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Inside Michigan State's Early Pursuit of 2028 Recruits

The Spartans are starting to set up their 2028 recruiting board after hosting camps.
Jacob Cotsonika|
Michigan State's head coach Pat Fitzgerald looks on during the football Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
Michigan State's head coach Pat Fitzgerald looks on during the football Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State is thinking ahead about recruits it may seriously pursue next year.

The Spartans' 2027 recruiting class is already getting close to being full. MSU has 15 scholarship commitments already, and the number of spots left to be filled can likely be counted on your hands. Pat Fitzgerald and Co. recently hosted some camps in East Lansing to get a gauge on the 2028 class, and Michigan State has already extended offers to multiple notable prospects.

QB Brayden Tillman

One player who scored an offer was Traverse City (Mich.) West quarterback Brayden Tillman. He's been picking up steam this offseason, recently receiving offers from Florida State, Purdue, Wisconsin, and several Group of Six schools.

MSU gets the advantage here of being the closest Power Four school to Tillman. He's gotten a three-star rating by Rivals as the No. 44 quarterback in the 2028 class and as the No. 12 prospect from Michigan. ESPN and 247Sports haven't officially rated Tillman yet. Most 2028 prospects aren't this early in the recruiting process.

QB Grayson Thurston

Tillman wasn't the only in-state quarterback to get an offer. Michigan State also extended one to De La Salle signal-caller Grayson Thurston. The recent camp season has also been kind to Thurston; he's picked up offers from Cincinnati, Minnesota, Iowa, and now MSU since May.

Thurston also has a formal evaluation from Rivals. He's not rated quite as high as Tillman, coming in as the No. 84 quarterback in the class, as well as the No. 25 overall prospect from Michigan. Alas, both Thurston and Tillman are rated highly enough early on that they'd make sensible candidates to become the quarterback the Spartans take in 2028.

ATH Camden Noe

One of the biggest names to keep an eye on is Portage Central (Mich.) athlete Camden Noe. He might end up being one of the top players on the Spartans' board next season. Noe is currently ranked 116th overall in the class of 2028 on the 247Sports Composite. He's a consensus four-star prospect, and Rivals has him all the way up at 68th overall in the class in its own individual rankings.

Michigan State would likely be looking at the 6'3", 215-pound prospect as a linebacker or rush end prospect. Noe tagged Max Bullough and Andrew Bindelglass in his post about the offer. His offer list thus far also already includes Notre Dame, Michigan, Iowa, Kansas, Boston College, Louisville, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

WR Jayden Stephens

One out-of-state prospect worth noting is Jayden Stephens. He's coming out of Waverly-Shell Rock in Iowa and was also in East Lansing for a camp with the Spartans. Stephens is currently considered to be an upper-tier three-star recruit right now. He's ranked 404th overall and fifth among Iowans on the 247Sports Composite right now and claims a 4.45 40-yard dash time.

MSU will have to compete with the local schools in Stephens' recruitment. Both Iowa and Iowa State have also offered Stephens. Courtney Hawkins is one of the top recruiters Michigan State has, though (maybe the best). If he's truly interested in a guy, the Spartans have a fighting chance.

LB Austin Phillips (2029)

There was even one 2029 recruiting prospect that the Spartans offered. Linebacker Austin Phillips is the first recorded offer from Michigan State for that class, according to 247Sports. Phillips, coming out of East Noble in Indiana, can play both linebacker and running back. The Spartans seem to want Phillips at the former, as Phillips tagged Bullough and defensive coordinator Joe Rossi in his post about the offer.

MSU isn't the first program to show interest here. Ohio State, Notre Dame, Purdue, and Louisville have also handed offers Phillips' way. He hasn't received a ranking yet, but that type of interest that early in the recruiting process is one of a prospect who can get into the high four-star or five-star range.

Overall Recruiting Outlook

Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald watches the action going on during MSU's "Spring Showcase"
April 18, 2026; East Lansing, Mich.; Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald watches the action going on during MSU's "Spring Showcase" at Spartan Stadium. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

It is far too early to be able to gauge the type of class Michigan State could have in 2028 and beyond, but this list of early prospects to watch does inspire some optimism. MSU is doing its homework early on about quarterbacks, prioritizing mostly gettable recruits from around the Midwest, but also not being afraid to feel out interest with larger, blue-chip recruits on occasion.

The Spartans' 2027 class is currently ranked 45th in the country on 247Sports. That's not the awe-inspiring ranking one might hope for, but there still is a clearer vision being set than what was set down by Jonathan Smith. MSU wants mostly Midwestern prospects with size and speed, particularly in the trenches. Eleven of Michigan State's 2027 commits are from the Midwest.

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Jacob Cotsonika
JACOB COTSONIKA

A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.

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