Pat Fitzgerald and Michigan State football had a huge month of June on the recruiting trail thanks to a loaded official visit schedule. They had eight commitments in the month of June, including some under-the-radar three-stars who are likely to see rankings bumps soon.
Don Spillers is one of those recruits who may be overlooked a little too much and who could be in for a nice rankings bump in the near future. He’s the No. 939 recruit in the class.
Spillers is listed as an athlete, but there’s still some speculation about what position he’s going to play at Michigan State. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound athlete from Detroit King may have been more likely to play safety in East Lansing when he committed, though he was being recruited by Courtney Hawkins. James Adams was also recruiting him, so there’s an equal chance that he plays safety or receiver.
That was until he posted about a recent growth spurt that he apparently had this spring and summer.
6’4 205 😬it’s gonna be bad for people this year !!!!! God bless 🙌🏾🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/Lv766Zrzox
— Don Spillers lll 3⭐️ (@DonSpillers14) August 12, 2026
That’s right, Spillers has grown about two inches and he’s gained almost 10 pounds since he was last measured and Michigan State was expecting a 6-foot-2, 195-pound athlete. He’s now up to 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds. That growth spurt might dictate what his position he’ll play at Michigan State.
There aren’t a ton of 6-foot-4 safeties in college football, but having a receiver that size gives a team an advantage. He’s still an impressive athlete and now that he’s bigger, he could be a real weapon.
Hawkins went into this recruitment not knowing if he’d have Spillers on his side of the ball, but this growth spurt has to increase the chances that he plays receiver.
Michigan State could use size at WR
If you’ve taken a look at this year’s roster, you’d notice that there’s not a single receiver on the team taller than 6-foot-2. It’s not a necessity, but it’s always nice to have a bigger target who can act as a red-zone threat and rise up for jump-balls in desperate situations.
The Spartans just don’t have a ton of size.
Spillers could change that and give Hawkins and the offense another weapon.
The guys returning to the receiving corps (as of right now) next year will be:
- Samson Gash (6-0)
- Fredrick Moore (6-1)
- KK Smith (6-0)
- Bryson Williams (6-2)
- Zach Washington (6-2)
- Braylon Collier (6-0)
- Charles Taplin (6-1)
- Jack Yanachik (6-2)
- Darelle Cochran (6-2)
- Colin Charles (6-0)
- Rai’Shawn Elmore (6-2)
- Nick Hardy (6-1)
Not a single projected returning receiver will be under six feet tall like Rod Bullard or Chrishon McCray are, but that doesn’t mean that size is a strength for the group. A range of 6-foot-0 to 6-foot-2 doesn’t exactly give the offense a ton of versatility.
Spillers has plenty of speed and quickness and now you add in some size and he could be a legitimate weapon for Hawkins and the Spartans.
Or maybe he could pull a Tony Lippett and try to play both sides of the ball.
Either way, this growth spurt is a great development for Michigan State.
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