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Three-star RB Jace Clarizio decommits from Michigan State, flips to Alabama
With the Early Signing Period just over a week away — opening on Dec. 4 — class of 2025 three-star running back Jace Clarizio announced that he is no longer committed to Michigan State, and that he has flipped his pledge to Alabama.
Sources told Spartans Illustarted late on Monday night that Clarizio was no longer part of the Spartans’ 2025 recruiting class, and Clarizio made the news public on Tuesday.
Clarizio, who grew up in East Lansing, committed to Michigan State back in May. He took an official visit to MSU in June and was frequent visitor to campus throughout his recruitment, especially throughout the fall.
He pledged to head coach Jonathan Smith, assistant head coach/co-special teams coordinator/running backs coach Keith Bhonapha and the Spartans with the thought of being a hometown hero for the Spartans.
“I’ve always been a fan (of Michigan State),” Clarizio told Spartans Illustrated about his decision to commit to MSU back in May. “It feels like it would be a great opportunity to play for my city team.”
His father, Craig Johnson, played for the Spartans in the 1980s. At the time, Nick Saban was defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Michigan State. Of course, Saban would go on to become the head coach of both Michigan State and Alabama later in his career, winning six national championships with the Crimson Tide (and seven total, including one with LSU).
Clarizio remained committed to the Spartans throughout his senior campaign with East Lansing High School, but a significant development changed the trajectory of his recruitment when he received the scholarship offer from Alabama on Nov. 6.
The relationship with the Crimson Tide developed when he took an official visit to Tuscaloosa on Nov 16 to watch Alabama’s 52-7 win over Mercer.
After the trip to see the Crimson Tide, Clarizio told Rivals’ Greg Smith that Alabama was “giving him something to think about” and that “it’s an excellent staff of people in the building.”
Clarizio had an already established relationship with Alabama offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic from Kapilovic’s time as Michigan State’s assistant head coach/offensive line coach and run game coordinator from 2020 through 2023. He also built a relationship with running backs coach Robert Gillespie. Ultimately, Clarizio has decided to play his college ball under head coach Kalen DeBoer, Gillespie, Kapilovic and the rest of the Crimson Tide’s staff.
He ranks as the No. 7 prospect in state of Michigan and the No. 39 running back in the 2025 cycle. Clarizio has received 17 scholarship offers in total.
Clarizio led East Lansing to a semifinal appearance in the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) playoffs, where the Trojans fell to Byron Center by a final score of 41-14. He was seen wearing Alabama gloves prior to the game.
On Monday afternoon, the Spartans received a commitment from soon to be three-star running back Zion Gist, whom Michigan State flipped from Western Michigan.
With Clarizio’s decommitment, Michigan State’s 2025 recruiting class decreases by one and currently includes 15 commitments.
Meanwhile, Alabama’s top-three ranked 2025 class increases to 21 commitments. Clarizio joins four-star running back Akylin Dear in the group. Of note, four-star running back Anthony Rogers backed off of his pledge to the Crimson Tide on Nov. 17.
