The Michigan State football program hosted a large group of recruits for a big junior day event on Saturday, April 6. Prospects from the state and all over the Midwest (and beyond) came to East Lansing this past weekend to get a closer look at the Spartans.

After finishing up with their visits, Spartans Illustrated caught up with several prospects who were in East Lansing to field exclusive reactions to their visits, starting with Giyahni Kontosis, who has been previously offered to become part of head coach Jonathan Smith's Michigan State program.

Additionally, Spartans Illustrated has quotes from several other visitors who were on campus this past weekend.

The three-star wide receiver out of Rock Creek Christian in Upper Marlboro, Maryland of the Washington D.C. metropolitan area has 23 scholarship offers in total. The Spartans offered him back in January, which he said "felt great" at the time.

In addition to Michigan State, Kontosis has Power Four offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Syracuse, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

He reported an excellent visit to East Lansing for the big recruiting weekend.

"It was great," Kontosis said about the visit, with excitement. "They showed us around the facility, let us know about some of the academic things and just let us have fun and experience the whole thing."

The potential addition of Kontosis could be a major move for position coach Courtney Hawkins and the Spartans as a major upcoming cycle approaches for Smith's program, who will pitch the virtues of playing for the Spartans to the DMV athlete.

Kontosis also tells Spartans Illustrated that he is currently in the process of trying to schedule an official visit with Michigan State,

Ranked No. 12 in the state of Maryland and No. 83 nationally at his position, the wide receiver could see his list of offers continue to grow.

The in-state product of Saline, Michigan may have not received his offer from Michigan State just yet, but Saturday marked Harris' second visit to East Lansing in as many weeks to check in with the Spartans.

The class of 2026 weak-side defensive end continues to rake in the scholarship offers early in his recruitment, as he is close to double-digit offers now, and things are beginning to develop for him.

Two cycles before Harris makes his final decision, he has already received nine Division I offers, including Power Four programs such as Indiana, Purdue, Penn State, Pittsburgh and Louisville.

But during the last two weeks, the pass-rusher from the Great Lakes State has been hanging with Smith and the Michigan State staff. He reported to Spartans Illustrated a tremendous visit for MSU's recent junior day.

"The trip was great," Harris noted. "I got to watch spring practice, get a tour of the facilities, learn about campus and the resources available for academics and life after football, and learn about the expectations of (defensive coordinator and linebackers coach) Joe Rossi and the defense."

Keyes — an in-state tight end who is teammate with Harris at Saline High School — is another name to watch for Michigan State fans.

He does not have an offer from MSU as of yet, but has already heard of offers from nine Division I programs, including Power Four programs like Arizona State, Iowa State, Illinois, Pittsburg and Purdue.

The pass-catcher and run-blocker with a sizable, rangy 6-foot-6, 225-pound frame said he enjoyed his trip to East Lansing, where he was able to catch up with tight ends coach, Brian Wozniak.

"I had a great time at MSU for sure, and it was great to talk with Coach Wozniak a lot and learn more about the school," he said.

Keyes has a special connection to the Spartans via his mother and father, both of whom are Michigan State alumni. The trio had an "overall great" experience in East Lansing during what was a homecoming of sorts for the family .

He was able to chat with many of the Spartans' coaches, and Michigan State is a program in which he envisions a bright future.

"I had a great time connecting with all of the coaches, and I think the way Coach Smith is adjusting to moving here is already great," Keyes said. "I love the way (Michigan State) plays football."

Taylor, a three-star pass-rusher from Kenwood Academy in Chicago, has not seen an offer from Michigan State just yet, but Power Four programs such as Cincinnati, Georgia Tech and Indiana round out three of his four overall offers, along with Toledo.

He's also garnering interest from the Spartans, along with their Big Ten rivals, Illinois and Northwestern.

Taylor was already back in East Lansing for Michigan State's junior day just two weeks after he checked to watch a spring practice on March 21.

Here is what Taylor had to say in his tell-all about how his return trip was to see head coach Jonathan Smith, co-special teams coordinator/rush ends coach Chad Wilt and the rest of the Spartans:

"We got to watch their outside practice scrimmage, and we had a real one-on-one conference with Coach (Chad) Wilt and my parents. My favorite part was probably going over the scrimmage film from a coach's perspective."

The conversation with Wilt was something that stood out to Taylor, and he will remember that discussion as his recruitment moves forward.

"Something memorable would be when Coach Wilt said he looks to develop you as not only a player, but a man and a member in society, not just to see you in a jersey," Taylor recalled. "Those deeper connections mean a lot to my family and me."

The Buckeye State defensive back with several Group of Five offers from area programs — including Akron, Army, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Massachusetts and Navy —watched secondary coach Blue Adams and the Spartans go to work.

The athlete from Olentangy High School in Lewis Center, Ohio said he loved the energy during Michigan State's scrimmage under the leadership of Smith. Adams and company.

"There was lots of energy at practice," Jah said. "Every time the defense made a play, you definitely heard them."

The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder spoke with the coaches, who told him what they are looking for in a player and how to improve his craft on the high school gridiron in what will be a big-ticket upcoming season in Ohio. Jah hopes he can show he has what it takes to check all of the boxes to earn an offer from the Spartans in the future.

"I got to speak with coaches and get some important details on how to be a better player, and also, what my future could look like at Michigan State," he said.

