We have much to go over this Saturday morning. It has been a rather busy week for MSU in the headlines. Let’s get to it.
- Michigan State will be reviving an old rivalry on the gridiron with a home-and-home series against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Spartans will go to South Bend in 2026 and will play host in 2027. Hopefully Coach Smith has MSU relevant by then.
- On the recruiting trail, Smith picked up a few more names for 2025 this past week. On the offensive line, Justin Bell from Macomb, MI, is coming to East Lansing. He is an OT who measures 6’8” tall. The three-star is 247’s OT #90.
- Next up, from Columbus, OH, Cal Thrush will be bringing his talents to MSU. He is a defensive lineman coming in at 6’4”, 250 pounds. He is a three-star and ranked as DL #107 by 247.
- The Spartans added some more beef to the defensive line with the recruitment of DT Derrick Simmons from Frankenmuth, MI. At 6’3”, 270 pounds, Simmons, a three-star, is rated as 247’s 65th defensive lineman in the 2025 class.
- On the back end, Aydan West from Gaithersburg, MD, and George Mullins from Bushnesll, FL, also committed. Both are three-star defensive backs per 247.
- Just so special teams does not feel left out, MSU also picked up Jack Wills, a long snapper from Hudsonville, MI. He is the second-ranked long snapper in his class according to Korn Blue Kicking.
- Moving on to basketball, we have some scheduling news. The 2024-25 season will begin on November 7 with a game against Niagara. Hopefully it is not a repeat of the James Madison game from last year. Yes, you all needed to be reminded of that.
- Jeremy Fears has been given a medical redshirt for last year, meaning he did not lose a year of eligibility due to his gunshot wound suffered in December.
- A Spartan is heading to Paris for the Olympics. MSU’s Heath Baldwin, a decathlete on the track & field team, won the US Trials last weekend at the University of Oregon to earn his ticket to this year’s Summer Games. The opening ceremony is Friday, July 26. Make sure to check out the Olympic schedule so you can cheer on this Spartan as he represents his country.
Enjoy your weekend. Oh, and stay tuned for some big TOC news this coming week.
Just your weekly reminder to check out O’s other sports journalistic work. It’s a hockey-heavy edition (dandarc, here’s looking at you).
O For 4 – A stubborn man’s thoughts on sports (ofor4blog.com)