After a bit of a slow start in the first half, Michigan State surged in the second-half to defeat Eastern Michigan by a final score of 35-7. The Spartans currently sit at 2-0 on the 2026 season.
It was also the Spartans' first chance to host recruits for a game-day visit in 2026 — the first opportunity under new head coach Pat Fitzgerald and new general manager Bryan Gasser — after not bringing any prospects to campus during the team's season-opening victory over Toledo due to remaining recruiting sanctions stemming from the Mel Tucker era.
Michigan State brought several prospects to East Lansing on Saturday, including a surprise visit from 2027 four-star defensive back athlete/defensive back and Texas Tech commit Gideon Gash, several 2027 commits, and uncommitted prospects throughout the 2027, 2028 and 2029 classes. Spartans Illustrated was able to catch up with several recruits following the visit. Their thoughts on the experience are listed below.
2027 three-star quarterback Eli Stumpf (MSU commit)
Michigan State quarterback commit Eli Stumpf — a three-star prospect out of Big Walnut High School in Sunbury Ohio — returned to East Lansing for his first game-day experience at Spartan Stadium.
Stumpf thoroughly enjoyed his time at MSU and the visit reiterated that he made the right decision.
"It was great to be up for my first MSU game," Stumpf told Spartans Illustrated. "I had a great time and felt right at home."
Stumpf committed to MSU in March following the Spartans' first spring practice. He had additional offers from Toledo, Kent State and Cornell.
He is one of the leaders of the 2027 class.
2027 three-star athlete/safety Don Spillers III (MSU commit)
Don Spillers III, a Michigan State commit out of Detroit Martin Luther King Jr. High School, returned to campus on Saturday after committing to the Spartans in June.
The Spartans primarily looked at Spillers as a safety, but he could end up playing on the offensive side of the ball as a wide receiver at the college level as well.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Spillers ranks as a top-15 prospect in the state of Michigan. He had additional offers from Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Maryland, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Purdue and several others.
Spillers plans on being at as many MSU games as possible this fall, and he will put his recruiting hat on to help out the Spartans as much as he can.
“Just a great feeling to be back in East Lansing, and I feel the love from the coaches and commits,” Spillers said about the visit. “I am trying to recruit the next class under me.”
2027 three-star offensive tackle Jack Carlson (MSU commit)
Another Michigan State commit who returned to campus on Saturday was three-star offensive tackle Jack Carlson.
Carlson committed to the Spartans in March and is a foundational piece of the class as the Spartans look to bolster the trenches in the future.
The 6-foot-7, 260-pound in-state prospect out of Brighton is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 7 prospect in Michigan. He chose MSU over offers from Northwestern, Cincinnati and others.
Getting back to East Lansing and connecting with fellow commits meant a lot to Carlson.
“I thought that it was amazing to have a large group of us commits back together,” Carlson explained. “Whenever we can be around one another period is awesome, but especially when it can be in an environment as awesome as Spartan Stadium.”
2027 three-star EDGE/DL Jack Schuler (MSU commit)
Obviously, Michigan State had a good number of commits back in East Lansing on Saturday, and that list also included three-star EDGE prospect Jack Schuler.
Schuler committed to the Spartans in April. He is a versatile defensive lineman who could play as a rush end, strong-side defensive end or even in the interior as a defensive tackle at the college level.
The Ohio native had additional offers from Connecticut, Marshall, Liberty, Toledo, Central Michigan, Ball State, Miami (OH) and Kent State.
He enjoyed his return trip to MSU.
“It was great to see my first win in East Lansing,” Schuler said. “It was just great to see all the coaches and the commits again. It was a great day."
2027 three-star tight end Ryan Pankey (MSU commit)
Three-star tight end Ryan Pankey was the class of 2027 Michigan State commit who made the longest trek to get to East Lansing. Pankey traveled all the way from Colorado and made it to mid-Michigan for MSU's 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time game against Eastern Michigan on Saturday.
While Pankey is also a standout edge rusher for Montrose High School, Michigan State tight ends coach Brian Wozniak identified Pankey as an offensive target early in the year, and Pankey made a visit to MSU in April. Wozniak also visited Pankey in Colorado multiple times during the spring, and the Spartans eventually offered him in May.
Pankey committed to MSU in June during his official visit. He received additional scholarship offers from Colorado State, Oregon State, Washington State, Navy, New Mexico State, San Diego State, UNLV, Wyoming, Kent State and others.
The game-day visit and quality time with fellow Michigan State 2027 commits made for a memorable weekend for Pankey.
"Being back at Michigan State and getting to reconnect with all the coaches was awesome," Pankey said. "The game-day experience with the Spartan Walk, the crowd, the first-responder tribute and the fighter jets were all really cool.
"Getting to go into the locker room after the game made the experience even more special. I also enjoyed spending time with the other guys in the 2027 class. We’re already building strong friendships, and I’m excited about our future together!
2027 three-star LB Matthew Brady (MSU commit)
Yet another class of 2027 Michigan State commit who was happy to be back in East Lansing on Saturday is three-star linebacker Matthew Brady.
Brady —who excels as both a quarterback and linebacker for Central Catholic High School in Bloomington, Illinois — committed to the Spartans in June, following his official visit.