The 2026, 5-foot-10, 200-pound in-state running back of Oscar A. Carlson High School was at the Spartans' facility on Saturday. He watched Michigan State scrimmage, toured the facilities, and got a better feel for the program overall.

"I got to see a great team practice and get a feel for the team," Wright said. "Overall, I just enjoyed my time here."

Wright was able to get a close-up of the program's culture and how the players bond at Michigan State. He also enjoyed the food that was offered on the visit.

"They had a great meal," he said.

The running back said that he noticed how the Spartans invest into their players off the field, which stood out about the MSU program during his visit.

"I like how the program is invested in their players and their well-being," Wright explained. "It's not just about football during your time at Michigan State. The program is interested in their players' future and how they are (doing) off the field. That's what I like about the program and Coach Smith."

The local athlete has offers from area schools, such as Central Michigan, Miami (Ohio), and Toledo.

So far, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound strong-side defensive end has offers from several Mid-American Conference schools and Indiana, but is still working to grow his name and has additional interest at the Power Four level.

Visiting Smith and the Michigan State program was a great experience for the Groveport, Ohio product. The Class of 2025 athlete had an excellent tri to East Lansing, where he was able to meet with coaches and players and also watch the Spartans do battle during a live-action scrimmage.

"The visit was amazing," Calhoun said. "I was able to meet all of the staff and most of the defensive players. I watched a great scrimmage and toured the whole facility."

Blake-Thomas (Brighton, Michigan) plays defensive line in high school, but is listed as an athlete on Rivals, and could go on to fill out the linebacker position if he were to get the opportunity to play at Michigan State.

The up-and-coming athlete hasn't yet received his first offer, but has an exciting list of programs that are beginning to become interested in him, which includes Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State and others.

While in East Lansing, he did everything from meeting with the coaching staff and current players to watching an intense, live-action scrimmage, along with touring the Spartans' football facility, which houses Michigan State's entire football operation.

"I had a great time on the visit," Blake-Thomas said. "I was able to watch practice, meet a bunch of people, and have a linebacker meeting with Coach (Joe) Rossi."

Wells enjoyed his time in East Lansing. Several things stand out about the Michigan State program to the intriguing, 6-foot-2, 180-pound in-state dual-threat quarterback out of Brighton, Michigan.

"I love everything about the program.," Wells noted about MSU. "The coaches are very welcoming and make you feel at home. They aren't even only talking to you about football, they talk to you about who you are (as a person) as well. I love everything they are doing for the program."

He has listed offers from Ball State, Eastern Michigan, Pitt and Robert Morris.

Pederson, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound defensive end of Buffalo, Minnesota has registered two offers from Central Michigan and North Dakota State thus far.

He learned several things about Smith and his new staff at Michigan State during the big visit to East Lansing this past weekend, and believes the Spartans will find success under the this regime.

"It's hard to get a grasp on the program with new coaches, but I believe they will be able to do great things," Perderson said about MSU. "For a newer coaching staff, they seem to be off to a great start. It was also encouraging to learn that many players didn't leave to the transfer portal due to the new coaching staff."

The class of 2025 pro-style quarterback may have a familiar last name for Spartan fans, as Noah Normand is the brother of Michigan State men's basketball player Gehrig Normand.

The younger Normand made the trip up to East Lansing from Texas to see his older brother, check out Michigan State's football program, and even get some throwing time in with projected MSU starting quarterback Aidan Chiles.

"I would say one thing I love about MSU football is the coaching staff and managers, they make you feel like family and make me feel at home when I’m there," Noah Normand said.

The 6-foot-4, 180-pound Noah Normand told Spartans Illustrated that he threw with Chiles for about an hour while he was in town.

"It was a great experience," he said about throwing with Chiles.

Noah Normand has a scholarship offer from Miami (OH) thus far, and is planning upcoming visits to Texas State, Western Kentucky and Boston College, among other schools.

Brayden Platt

The 5-foot-9, 168-pounder out of Brighton High School is high on the Spartans, and having an eventual opportunity to put on a Michigan State uniform would mean a lot to him.

"Michigan State is my dream school, so visiting and talking to the coaches was a great opportunity, and it makes me want to go there even more," Platt said. "I got to see pretty much everything, such as the facilities, locker room, and meeting room, and I learned about how they train and take care of the athletes."

The in-state athlete noted that with the MSU program, it's about more than just football.

"My general thoughts are that the staff is more than just coaches to their players," Platt said. "They are taking certain steps to set up their student-athletes for life and give their players the best chance to succeed."

Platt believes in what Smith is building with his new staff at Michigan State.

"I think the new coaching staff is going to take MSU football back to the top," he said.

Tre Meadows

Meadows is a class of 2025 defensive back out of Ohio.

"On the visit, we were able to tour the facilities and be able to look at what all is available to you if you become a player at MSU," Meadows said. "We also got to hear them talk about how they do academics at MSU and how you get all the help you need to be successful in the classroom.

"We also got time to meet with the coaches in meeting rooms as position groups, which me personally, I liked a lot because that’s when you find out the most information about how you, yourself needs to improve to be better."

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound safety said that something that caught his attention was how much the Michigan State coaches seem to care about their players both on and off the field.

"The thing that stands out the most is the attention the coaches give to the players and how they are really trying to develop guys into NFL Draft picks," the product of Sycamore High School (Blue Ash, Ohio) said about what made the MSU program stand out.

Meadows has a scholarship offer from Eastern Michigan.

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