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Michigan State Football Misses Out on Class of 2026 Safety Tyson Sanford to ACC School Duke
Michigan State Football Misses Out on Class of 2026 Safety Tyson Sanford to ACC School Duke originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Despite being a frontrunner, Michigan State football could not add another to its 18-player class of 2026.
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An underrated three-star from Suwanee, Ga. decided to go with an ACC school for his NCAA career. Leading up to the weekend, though, it seemed as if the Spartans were in the lead to land the recruit.
Michigan State football head coach Jonathan Smith.© Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
Safety Tyson Sanford had offers rolling in up until June 11. Of the batch of 21, the No. 85 overall safety and No. 106 recruit out of Georgia, had a final three in his mind: Michigan State, Wake Forest, and Duke.
Those were the only three schools Sanford scheduled visits with, and he started with East Lansing. Since the weekend of June 6, the Spartans seemed to have an edge over the other schools.
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However, after the class of 2026 recruit's visit at Duke, the Blue Devils swayed his decision immediately. Unfortunately for Michigan State, Sanford opted to play in Durham, N.C.
Losing out on Sanford doesn't make or break head coach Jonathan Smith's current recruitment class, though. There are three safeties who gave their verbal commitment to Michigan State and the only thing that would have set Sanford apart is his ability to play cornerback in addition. The Spartans flipped two of their three-star safeties. Brayden Thomas was originally committed to Iowa State and Jordan Vann intended to play for Virginia.
Not landing Sanford doesn't derail Smith's overall progress in recruiting the rising juniors, either.
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Still on his list of priority targets, three-star running back Jamal Rule is set to visit campus this weekend. Michigan State is also looking to flip wide receiver Tyren Wortham's UCF commitment before the official visit season ends.
Related: Three-Star Running Back Puts Michigan State Football in His Top Four Ahead of His Commitment
Related: Four Recruits To Visit Michigan State in Final Weekend of Official Visits
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
