Michigan State has landed a commitment from 2025 Hudsonville (Mich.) long snapper Jack Wills. Michigan State offered Wills (6-2, 210) a preferred walk-on spot in April, after a conversation with special teams assistant Mason Ruddy and special teams analyst Joe Begnal.
Wills has visited Michigan State several times over the past few years, including this past weekend.
Several teams had interest in adding Wills, including Ohio State, Notre Dame, North Carolina State and West Virginia, among others. He had additional preferred walk-on opportunities from Syracuse and Central Michigan.
Kornblue Kicking – a recruiting service that hosts specialist camps across the country – ranked Wills the No. 2 long snapper in the 2025 class and the No. 1 long snapper from Michigan. Seth Freeman, an Oklahoma commit, is the only prosepct ranked higher than Wills in the 2025 class.
Michigan State’s new special teams staff has been proactive in adding pieces to next season’s roster and beyond since they arrived in December. The Spartans landed two long snappers via the transfer portal this offseason in former James Madison long snapper Kaden Schickel and former Lenoir-Rhyne long snapper Jack Wentz.
Schickel beat out Drew Wilson – who took over starting long snapping duties last season after Hank Pepperleft the program in October – for the primary long snapping job this spring. Wilson has since transferred out of the program.
Kenny’s take
Long snapper is generally not a heavily-recruited position. Scholarships opportunities are rare, but the interest in Wills from other Power Five programs speaks to his talent and ability.
Commitments from specialists at long snapper, kicker and punter are often overlooked. They usually don’t get much, if any, recognition from the public, given that they’re only on the field a few times a game. But securing a solid specialist that the coaching staff can trust can go a long way for a team’s success.
After fielding an abysmal special teams operation the past few seasons, Michigan State co-special teams coordinators Keith Bhonapha and Chad Wilt will look to clean things up this season and beyond.
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