Free Press sports writer Chris Solari breaks down the Michigan State football recruits who signed Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period, to play for new coach Pat Fitzgerald and the Spartans:
*Listed in order of prospect ranking.
MSU football recruiting class signees for 2026
OT Collin Campbell
School: Williams Field (Gilbert, Arizona).
Vitals: 6-foot-7, 280 pounds.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Four stars; No. 197 overall, No. 21 OT.
The buzz: A top-200 recruit at a position of significant need, Campbell committed in June with a slew of offers from programs from every power conference and beyond. Possesses the size and strength to become a pivotal left tackle, with mauling aggression at the point of attack to protect quarterbacks’ blindside and agility to get to second-level defenders to be a force in run blocking. Utah reportedly was making a late push to flip Campbell after MSU’s coaching change.
QB Kayd Coffman
School: East Kentwood
Vitals: 6-foot-2, 200 pounds
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Four stars; No. 364 overall, No. 25 QB.
The buzz: One of the prizes of this class and the top-rated quarterback in the state this year, Coffman put up monster numbers and led East Kentwood to the state semifinals in Division 1. A primary target for Jonathan Smith and his staff for two years, Coffman threw for 2,805 yards with 35 TDs and five interceptions while adding eight rushing scores and 710 yards on the ground.
OT Eli Bickel
School: North Branch.
Vitals: 6-6, 270.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Four stars; No. 457 overall, No. 43 OT.
The buzz: Possesses strong footwork, power at the point of attack and athletic ability to pull and be a lead blocker. Has the toughness and strength to play inside but the size and reach to be on the edge of the offensive line in college. Bickel, the No. 7 player in the state according to 247 Sports’ composite rankings, has wrestled and brings fierce competitiveness to his play on both lines for North Branch.
TE Joey Caudill
School: Lexington (Mansfield, Ohio).
Vitals: 6-5, 215.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Four stars; No. 432 overall, No. 23 TE.
The buzz: The first commitment for the 2026 class remained loyal to his pledge despite the coaching change. Caudill is a big target who will need to put on weight when he gets to college to handle the rigors of Big Ten blocking. A high school quarterback and linebacker, he’s athletic and has good size to make that transition. Comes from the same town as current DB Aveon Grose and his brother, Angelo.
OG/C Jack Ziarko
School: Hoover (Canton, Ohio).
Vitals: 6-4, 280.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three stars; No. 851 overall, No. 68 interior OL.
The buzz: Projected to be a center when he gets to college, Ziarko flipped his pledge from Miami (Ohio) to the Spartans on signing day after the hiring of Fitzgerald. Arrives with an athletic background as a two-way player on the Hoover defensive line and a star on the baseball team.
WR Zachary Washington
School: St. Francis (Wheaton, Illinois)
Vitals: 6-foot-2, 183 pounds
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three stars; No. 768 overall, No. 108 WR.
The buzz: Washington, who played high school ball for MSU QB Alessio Milivojevic’s father and opposite his brother Dario at receiver, won a state title with St. Francis on Tuesday and had 113 yards on four catches. Washington’s balance and agility contributes to his elusiveness, and his speed in space could make an immediate impact at the next level on offense and special teams.
TE Eddie Whiting
School: Jefferson (Sioux Falls, South Dakota).
Vitals: 6-6, 230.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three stars; No. 859 overall, No. 52 TE.
The buzz: A strong pass catcher with the size and willingness to block, Whiting is expected to enroll early. He shows good burst off the line of scrimmage and flashes modern tight end ability to line up wide with his quickness and agility to get open.
S Brayden Thomas
School: St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio).
Vitals: 6-1, 175.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three stars; No. 899 overall, No. 80 safety.
The buzz: Comes from Cleveland-area powerhouse St. Edward, which produced a number of former Spartans including Montorie Foster and the Dowell brothers in recent years. Has strong ball skills and can back pedal and play in coverage or come downhill and deliver big hits. Initially committed to Iowa State before flipping to MSU.
LB Adam Shaw
School: Pascack Valley (Hillsdale, New Jersey).
Vitals: 6-3, 205.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three stars; No. 965 overall, No. 82 LB.
The buzz: Son of former MSU offensive lineman Scott Shaw, an All-American under Nick Saban, and former field hockey standout Angela (DiJames) Shaw. Adam Shaw also played quarterback in high school and shows quickness and toughness to attack run plays and move freely in coverage. Also a track athlete whose speed will be a big asset for Fitzgerald, himself a former star linebacker.
CB KJ Deriso
School: Whitewater (Fayetteville, Georgia).
Vitals: 6-1, 165.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three stars; No. 1,002 overall, No. 80 CB.
