An early look at Michigan State’s 2026 QB recruiting board

Michigan State brought in five new quarterbacks this offseason, re-tooling the entire room. Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Lindgren also secured his 2025 quarterback when Leo Hannan committed back in April.

Now the goal for Lindgren and head coach Jonathan Smith is to identify and evaluate their top quarterback targets for the 2026 class, with their first season in East Lansing quickly approaching.

Lindgren has extended a few offers to 2026 quarterbacks already, but several more may soon collect Spartan offers as the staff begins to evaluate early-season junior year film.

Here are five 2026 quarterback recruits we’re monitoring as the high school season begins.

Three-star San Diego (Calif.) St. Augustine QB Brady Palmer

Michigan State extended an offer to Palmer back in April. After an impressive summer, Palmer also received offers from Auburn, Kansas State, TCU and Utah, among others. A true dual-threat quarterback, Palmer is an ideal fit for Smith and Lindgren’s offense. Michigan State’s staff has had success securing California quarterbacks in the past, like Hannan and Aidan Chiles.

Carmel (Ind.) QB Anthony Coellner

Coellner has yet to receive an offer from Michigan State, though he visited East Lansing in both February and April. Similar to Palmer, Coellner is a dual-threat type. Coellner will likely be on campus for a game day visit this fall. He threw for 937 yards and eight touchdowns as a sophomore last season. He also had 298 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Coellner has offers from Maryland, Minnesota and West Virginia, among others.

Three-star Douglasville (Ga.) Douglas County QB DJ Bordeaux

Michigan State extended an offer to Bordeaux back in March and has stayed in touch with the talented prospect ever since. He threw for 2,466 yards, 26 touchdowns and just five interceptions as a sophomore. He added another 117 yards on the ground.

Winton Woods (Ohio) QB Bryshawn Brown

Brown has yet to make it to East Lansing for a visit, though there’s a chance he makes the trip this fall. At 6-foot-6, 195 pounds, Brown is the tallest quarterback on this list. Brown has all the physical tools, but he’ll need to improve upon his sophomore season, when he threw for 1,262 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions. He has offers from Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, Marshall and Toledo.

Ashland (Ohio) QB Nathan Bernhard

At 6-foot-5, Bernhard is an inch shorter than Brown, but at 220 pounds, he has almost 30 pounds on his fellow Ohio quarterback. Bernhard visited Michigan State last fall, when he received an offer from the previous coaching staff. He made a return trip to East Lansing for Michigan State’s prospect camp earlier this summer. Last season, he threw for 1,718 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He ran for 266 yards and eight touchdowns on top of that.

Michigan State QB target Brady Palmer (Photo courtesy On3/Lettermen Row)

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