It was an eventful Wednesday for Michigan State football. After the dust of National Signing Day settled, 17 of the 18 commits in Michigan State's 2025 recruiting class ended up signing with Jonathan Smith and the Spartans. The odd man out was Bryson Williams, who plans to sign in the February signing period.

Michigan State's 2025 recruiting class
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Smith held a press conference Wednesday afternoon and discussed the 17 signees. Here are some of his notable quotes about several of Michigan State's key signees in the 2025 class.

How did Leonard Ah You become a Spartan?

“A big part of it was the past relationship because it was a couple of years ago (we were) recruiting him at Oregon State. They came and visited that place and (we) built a relationship there. Awesome experience for him to go on a mission, which he’ll complete at the end of March, early April and he’ll be back. I was able to stay in touch mostly through the family. (I) just FaceTimed the parents leading up to Thanksgiving.”

Is there concern given that Ah You might be rusty after his mission?

“We’ve had guys come back from Mormon missions. It’s gonna take a little bit. He’s moving around, but he gets back here in April. He has a full summer of training. We feel great that he’ll be able to get in shape.”

What does Smith like about Justin Bell's game?

“Justin really did a nice job in our camp in the summer. He has good size and ... we were able to more or less work him out and he did great with that.”

How did Michigan State flip Jace Clarizio from Alabama back to Michigan State?

“You just keep competing. All of us felt really, really confident that our place was a great fit for him and not just because he is a couple miles away from campus, the relationships we built, learning him, his personality type, his attributes, his family. We got a chance to do that over a long period of time. You just keep competing all the way until the end and really reassuring, re-echoing some messages (about) where we’re headed with this program, how he fits, how he’s got an opportunity to be a legacy at this place. At the end of the day, I think he made a great choice.”

What does Clarizio's re-commitment to Michigan State say about the Spartans?

“I think it shows that we can compete at the highest level. A couple of these guys had really high-profile options and we were able to have them choose us and believe in us. I think it shows a great direction of where we’re headed.”