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Aliquippa trio talks recruitment, Michigan State and Michigan visits
Aliquippa High School trio Sa’Nir Brooks, Larry Moon III and Daiveon Taylor (currently committed to West Virginia) made the trip to East Lansing this past weekend to check out Michigan State. The Spartans defeated Purdue by a final score of 24-17 on Friday.
They also visited Michigan on Saturday.
Brooks, Moon and Taylor helped lead the Quips to an 8-3 recored during the 2024 season. The Pennsylvania prospects spoke to Rivals to detail their visit to Michigan State and provided updates on other schools in the mix and where things stand in their recruitment.
Brooks is a rising 2027 athlete/running back prospect who has offers from Akron, Miami (OH), Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and West Virginia. He has also taken multiple visits to Penn State.
While Brooks was on campus in East Lansing, the Spartans decided to extend the offer to him in person, which was big for the young Aliquippa standout.
It was Michigan State assistant head coach/co-special teams coordinator/running backs coach Keith Bhonapha who extended the offer to Brooks.
“Getting the Michigan State offer was great, seeing as it’s my first Big Ten offer and one of my favorite running backs went there,” Brooks told Rivals.
The running back Brooks is referring to is former Spartan great an NFL All-Pro Le’Veon Bell.
His relationship with Bhonapha is one that is just beginning, but it is he bond he hopes to continue building.
“Meeting Coach Bhonapha was great,” Brooks explained. “He had a lot of advice for me as player, and I feel like I started good relationship with him. It was nice meeting the rest of the staff, too.”
Brooks enjoyed the game-day atmosphere at Spartan Stadium, and being able to do it with his high school teammates made it extra special for him.
“We got to see the stadium and watch them play,” Brooks said about the trip to East Lansing. “I liked the stadium a lot. It was great to experience the trip with my teammates, getting to see the stadium and the game.”
Brooks was also blown away by his trip to “The Big House” in Ann Arbor over the weekend.
“Seeing Michigan for the first time was cool” Brooks said. “I was amazed at how big the stadium was enjoyed the energy of the fans.”
Brooks does not have additional visit plans as of right now. It is quite early in his recruiting process, with no school standing out most right now, but he does know what he is looking for in a program.
“At the moment, all the schools are pretty equal, seeing as it’s early in the process,” Brooks noted. “What I look for in schools is how I’m going to be developed during my time there.”
Moon is a top-50 overall prospect in the 2027 class, currently checking in at No. 43 nationally. The cornerback already has more than 30 scholarship offers, with many Power Four programs pursuing him.
This was Moon’s second visit to East Lansing, but first with head coach Jonathan Smith and his staff at the helm, as Moon was last on campus in the fall of 2023 under the previous regime. Michigan State defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Joe Rossi took a trip to Aliquippa High School earlier this season as well.
Moon is focused on building relationships with all schools that are interested in him right now. He is looking forward to getting to know Smith, Rossi, cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin and secondary coach Blue Adams better as things progress.
He didn’t get a chance to spend a lot of quality time with the MSU coaches while he was on campus, but it was a memorable visit for him because he was able to experience it with his Aliquippa teammates. He also was able to see the Spartans win.
“My favorite part was when they came out of the tunnel (in the pregame),” Moon said about the game-day experience. “The trip was great because (my teammates) were there with me. It meant something to me.”
Moon also enjoyed his visit to Ann Arbor to check out the Wolverines in person.
“My visit to Michigan was really nice,” Moon said. “I liked seeing ‘The Big House’ for the first time. The energy in the stadium was amazing.”
This coming weekend, he will be at Ohio State to watch the Buckeyes play their archrival, Michigan.
It has been a busy fall for the 5-foot-11, 183-pound cornerback. In addition to Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State, Moon has also taken recent visits to Tennessee, West Virginia, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Alabama and Indiana.
He is no rush to narrow things down, but the visits have helped Moon to see which schools could be potential fits for him.
“Every school is standing out to me,” Moon said. “They are all opportunities, and I’m looking for a real family and a place I can call home away from home.”
After committing to West Virginia back in April, Taylor remains happily committed to the Mountaineers, but still wanted to check out what Michigan State was all about.
“I’m still locked in with West Virginia and everything is great,” Taylor said.
The Spartans haven’t offered Taylor as of yet, but there is certainly a strong possibility of that happening in the future.
It was a cold and rainy day in East Lansing, but Taylor noticed the support from MSU fans and enjoyed the atmosphere in Michigan State’s victory over the Boilermakers.
“I would have to say just watching the game in that environment was my favorite part,” Taylor said about the Michigan State trip.
In addition to being high school teammates, Brooks and Moon are both Taylor’s relatives.
“The experience (at MSU) was great, like it always is with (Brooks and Moon),” Taylor said. “They are my cousins, so it’s nothing out of the ordinary (hanging out with them).”
The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Taylor is being recruited primarily as an outside linebacker and pass rusher.
In addition to West Virginia, Taylor also has scholarship offers from Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Marshall, Miami (OH), Penn State, Pittsburgh and Syracuse. Despite his commitment status, other schools continue to show interest.
After their trip to MSU on Friday, Taylor, Brooks and Moon also visited Michigan on Saturday. Taylor does not currently have any additional visits scheduled as of press time.
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