Michigan State Spartans secure commitment from Justin Bell

The Michigan State Spartans continued their recruiting streak in June with the signing of 2025 offensive tackle Justin Bell. Bell announced his commitment on Wednesday, giving head coach Jonathan Smith his 13th signing in the class.

Bell, 6-foot-8 and 280 pounds, is the No. 82 offensive tackle in the class and the No. 21 player in Michigan, according to 247Sports. Bell plays for Dakota High School, which is also attended by Di’Mari Malone, who is also a 2025 Spartan commit.

Bell’s recruitment by Michigan State came late, as did that of Aydan West, who committed on Tuesday. Bell received an offer on June 17 and visited East Lansing for an official visit just days later on June 21. The offer came so late that Bell wasn’t sure whether or not he could accept it, he told me. On his official visit, everything changed.

Bell said he feels like a real priority for the Spartans team and he believes Michalczik can develop him for the next level. Bell said he chose Smith in a meeting with the head coach shortly before his departure on Sunday.

“He just asked me, ‘How do you like this place?’ and I basically told him it felt like a place I could call home,” Bell said. “Being surrounded by all the guys made the decision a lot easier. And I thought, I want to settle here.”

For Bell, like many other players, a heavy weight has been lifted and he can now focus on his final year as a high school football player. He said he wants to win a state championship with the Cougars. But he also said his goal is to go further than he did last year.

“We need some younger players because we have some positions to fill,” Bell said. “For example, there was an offensive lineman, right guard position that needed to be filled. And we have one, and I’ve been working with him pretty intensively to make sure he’s ready when it comes time for the first game.”

Bell is most looking forward to competing this fall and playing football.

Bell is the second offensive lineman in the class of 2025, with three-star Drew Nichols committing back in June. Bell is further proof that Smith is dominating the state of Michigan and continually making Michigan State the state’s biggest recruiting power.

Bell is the seventh player to join the Spartans in June, and as we reported, the month should be a great success for the Green-Whites.

Michael France is Sports Illustrated’s Michigan State recruiting reporter and covers all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive coverage of the Spartans recruiting.

Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook Spartan Nation IF YOU CLICK HEREand become part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White IF YOU CLICK HERE.