East Lansing running back Jace Clarizio commits to Michigan State and coach Jonathan Smith
While much of the outside attention on Jonathan Smith’s recruiting has been fixated on filling out the 2024 roster, Michigan State’s first-year football coach has picked up a nice piece for the future.
He and his staff didn’t have to look far for it, either.
Jace Clarizio, a star running back in the 2025 recruiting class from nearby East Lansing High School, has committed to the Spartans, announcing his decision Tuesday in a post on social media that featured him wearing a Michigan State uniform.
“Staying home,” Clarizio wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, along with a green heart emoji and a #GOGreen hashtag.
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The six-foot, 190-pound Clarizio is rated as a three-star prospect by 247Sports. He’s the No. 64 running back nationally and the No. 10 prospect in Michigan according to 247’s Composite rankings.
Clarizio also held offers from USC, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, Pitt, Kansas, Louisville and Iowa State, among others. He had previously planned to take visits to Wisconsin, Minnesota and Pitt before halting his recruitment and committing to the Spartans.
Michigan State running backs coach Keith Bhonapha has been credited as Clarizio’s lead recruiter with the Spartans.cClarizio becomes the fifth player in Michigan State’s 2025 recruiting class, joining quarterback Leo Hannon, linebacker Di’Mari Malone, tight end Emmett Bork and linebacker Charles White, all of whom are rated as three-star prospects by 247. Three of those players — Malone, Bork and, now, Clarizio — have committed to the Spartans this week.
The class is rated 53rd among FBS programs and 13th among the Big Ten’s current 14-team membership by 247.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: East Lansing running back Jace Clarizio commits to Michigan State football
