The Michigan Stat Spartans have suffered an Early Signing Period recruiting loss.
On Monday, 2025 four-star cornerback LaRue Zamorano — the No. 24 player in the state of California — and No. 26 cornerback in the country decommitted from the MSU program.
Zamorano's decommitment coincides with the expectation that Michigan State cornerback coach Demetrice Martin will be leaving for the UCLA Bruins, which Spartans Illustrated confirmed earlier Monday. Martin was a pivotal part of the Spartans' recruitment of Zamorano.
The Centennial High School (Corona, California) standout committed to the Spartans in late July over notable offers from Arizona, Kansas, Oregon, Penn State, USC and Washington.
On top of an official visit to Michigan State in late May/early June, he also officially visited Kansas and Washington.
“To be honest, my relationship with Coach Meat (Demetrice Martin) is very, very good,” Zamorano told Spartans Illustrated after his official visit. “He’s been recruiting me since ninth grade. He offered me when he was at Oregon. We’re both from the same area, so me and him get along very well."
The 5.8 Rivals four-star prospect is a significant hit to head coach Jonathan Smith's first full-cycle recruiting class in East Lansing. Zamorano' was tied with defensive tackle Derrick Simmons as the program's highest-rated commitment.
Notably, the Spartans hold a trio of other defensive back commitments currently from Bushnell, Florida's George Mullins, Richmond, Virginia native Terrance Edwards and North Potomac, Maryland prospect Aydan West. However, other programs are heavily pursuing West.
The Spartans have been working hard to keep West, whose stock has risen exponentially this fall, in their 2025 recruiting class. West is being pursued by Ohio State, Virginia Tech and UCLA with just days until the Early Signing Period. With Martin heading to UCLA, the Bruins could be a team to watch.
Michigan State also received a commitment from three-star safety Evan Young on Monday. MSU's 2025 class currently includes 16 total pledges.
