Michigan State Football has been supported by Orchard Lake St. Mary’s beyond three commitments

Preparing for Orchard Lake St. Mary was one of the big stories in the 2025 recruiting process for the Michigan State Spartans and their head coach Jonathan Smith.

Three-star linebacker DJ White was the first Eaglet to commit to the Spartans. White is the No. 58 linebacker in the class, according to 247Sports. Next to commit was three-star tight end (No. 1 Michigan) Jayden Savoury, according to 247Sports. The most recent addition was athlete Bryson Williams, who committed on July 11.

The three players are integral parts of the Spartans’ 15th-year class, but the prep school offered the Green and White more than just players. During a recent 7-on-7 shootout in the D Zone, I spoke with the man who helped bring the three recruits together at St. Mary’s – recruiting coordinator and assistant head coach Greg Dixon.

Dixon told me about the Eaglets’ relationship with Smith’s team and the foundation they have built.

“It’s funny. I think it was Dec. 1st. … Coach Smith and Keith Bhonapha came to the school,” Dixon said. “You could kind of sense they were trying to feel their way out, and so we said, ‘Coach, have a second to breathe.’ We just talked about the landscape, OK, where are you going, what schools have they recommended to you? We called a couple other schools, other services, ‘Hey, these are some guys you can trust and have a lot of talent.’ So we talked about that type of stuff first before we even showed them our guys.