Brady had additional scholarship offers from Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Virginia Tech and several others.
Getting back on campus gave Brady an opportunity to watch how the Spartans operate on a game day, and a chance to reconnect with coaches and fellow commits.
"The atmosphere was electric and it was my first chance to really feel the energy around MSU," Brady noted. "The game was awesome and I had a great time catching up with coaches and future teammates! Go Green!"
2028 three-star wide receiver/tight end AJ Henley
AJ Henley is an in-state three-star prospect who could play wide receiver or tight end at the next level. He is comfortable at both spots. The Harper Woods High School standout is no stranger to East Lansing, and returned to Spartan Stadium on Saturday.
Michigan State wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins originally offered Henley in October of 2025 under then head coach Jonathan Smith. Hawkins was retained on Pat Fitzgerald's coaching staff on 2026, and while the new staff hasn't re-offered just yet, the Spartans are continuing to build a bond with Henley.
Henley is a highly-coveted prospect who has scholarship offers from Indiana, Michigan, Washington, Maryland, Minnesota, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Iowa State, South Florida and many other programs.
He said the visit to East Lansing "went great." Henley's growing relationship with the Spartans is something to monitor moving forward.
"It was a nice visit," Henley said. "The facilities are great and the fan base showed up. The student body provides a great atmosphere."
2028 offensive lineman/defensive lineman Cash Patrick
A rising 2028 prospect out of Ohio, the 6-foot-6, 280-pound Cash Patrick already has several scholarship offers, including Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Syracuse, Purdue, Connecticut, Toledo, Miami (OH), Bowling Green and Kent State.
He is squarely on Michigan State's radar. MSU is mostly looking at him on the offensive line, but Patrick is being recruited by schools on both sides of the ball. Patrick was impressed with the environment at Spartan Stadium and the way MSU honored those we lost on Sept. 11, 2001.
"I really liked the atmosphere there — it was really loud, definitely the loudest (game) I've been to," Patrick said. "They showed their love for 9/11 with the jets going (overhead). That was my second game-day (visit) and college game in general, so I had a lot of fun going there and experiencing that."
Patrick said he would definitely consider a return visit to Michigan State if the relationship keeps developing.
2028 cornerback Jacob Patton
A Michigan State legacy recruit, Jacob Patton is a rising class of 2028 cornerback prospect out of Detroit Country Day High School in Franklin, Michigan.
Patton’s dad, Damon Patton, played for the Spartans under Nick Saban from 1996 until 1998.
Jacob Patton has already received scholarship offers from Louisville, Washington, Wisconsin, Memphis and several MAC programs. The Spartans are certainly a team to watch for a potential offer in the future.
On Saturday, the younger Patton was able to spend quality time with MSU cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat and assistant cornerbacks coach Elijah Douglass. Jacob Patton hopes to return to East Lansing at a later date.
“MSU was great, “ Patton said. “They showed lots of love and I liked getting to see coach Poteat and Coach Douglass in person. They talked to me a lot and it felt like home up there. I would love getting back up there and coming to another Spartan game.”
2028 defensive lineman Nathan Phillips
Class of 2028 Huron High School (Ann Arbor, Michigan) defensive lineman Nathan Phillips is quite familiar with East Lansing, as Saturday marked his third trip to Michigan State.
The 6-foot-3, 255-pound Phillips has offers from Eastern Michigan, Kent State and Murray State thus far.
Phillips was impressed with the atmosphere in East Lansing and the support from the crowd in attendance.
"My thoughts and biggest pull-aways from the game this (past) Saturday are that Michigan State has one of the most electric fan bases in the Big Ten," Phillips said. "Everyone was absolutely dialed in and loud every third down, I loved it! I also loved the conversations I got to have with some of the support staff during the game. I feel like I’ve grown really close to the university after my third time being there."
2029 athlete/linebacker Ike Sulfridge
Class of 2029 in-state prospect Ike Sulfridge does not have any scholarship offers as of yet, but those are likely coming. He has made multiple visits to East Lansing and is being monitored by the Spartans.
Sulfridge plays at Freeland High School, where he was teammates with current MSU true freshman offensive lineman Tristan Comer last year. Their dads also played football together at Saginaw Valley State in the 1990s.
At the college level, Sulfridge likely projects on the defensive side of the ball as an EDGE or linebacker.
The visit went well for Sulfridge, who was able to connect with Fitzgerald (“Coach Fitz”), Gasser, co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Max Bullough, defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere III (“Coach DeBo”) and rush ends coach Andrew Bindelglass.
He also enjoyed watching his peers put on a Spartan uniform and play.
“I had a great chance to catch up with some of the defensive staff before the game: Coaches DeBo, Bindelglass and Bullough. Great energy and excitement from the coaches for sure. They were the first to track me as a freshman last year and I appreciate them for keeping me in the mix throughout the staff transition.
“Also, it was great to have GM Gasser sit and talk with me during lunch. I loved getting to talk with Coach Fitz on the sideline during pregame. The recruiting staff and coaching staff really showed out for the recruits.
“A big thing for me is seeing guys like Brady Pretzlaff, Derrick Simmons, Tristan Comer, etc. come from small Michigan towns like mine, work their way through the academics, injuries, depth chart and ball out on the big stage.”
