hodge, it will likely look in the portal for immediate linebacker help, while also leaning on young linebackers on the roster and Adam Shaw, the other linebacker commit in the 2026 class.
However, if MSU wants to operate as a serious program, keeping Hodge should be a major priority.
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