EAST LANSING – Jonathan Smith’s final recruiting class will change into Pat Fitzgerald’s first with Michigan State soccer.
And Smith’s assistant coaches who caught round after his firing helped the Spartans maintain virtually all the 2026 prospects who signed Wednesday, Dec. 3, on the primary of the three-day early signing interval window.
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One thing Fitzgerald appreciated from the earlier workers on his first day at work.
“They’ve achieved an important job placing issues collectively, put an important class collectively,” Fitzgerald stated Tuesday throughout his introductory information convention.
Michigan State’s new soccer coach Pat Fitzgerald, heart, and MSU athletic director J Batt, left, meet with quarterback Alessio Milivojevic, proper, whereas ready for Fitzgerald’s introductory press convention to start out Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, on the Tom Izzo Soccer Constructing in East Lansing.
Recruiting coordinator Brian Wozniak and the remainder of Smith’s remaining workers continued to work by the whistle, getting two three-star prospects to flip commitments on Wednesday with the additions of offensive lineman Jack Ziarko from Canton, Ohio (beforehand dedicated to Miami, Ohio) and athlete Jonathan Granby from Georgia (beforehand dedicated to Georgia Southern).
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That brings the Spartans’ class Fitzgerald will inherit to at the least 17 − 16 of whom signed Wednesday and one who will signal Friday. Two others stay in limbo. MSU ranks forty sixth nationally in 247Sports’ composite staff rankings and twelfth within the 18-team Massive Ten. A lot of the category got here collectively in June, a month that noticed a flurry of 17 commitments, although decommitments began in October and continued by the opening of signing day with the teaching state of affairs in flux.
RELATED: Sofa: Pat Fitzgerald will profit at Michigan State from the regrets of the Jonathan Smith period
“I believe the massive factor was sticking to the method of what we talked about,” Wozniak stated in September. “We type of foresaw the massive summer season coming. It could be irritating to followers on the time time, to reporters on the time prior. However that’s our course of.”
The early-signing window for highschool prospects closes Friday, and it reopens for Fitzgerald and his new workers Feb. 4, 2026. MSU might be ready and dealing on two of its prime gamers within the class, together with four-star Novi Detroit Catholic Central vast receiver Samson Gash, to signal then. Gash stated he plans to weigh curiosity from different colleges earlier than the subsequent signing interval. One other four-star recruit, offensive deal with Collin Campbell from Arizona, remained unsigned as of Wednesday night time and was drawing curiosity from Utah and others in lieu of Smith’s firing.
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RELATED: Pat Fitzgerald on Michigan State soccer: ‘We have gotta get stronger’
The teaching turmoil this fall did include seven different defections from the category, although. MSU misplaced three-star defensive finish recruits Fameitau Siale from Seattle (to Utah) and Chris Addison from Louisiana (to Mississippi State) on Wednesday, after seeing security Jordan Vann from Middletown, Ohio, decommit Monday and signal with Louisville and defensive lineman Christopher Knauls Jr. from Texas reopen his recruitment Tuesday.
The Spartans additionally misplaced three others throughout their 4-8 season below Smith as four-star prospects Tyren Wortham from Florida and Braylon Hodge from Colorado depledged in October and three-star offensive lineman Quinn Buckey from California reneged on his dedication final week earlier than MSU’s win over Maryland. Hodge signed with Oregon on Wednesday, whereas the opposite two stay uncommitted.
Lexington Excessive Faculty’s Joe Caudill carries the ball towards Toledo Central Catholic Excessive Faculty throughout OHSAA Division III regional quarterfinal highschool soccer motion Friday, Nov. 7, 2025 at Colonel Crawford Excessive Faculty.
“By way of getting commitments, what does that imply? A child can play at 4 totally different colleges in 5 years,” stated Wozniak, who performed collegiately at Wisconsin. “I believe greater than something, it’s we wish the best guys, we wish the best individuals on this constructing. … You wish to be round individuals you want which are good gamers, so I believe that’s what we’re in search of. We would like individuals to be pleased with what Michigan State soccer gamers signify.”
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Quite a lot of these gamers, headlined by four-star East Kentwood quarterback Kayd Coffman, will arrive in January to a brand new regime below Fitzgerald, who was formally named as Smith’s substitute Tuesday. He might be joined as early enrollees together with four-star tight finish Joey Caudill from Ohio and offensive deal with Eli Bickell from North Department, who despatched their Letters of Intent Wednesday morning.
East Kentwood quarterback Kayd Coffman passes downfield towards Howell, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025 in a 49-41 win within the district finals at Howell Excessive Faculty.
RELATED: I’m Kayd Coffman. Why I am signing with MSU soccer and Pat Fitzgerald
“Clearly each recruitment is about alternative and what you’re coming into,” Smith stated in early November. “We’ve obtained a number of guys that we’re recruiting that wish to be on the sector and wish to compete instantly. There’s that chance with that.”
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A possibility that now comes below Fitzgerald, who stated he instantly jumped into watching movie on-line of the gamers who’re on their method to MSU and people he plans to pursue within the coming months. He additionally rapidly obtained in contact with Wozniak and Smith’s different assistants and recruiting workers to determine what the Spartans have coming and what wants stay.
“I went by with the tape I had obtainable when this factor began to progress,” he stated Tuesday. “And it wasn’t nice on the web, that means I had junior and senior highlights. If this was a traditional case, I don’t provide (a scholarship) on the appetizer. I wish to have the steak. And as you guys can see, I’m a sweater so I’m an eater. I wish to see all of it, however that’s simply not the case.
“And the workers did a very good job. I obtained on the cellphone with a number of workers members right here, and we simply began speaking by every participant and we went over an in depth Zoom about every man. And I’m working by that course of, I’m not fairly there but.”
Fitzgerald stated he does nonetheless plan to “add some items” by conventional recruiting but in addition admitted his subsequent part might be to mine the switch portal for an infusion of expertise together with attempting to stop present gamers on the roster from leaving. Two sophomore starters, vast receiver Nick Marsh and working again Makhi Frazier, have introduced their intentions to enter the portal.
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“That’s only a actuality of school soccer,” Fitzgerald stated. “And if younger males resolve that that is the best match for them, then we’re gonna consider them like I might to ensure that’s gonna occur, and we’ll add these items. And if some younger males resolve that possibly shifting on is their finest resolution, I might help them wholeheartedly, indubitably.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Comply with him @chrissolari.
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This text initially appeared on Detroit Free Press: MSU soccer signing day preserved in Pat Fitzgerald’s 2026 class
