Most fans and media members have been expecting this move the past few weeks, and on Friday Michigan State football lost the commitment of 2026 four-star linebacker Braylon Hodge. Michigan State was in early on Hodge, landing his commitment in June. Once the fall high school season started, Hodge’s recruitment reignited in a big way, and he will reopen his recruitment.
Hodge was originally a three-star linebacker prospect for 2026, but recently shot up the recruiting rankings and earned another star. Rivals has him as the No. 9 linebacker in the class. While being early can sometimes help a program, in this case, Hodge appeared on the radar of some other big programs, especially in the Big Ten. In the modern era of name, image and likeness licensing, he was probably offered some huge increases in his pay package to commit.
It became clear Hodge would probably decommit from the Spartans when he announced he would be visiting with Michigan and Oregon. Texas is also in the mix for his commitment.
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