2024 OL Payton Stewart commits to MSU: 'I like how they see the future'
Michigan State football picked up yet another commitment in its 2024 recruiting class, as three-star offensive tackle Payton Stewart pledge to the Spartans on Tuesday.
Stewart, who hails from Kelso, Washington, originally committed to Oregon State and head coach Jonathan Smith's staff in July. Prior to that, Stewart was committed to Northwestern, but decommitted from the Wildcats shortly after head coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired this past summer due to a hazing scandal within the program.
In late November, Stewart announced he was decommitting from the Beavers and he would be exploring other options in the wake of the news that Smith was hired by the Spartans and was leaving the OSU program.
It is Stewart's strong relationship with Smith, offensive line coach/run game coordinator Jim Michalczik and the rest of the staff that has now led him to the Spartans.
"My relationships with the coaches are great," Stewart told Spartans Illustrated. "I really like how they see the future and how they want to win games and that’s what I want to do."
This past weekend, Stewart took an official visit to Michigan State to check out East Lansing and get a first-hand look of the campus and how Smith has transitioned into being a Spartan himself.
Clearly, Stewart saw enough to be convinced that MSU is the place for him, and he will end up playing under Coach Smith after all.
"My favorite part (of the visit) was to see the campus and see everything that there is to offer in East Lansing," Stewart said.
The 6-foot-7, 275-pound Stewart is still learning to play along the offensive line, but he is full of potential. His senior season in 2023 at Kelso High School was actually the first season he played exclusively as an offensive lineman.
"My game is definitely still evolving, this is my first year playing O-line the whole time," Stewart explained. "But it is definitely physical. I am going to try my hardest on every play and just try to hit the person that I need to with physicality and technique."
In addition to football, Stewart also plays basketball. With early signing day just a few days away, Stewart will sign his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday, Dec. 20. He plans to enroll at MSU in the summer.
"I plan on signing Wednesday," Stewart confirmed. "And I’ll enroll at the normal time (in the summer). I’m going to finish my basketball season this year."
Stewart holds 12 other scholarship offers. In addition to Michigan State, Oregon State and Northwestern, he has offers from Duke, Arizona State, Washington State and several others.
He becomes the 14th commitment in the Spartans' 2024 high school recruiting class overall, and the third offensive linemen, joining twins Mercer and Charlton Luniewski. Additionally, Michigan State has commitments from wide receiver Austin Clay, quarterback Alessio Milivojevic, defensive back Andrew Brinson, running backs Makhi Frazier and Brandon Tullis, tight end Wyatt Hook, wide receiver Nick Marsh, defensive back Jaylen Thompson, athlete/defensive back Justin Denson Jr., defensive back Keshawn Williams and linebacker Jadyn Walker.
Michigan State's 2024 class currently ranks 70th in the country.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Join the discussion on this article in our premium forums by clicking here.
You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, and Instagram.
For video content, including our Red Cedar Radar podcast, find us on YouTube and consider subscribing.