The buzz: Part of a summer flood of commits to then-coach Jonathan Smith and his staff, Deriso maintained his pledge. He possesses strong ball-hawking instincts to break up or pick off passes, and his closing speed shines in both coverage and as a downhill tackler.
OT Tristan Comer
School: Freeland.
Vitals: 6-6, 262.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three stars; No. 1,052 overall, No. 90 OT.
The buzz: Comer is a versatile and physical player in the mold of a solid blocker who combines post player footwork from his basketball skills with the athletic ability to play both tight end and defensive end on the football field. As he builds his strength and bulks up in college, along with going to one sport to focus his physical gifts, Comer can become a prototype tackle who can set the edge in the run game.
S Eliyjah Caldwell-Hardy
School: Global Impact Ministries Academy (Jacksonville, Florida).
Vitals: 6-0, 185.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three stars; No. 1,124 overall, No. 102 S.
The buzz: Caldwell-Hardy played both ways and shows outstanding ball skills, flashing an athletic one-handed catch in-stride during a 2025 game at receiver for a 70-yard TD. That quickness and feel shows in his coverage, but Caldwell-Hardy also can attack the line of scrimmage in run situations and has the prototypical tweener size to be a strong slot corner.
DB TJ Umenyiora
School: Blessed Trinity Catholic (Roswell, Georgia).
Vitals: 6-1, 185.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three stars; No. 1,151 overall, No. 93 CB.
The buzz: The son of former Giants star defensive end Osi Umenyiora, the younger Umenyiora shows strong coverage skills to play either corner or nickel and also played receiver. He spent most of his youth playing basketball and only played two years of high school football, similar to his father’s path to an 11-year NFL career.
DE Cory House
School: Whitehaven (Memphis, Tennessee).
Vitals: 6-5, 240.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three stars; No. 1,152 overall, No. 102 Edge.
The buzz: A disruptive presence in opposing backfields, House possesses the size to be a stand-up pass rush force off the edge but also has the footwork and leadership to potentially emerge in a hybrid role either at linebacker at his current weight or on the interior if he bulks up.
DL Hudson Aultman
School: Olentangy Berlin (Delaware, Ohio).
Vitals: 6-4, 280.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three stars; No. 1,218 overall, No. 125 DL.
The buzz: A tough-nosed, big-bodied tackler who shows size and strength to line up with his hand on the interior on the ground but also possessed enough quick-twitch to play on the edge and upright. A strong athlete who also plays basketball, as well as being a two-way player on the offensive line, Aultman showed footwork in evading blockers to be a disruptive force in the backfield of opposing offenses.
CB Jeremiah Favorite
School: Boiling Springs (South Carolina).
Vitals: 5-11, 175.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three stars; No. 1,310 overall, No. 111 CB.
The buzz: Reaffirmed his commitment to MSU with the coaching change signed Friday. Favorite possesses ball-seeing skills in coverage, with instincts and play-making ability to potentially contribute in nickel packages or at corner as he develops and grows in college. Also could emerge as a key member of a number of special teams units with his athletic gifts.
WR Rai’shawn Elmore
School: Porter Ridge (Indian Trail, North Carolina).
Vitals: 6-2, 185.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three stars; No. 1,484 overall, No. 213 WR.
The buzz: The Spartans, who lost a commitment from four-star wideout Tyren Wortham in early October, picked up a pledge from Elmore in mid-November after he decommitted from East Carolina. He is a big-body deep threat with size to play outside, and whose long-stride ability to run and versatility makes him an intriguing developmental prospect.
ATH Jonathan Granby
School: Fellowship Christian School (Roswell, Georgia).
Vitals: 6-0, 180.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three stars; No. 2,498 overall, No. 192 athlete.
The buzz: Granby was MSU’s second signing day flip, with the Spartans swaying him from a previous pledge to Georgia Southern. A quarterback and safety in high school, Granby possesses dynamic playmaking ability with the ball in his hands and could find a home at a number of positions with his size and athleticism.
LB Jack Lansing III
School: Hartland.
Vitals: 6-0, 200.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Three stars; No. 2,296 overall, No. 201 LB.
The buzz: Lansing heads west to East Lansing after accepting a preferred walk-on offer in May to go to his dream school.
WR Colin Charles
School: St. Thomas More (Oakdale, Connecticut).
Vitals: 6-0, 180.
247 Sports’ composite ranking: Unranked.
The buzz: Charles, who graduated from Northville in 2025 and reclassified to 2026 after spending this fall at prep school, agreed in October to a preferred walk-on spot, and is expected to arrive in January at MSU.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football recruiting: Meet 2026 class for Pat Fitzgerald
Reporting by Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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