2024 WR Jaylan Brown Talks Michigan State Commitment: 'It feels like home'

The newest member of Michigan State's 2024 high school recruiting class is three-star wide receiver Jaylan Brown. The Texas native announced his commitment to the Spartans on Sunday.

Brown's pledge came after an official visit to Michigan State, which he took this past weekend (Jan. 26 through Jan. 28).

The Nacogdoches High School star saw everything he needed to see while in East Lansing, and knew that Michigan State is where he wanted to be throughout his college career.

"I made great connections with the players and coaches," Brown told Spartans Illustrated when asked why he committed to MSU. "And it totally feels like home!"

Michigan State offered Brown in mid-January, and things really took off from there. He quickly struck up a relationship with MSU wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins ("Coach Hawk") and assistant head coach/running backs coach/co-special teams coordinator Keith Bhonapha.

He wholeheartedly believes that Hawkins is the right person to develop him as a wide receiver. In addition to Hawkins and Bhonapha, Brown was able to connect with head coach Jonathan Smith and other members of the staff.

"Coach Hawk is a great person and will step in and be the coach to make you feel like family," Brown explained. "I honestly think Coach Smith did a great job building the staff, making everyone feel like family."

While on the trip, Brown toured campus, got a detailed look at the facilities, spent quality time with the coaches and more.

In addition to the coaches, Brown was able to connect with several Michigan State players while on campus, including several early enrollee freshmen and some veterans. Being able to meet with the current Spartans and hear about their perspectives and experiences is what really stood out to Brown about the official visit.

"I saw the indoor field, football stadium and basketball arena, but if I had to choose what my favorite thing was about the trip, it had to be seeing the freshmen who enrolled early and treated me like family: Brandon Tullis, DJ Kennard, and Brady Pretzlaff. I also met and became cool with (soon to be junior) Malik Spencer."

The recruiting process was perhaps a bit slower than Brown would have liked. However, he is happy with how things played out because it eventually led him to East Lansing.

His freshman year of high school was in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, so he did not play that season. The following year, he started on varsity as a sophomore, but he didn't see many looks in the passing game. He then made sure to put in the extra work with his quarterbacks and earned some trust and more opportunities from his coaches during his junior year.

Heading into his senior year, there was a coaching change at Nacogdoches and Darby House took over. House saw something special in Brown and called his number often during the 2023 campaign, which Brown is grateful for.

If Brown would have played for House longer, he believes his recruitment would have taken off earlier.

"I really feel like if I had another season with the coach we had this year (House), things would have been a lot different for me (in my recruitment)," Brown explained.

He bursted onto the scene during his senior campaign in 2023, recording 55 receptions for 910 yards and 11 touchdowns. For his efforts, he was rewarded with first-team all-district recognition.

Other scholarship offers for Brown included Washington State, North Texas and Southern University.

"This recruiting process humbled me," Brown mentioned. "It showed me why I needed to keep working, and I'm not going to stop."

Now, Brown is ecstatic to land at Michigan State and he will continue to put in the necessary work to hone his craft and focus on his development.

Another person who is partially responsible for getting Brown to Michigan State is trainer Sean Cooper of C4 Sports Performance and Fitness.

Cooper also trains Michigan State defensive end Bai Jobe, who will be a redshirt freshman in 2024. Cooper has formed a strong relationship with both MSU's former coaching staff under Mel Tucker and the current one under Smith, Bhonapha, Hawkins (who was also on the previous staff), general manager Cole Moore and others.

Cooper is like family to Brown. The young wide receiver knows how much Cooper has helped get him to this point and the impact he has had in his life.

"To my Uncle Sean, he’s been nothing but a blessing," Brown said about Cooper. "I mean, I wouldn’t be where I am without him and his connections. I appreciate him more than he knows!"

Cooper knows how much work Brown has put in, and while the process may have taken a little bit longer than anticipated, he is thrilled that Brown found a strong college program to grow and develop at.

"I’m just really happy he found a home," Cooper told Spartans Illustrated following Brown's commitment to MSU.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound athlete also plays basketball for Nacogdoches High School. He has been a fan of the Michigan State basketball team under head coach Tom Izzo since his youth.

Brown will sign with Michigan State on Wednesday, Feb. 7, during the traditional signing period. He will arrive in East Lansing in the summer.

There is one final message Brown wanted to leave Spartan fans with:

"Go Green!"

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