Michigan State's 2025 recruiting class now includes six commitments, as three-star Ohio wide receiver Braylon Collier pledged to the Spartans on Friday.

MSU brought nine prospects to campus for its first group of official visits during the weekend of May 31 through June 2, and Collier is the first recruit from that bunch to commit to the Spartans.

After building strong relationships with wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins ("Coach Hawk"), assistant wide receivers coach Cordale Grundy ("Coach G"), head coach Jonathan Smith and many other staff members, Collier was certain after the official visit that he wanted to become a Spartan.

Michigan State being close to home also played a factor in Collier's decision. Collier currently attends Perkins High School in Sandusky, Ohio.

"The family atmosphere that Michigan State has established so early on, especially with a new staff and a lot of new guys on the team, is something special," Collier told Spartans Illustrated about why he chose to commit to the Spartans. "Geographically, it’s only two-and-a-half hours from home, so that was kind of the cherry on top ... There are no egos (in the program), just hard working, humble people all around. Something special is being built in East Lansing and I’m excited to be a part of it. I knew MSU was home for me after my official visit."

Hawkins has a well-know track record of developing players and sending them to the NFL — a player Hawkins has coached has been drafted in each of the past three NFL Drafts, including two-straight second-round picks — and played in the league himself. Those are things that caught Collier's attention.

"Coach Hawkins' resume with sending guys to the next level was a big deciding factor for me," Collier noted. "He also knows what it takes to get to that next level, having played nine years in the NFL himself."

The young talent on Michigan State's roster also stands out to Collier. He was hosted on his official visit by true freshman wide receiver Nick Marsh and the thought of being in the same wide receivers room in the near future is exciting for Collier. Additionally, he looks forward to catching passes from quarterback Aidan Chiles in East Lansing.

His connection with Smith, and Smith's emphasis on academics and life outside of football also were reasons why Collier feels comfortable committing to MSU.

"I built some strong bonds with some of the players, one of them being Nick Marsh a freshman receiver," Collier said. "I’m excited about quarterback Aidan Chiles and the guys they have coming up after him as well.

"Coach Jonathan Smith is a great guy, and what really stuck out to me about him is that the first day on the job for him at Michigan State — when he could’ve been doing a million other things — he met with the academic staff, so that tells me a lot about how important education is to him. Someday football is going to end, so you need something to fall back on, and he’s big on guys earning their degree and graduating, and he really just wants to emphasize that and set his guys up for success."

Collier went on to elaborate on his tight relationships with Smith, Hawkins and Grundy. His future positional coaches have joked with Collier — a four-sport athletes who also plays basketball and baseball and runs track — that they can take him on the basketball court. Of course, Collier disagrees.

Additionally, Collier believes the entire staff will help him reach his goals and develop both as a football player and as a man.

"My relationship with Coach Hawk, Coach Grundy, and Coach Jonathan Smith is very strong," Collier said. "Coach Hawk and Coach G both think they can beat me in a one-on-one on the (basketball) court, but they don’t know what they’re getting themselves into. Coach Jonathan Smith is an overall great guy.

"I also have good relationships with the rest of the staff. I know this staff can mold me into the man that I’m soon to become and send me off a better person than when they found me. I know they can push me and take me to where I can’t take myself."

Collier is a speedy wide receiver, who has reported a 4.4-second 40-yard dash. However, he's also a strong route-runner with strong hands. He knows his game is far from complete, though, and he works every day to hone his craft.

In 2023, Collier earned several accolades, including All-Ohio recognition, first-team All-District honors and being a first-team All-Conference selection. He tallied 80 receptions for 1,164 yards and 18 touchdowns on offense. On defense, he recorded five pass break-ups and an interception.

MSU is looking to add playmakers to its skill positions in the 2025 class, and Collier certainly fits that mold.

"Michigan State is getting a dawg," Collier said. "The strengths of my game are my hands, route-running, speed, and playing bigger than what I am. There’s always room to improve, though, so I’d say I can improve on every aspect of my game."

Additionally, Collier noted the significance of Michigan State's focus on re-establishing a recruiting pipeline in the state of Ohio and in the Midwest region.

He already is planning to put on his recruiting hat and help the Spartans add some of his peers to the Spartans' 2025 class.

"I think it’s very important to establish that Michigan-Ohio pipeline," Collier said about MSU's recruiting efforts. "We've got some dawgs here in the Midwest and Ohio that get overlooked. I’m definitely going to help recruit the guys in my class and try and bring in as much talent as we can get in East Lansing."

Collier, who has 15 scholarship offers in total, had a top-three of Michigan State, Iowa and Iowa State. He previously had official visits set up with the Cyclones (June 7) and the Hawkeyes (June 21), but he will be canceling those after committing to the Spartans.

With his commitment now done, Collier can focus on his senior season at Perkins. He has some team goals and individual objectives he hopes to accomplish this fall and wants to improve his overall game before arriving to Michigan State.

"Most importantly, we want to win a state championship (at Perkins)," Collier said about his goals for his senior season of high school football. "I want to be more vocal and step up into that leadership role. I also want to be the best teammate I can be, earn first-team All-Ohio honors, get 1,500 receiving yards, put on five pounds and sharpen up my skill set before stepping foot in East Lansing."

Collier wanted to leave Michigan State fans with one final message:

"Spartan Nation, let's do it!"

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