Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith looks on during practice on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

MSU Loses Out to BYU Again

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 4:24 PM ET

Michigan State football has again been bested by BYU on the recruiting trail.

On Tuesday, three-star class of 2026 cornerback Jaxson Gates, who had initially committed to Syracuse and had the Spartans among his top schools, announced on social media on Tuesday that he has committed to BYU.

The announcement comes just a day after the Spartans had lost out on three-star defensive lineman Nehemiah Kolone, who also committed to BYU.

BYU has been on a roll, having also landed four-star linebacker Braxton Lindsey on Monday and five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons, one of the best quarterbacks in the class of 2026, a couple weeks ago.

Gates plays for Damien High School in La Verne, California. He is ranked the No. 81 class of 2026 prospect in California and the No. 86 cornerback in his class, per the 247Sports Composite rankings.

He had visited Michigan State on June 2.

"Since my OV Coach Blue (Adams) and all the coaches have been keeping in contact, they definitely let me be a priority recruit for them and they’ve been letting that be known since day one," Gates had told our Caleb Sisk, prior to his announcement.

247Sports national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins recently evaluated the prospect:

"Gates had a breakout off-season and established himself as one of the top corner prospects out West. Has high end traits in terms of his length and speed and we like the upside a lot. He’s all of 6-foot-1, 175 pounds and one of the fastest football players in the region.

"Ran several sub 10.6-100-meter times this past spring with a personal best 10.39 time. Shined at the SoCal National Preps Camp in May where he looked very natural in coverage, closed well on the football and looked like the most dynamic athlete at the event.

"He’s a willing tackler with the pads on and isn’t afraid to come downhill and make a hit on an opposing back or receiver. Senior year will be big for him as the next step will be using his speed and instincts to get his hands on more footballs and create turnovers but we do like where his game is currently trending."

While it has to be frustrating for the Spartans to lose out to BYU again, the program has landed a number of defensive backs from the class of 2026, so missing on Gates isn't anything alarming.

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