The University of Michigan was placed on probation and handed recruiting penalties and fines in April. The details of what exactly took place for these punishments to ensue have finally been documented.

Per MLive, five separate allegations were noted in the Notice of Allegations (NOA). Notably, the first two allegations were Level II violations and the third allegation is a possible Level I violation. Level I is the most severe violation. 

The first allegation details three recruits visiting the Michigan football facilities in a time when they weren’t permitted to. One of the recruits went to multiple restaurants with staffers and received a discounted meal at one restaurant and a free meal at another.

The second allegation reveals a staffer gave “technical or tactical instruction to football student-athletes.” These actions were deemed a Level II violation. The staffer was present for 28 on-campus evaluations.

The third allegation was deemed a Level I. NOA claimed former head coach Jim Harbaugh “violated the NCAA principles of ethical conduct and failed to cooperate.” Harbaugh has since acknowledged the Level II violations, but has not yet commented on the possible Level I violations. Harbaugh has since left the program to coach the Los Angeles Chargers.

The fourth allegation describes a staffer who “regularly engaged in impermissible coaching activities in the presence of the assistant football coaches.” The fifth allegation was based off of Michigan’s lack of actions following the events of the first two allegations. 

Michigan defeated Alabama in the Rose Bowl this past season, before defeating Washington in the National Championship Game. Sherrone Moore has taken the reigns as the head coach.

Alabama will be releasing a LANK documentary Friday. Details

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe was named to Maxwell Award Watch list, for the most outstanding player. Five Crimson Tide players have won the award since 2013.

Former Alabama baseball signee Noah Miller landed with a new team on the Major League Baseball trading deadline.

32 Days

July 30, 1990: Coach Sam Bailey, a long-time chief aide to Paul Bryant, died at Druid City Hospital after a battle with cancer. Besides serving as an assistant coach at Alabama from 1958-72, Bailey was associate athletic director until his retirement from the department in 1987.

“I’m not as smart as other coaches. I have to work harder.” 

– Paul W. “Bear” Bryant.

Coach Jonathan Smith and Michigan State had a productive weekend at its annual Spartan Dawg Con event.

It is an event Michigan State’s football program has held this event since 2021, which allows multiple eras of Michigan State football players to gather together with Michigan State recruits in future recruiting classes. The event serves as a significant recruiting tool for Michigan State. However, it was even more critical for Coach Smith in his first offseason in East Lansing as he begins to gradually wind down the football program’s recruiting efforts this summer.

Coach Smith used Michigan State’s annual recruiting event in East Lansing. The event marks one of the last significant opportunities for Coach Smith and Michigan State to have quality time with recruits considering Michigan State as their school of choice. 

Coach Smith had recruits of various talent levels attend the event, many of whom left with scholarship offers. That was the case for Mundelein, Illinois native Trae Taylor, who announced shortly after the event on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he had received an offer from Coach Smith and Michigan State.

The quarterback has continued to gain interest from many schools nationwide but is currently unranked. According to 247Sports, Taylor is a quarterback in the 2027 recruiting class. However, although he is unranked, Taylor has received scholarship offers from multiple notable schools nationwide, proving how much upside the talented quarterback has. Considering he is in the 2027 recruiting class, he will likely become a ranked player sometime before reaching the collegiate football level.

According to 247Sports, Michigan State joins over 20 schools offering Taylor a scholarship. Taylor has received offers from notable programs nationwide, including Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Maryland, Miami (FL), Minnesota, NC State, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, West Virginia, and Ole Miss.

Coach Smith wisely continues to plan for the future by recruiting talented players from across the country, regardless of how highly they may or may not be ranked or the recruiting class they may be in. Coach Smith shows his recruiting abilities every week. The scholarship offer to Taylor is yet another example.

Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.

The Michigan State Spartans are on the recruiting trail 24/7. Every Monday, Spartan Nation will bring you everything you need to be up to date on the goings on in Spartan football recruiting!

Spartan Nation brings you the current class of commits, prospects receiving the most recent offers and interest from the Green and White, along with important dates, such as when prospects will make their announcements!

*All ratings from 247Sports

5-Stars: 0

4-Stars: 0

3-Stars: 16

QB Leo Hannan, Servite (CA), Position: 25, Commitment Date: April 22, 2024

LB DJ White, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (MI), Position: 69, Commitment Date: April 27, 2024

LB Di’Mari Malone, Dakota (MI), Position: 68, Commitment Date: May 12, 2024

TE Emmett Bork, Oconomowoc (WI), Position: 86, Commitment Date: May 13, 2024

RB Jace Clarizio, East Lansing (MI), Position: 44, Commitment Date: May 14, 2024

WR Braylon Collier, Perkins (OH), Position: 136, Commitment Date: June 7, 2024

IOL Drew Nichols, Murrieta Valley (CA), Position: 87, Commitment Date: June 10, 2024

WR Charles Taplin, Red Oak (TX), Position: 145, Commitment Date: June 14, 2024

TE Jayden Savoury, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (MI), Position: 47, Commitment Date: June 17, 2024

CB George Mullins, South Sumter (FL), Position: 62, Commitment Date: June 22, 2024

CB Aydan West, Quince Orchard (MD), Postion: 103, Commitment Date: June 25, 2024

OT Justin Bell, Dakota (MI), Position: 82, Commitment Date: June 26, 2024

DL Cal Thrush, Upper Arlington (OH), Position: 97, Commitment Date: June 26, 2024

DL Derrick Simmons, Frankenmuth (MI), Position: 66, Commitment Date: June 27, 2024

ATH Bryson Williams, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (MI), Position: 82, Commitment Date: July 11, 2024

CB LaRue Zamorano III, Centennial (CA), Position: 53, Commitment Date: July 27, 2024

2025 Commit Total: 16

2026:

RB Izaiah Wright, Oscar A. Carlson (MI), Position: 35

5-foot-10, 207 pounds

12 offers

S Kaden Gebhardt, Olatangy (OH), Position: 17

6-foot-2, 200 pounds

16 offers

ATH Emoni Smith, Westland (OH), Position: 42

6-foot-1, 175 pounds

13 offers

ATH Devonte Anderson, West Orange (FL), Position: N/A

6-foot-1, 180 pounds

10 offers

S CJ Hester, Cocoa (FL), Position: 29

6-foot-1, 185 pounds

13 offers

Big-Time Commitment

Cornerback LaRue Zamorano’s commitment on Saturday gave the Spartans’ their 16th commit and third cornerback of the 2025 class. Zamorano is now the second-highest rated commit in the Spartans’ class behind fellow Californian, quarterback Leo Hannan.

At 6-foot-2, Zamorano is a big, long, physical corner who loves jamming and hitting receivers. He has the potential to be a game-changing player for the Spartans and there is a lot to like about his ceiling. One suspects his floor is high, too.

Recruiting Prowess

Cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin has been a hit with the recruits and Zamorano is no different. Martin had recruited Zamorano since the ninth grade. It paid off.

A big sell for Zamorano and his family was the family-like culture the Spartans have created in East Lansing.

Welcome to the Big 10, Trojans

The USC Trojans, a new addition to the conference, have already suffered a defeat. Zamorano was favoring the Trojans until the Spartans swooped in and changed his mind.

Michael France is Sports Illustrated’s Michigan State recruiting beat writer, covering all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive Spartans recruiting coverage.

Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.