Two elite recruits plan visits to Michigan State football

The next major recruiting event for Michigan State football is just around the corner: the annual Spartan Dawg Con takes place next weekend, on July 26.

There are already numerous recruits who have indicated they would like to visit, and Jonathan Smith and his staff recently learned that two more recruits are planning to come.

The first player to announce that he will visit Michigan State next weekend is Kaden Gebhardt.

I’m looking forward to being at Michigan State on the 27th! @DBcoachadams @JoeS_Rossi @AustinDArmond @Coach_Gordon20 @AllenTrieu @Kstaff07 @MohrRecruiting @CoachBart11 photo.twitter.com/ra9dI2bKIE

— Kaden Gebhardt 4⭐️ S/ATH (@kaden_gebhardt) July 18, 2024

Gebhardt is a four-star safety out of Lewis Center, Ohio, in the class of 2026. He is the No. 215 player in the nation according to 247Sports. Gebhardt is also the No. 17 safety in the country and the No. 8 player out of Ohio.

Gebhardt doesn’t have an offer from Michigan State yet, but I suspect that will change next weekend when he visits campus.

Wisconsin, Penn State, Oklahoma, Missouri, Louisville and a few others have offered Gebhardt, but I think MSU has a good shot at his recruitment at this point. He still chooses to visit Michigan State on his own dime, even though Smith hasn’t extended an offer to him yet, so that tells me he’s very interested.

The second prospect who has announced he will be visiting Michigan State next weekend is Emoni Smith.

Michigan State to host 2026 Ohio ATH Emoni Smith for Spartan Dawg Con

The Spartans have made an effort to return to Ohio and re-recruit the state. Smith has taken notice.

“I think it’s great that MSU is coming back here. Look at when they were good, they had a lot of… photo.twitter.com/IQJI96h5aP

— Kenny Jordan (@Kenny_Jordan5) July 19, 2024

Smith is a three-star athlete from Galloway, Ohio. He is the No. 524 player in the 2026 class and also the No. 46 athlete according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

As you can see from these two recruits, Smith and his staff are starting to prioritize Ohio recruits, something we were used to seeing during Mark Dantonio’s tenure. Recruits are taking notice, and Emoni Smith even shared this with On3’s Kenny Jordan.

“I think it’s great that MSU is coming back here (Ohio). Look at when they were good, they had a lot of guys from Ohio.”

Hopefully Jonathan Smith has the same luck with these Ohio recruits as Dantonio did. They were always key parts of all of Dantonio’s championship teams, so hopefully it works out the same for Smith this time around, starting with these two solid recruits.