It is the dead period, and FBS schools are no longer able to host recruits for visits or camps.
Other than a handful of upcoming announcements, the recruitment of the 2027 class is largely complete. Of course, there will be movement in the fall and as December’s Early Signing Period draws closer, but for now, this begins the time where colleges and high school recruits begin focusing more on their fall seasons than recruiting.
With that, Michigan State only has a handful of targets it is waiting on in the 2027 class. Here is a look at a few:
Amari Vickerson, defensive lineman
A legacy recruit, Vickerson (6-3, 300 pounds) is the son of former Spartan defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson. A three-star from Cypress (Texas) Cy Ranch, he is committed to SMU, but took a surprise official visit with Michigan State last weekend. Following that, it remains up in the air as to what he will do, but with him taking that visit, there is increasing confidence the Spartans can have a second generation of Vickerson playing on their defensive line.
Corey Laga, offensive tackle
Laga is a 6-foot-5, 290-pound four-star from Lemont, Illinois. Michigan State hosted him for an official visit in June, as did Oklahoma and Vanderbilt. That is the three-team race. Oklahoma insiders believe the Sooners are in it, as do Spartan insiders, but neither side clearly feels their school is in the lead. Laga tends to keep his recruitment closer to the vest, and may truly be in a deliberation mode here with no decision date currently set.
Anthony Cartwright, tight end
Cartwright (6-5, 230 pounds) announces his commitment Sunday. Michigan State has made a very good run here and is in the group of finalists. Within that, insiders believe the Spartans are really a top two or three school in this recruitment, but the predictions heavily favor Oregon, which had Cartwright out for an official visit and has had momentum for several months.
Elsewhere, Michigan State made an attempt with Cincinnati commit Zay’Vion Smith, a defensive line prospect from Youngstown (Ohio) Warren Harding, but Smith has said he plans to stick with the Bearcats.
The Spartans also have had some dialogue with another Cincinnati commit, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s wide receiver Chad Willis. Willis has visited Auburn and North Carolina since committing to the Bearcats. His offseason gains have brought those schools to the table and sparked renewed dialogue with Michigan State, but at the moment, Willis has remained committed and has not made any definitive statements about what his next move will be.
Michigan State has 15 commitments in their 2027 class.
Allen Trieu covers Midwest football recruiting for On3. He has been featured on the Big Ten Network on its annual Signing Day Show. His Michigan and Michigan State recruiting columns appear weekly at detroitnews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Trieu: Taking a look at Michigan State remaining targets for 2027 class
Reporting by Allen Trieu, Special to The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Allen Trieu, Special to The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
