Why MSU Staff Visited Powerhouse Illinois High School
In this story:
Since taking over as Michigan State’s head coach at the start of December, most of Pat Fitzgerald’s energy has gone toward building his staff and navigating the 2026 college football transfer portal window.
Now that the chaos of his first month is winding down, he and his staff are shifting their focus to the high school recruiting trail, with some Spartans coaches recently visiting one of Illinois’s top high school football programs.
Illinois High School Football Program Hosts MSU Staff
On Thursday morning, some Michigan State coaches traveled to Brother Rice High School in Chicago, Illinois. While it’s unclear which staff members made the trip, Brother Rice thanked the Spartans on X for coming to watch their morning workout.
Wonderful to have @MSU_Football here at @BrotherRice during morning workouts to check out our student-athletes! pic.twitter.com/Yqww946b3T
— Brother Rice Football (@BrotherRiceFB) January 15, 2026
With the Spartans having an almost entirely new staff, Fitzgerald is likely sending some of his coaches to different high schools in and around Michigan to start building relationships not only with prospects but also with coaching staffs.
Brother Rice has one of Illinois’s top high school football programs, fresh off an IHSA Class 7A State Championship. Maintaining a strong relationship with the school’s staff, led by head coach Casey Quedenfeld, will benefit Michigan State and Fitzgerald in the long run.
While there are plenty of talented prospects at Brother Rice, the former Michigan State staff had previously offered two recruits from the school: Brayden Parks, a 2027 four-star defensive lineman, and Kameron McGee, a 2028 five-star EDGE.
The new Michigan State staff likely wanted to meet both players and build relationships with them as a new era of Spartans football begins under Fitzgerald.
Both Parks and McGee are among the top players in their respective classes. 247Sports’ composite rankings list Parks as the No. 234 overall prospect in the 2027 class and McGee as the No. 6 overall prospect in the 2028 class.
They are both being pursued by some of the top programs in the country, but Michigan State still has time to make progress in their recruitments, and the visit to Brother Rice likely boosted the Spartans’ standing with both prospects.
In recent days, Fitzgerald and the Spartans have become increasingly active on the high school recruiting trail. Michigan State is expected to host two Junior Days at the end of the month and will likely extend several offers to high school prospects in the coming weeks.
Securing elite high school talent, especially in the Midwest, will be key to Fitzgerald’s success at Michigan State, and building relationships with schools like Brother Rice is a strong start toward that goal.
Keep up with all our content when you follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook, Spartan Nation, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be sure to share your thoughts on MSU visiting Brother Rice High School when you join our community group, Go Green Go White, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE. Don't forget to give us a follow on X @MSUSpartansOnSI as well.
Never again miss one major story related to your beloved Spartans when you sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news. SIGN UP HERE NOW
Max Doresy serves as the Western United States College Recruiting Beat Writer On SI. He graduated from the prestigious Syracuse University – S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Before that, he worked for the Pro Football Network and was part of the recruiting department for Syracuse University's football program.