As he enters spring ball, Michigan State football coach Pat Fitzgerald has a lot on his mind. Not only does the new head coach have a roster to rebuild — or “rebirth”, as he’d say — but he also has a 2027 recruiting class to piece together.
Fitzgerald already has two commits in his 2027 class in three-star lineman Grant Adloff and three-star running back Savior Owens. Both guys are from the Midwest, following that Mark Dantonio blueprint.
Another area that Dantonio liked to recruit and where he got some of his best players from is Pennsylvania, and Fitzgerald is hitting those fertile recruiting grounds, too.
In fact, he just did enough to make the “final five” for one of his biggest priorities in the 2027 class from Pennsylvania. Three-star linebacker Zykee Scott released his final five on Monday evening and he included Fitzgerald and the Spartans along with North Carolina, Pitt, Wake Forest, and Tennessee.
@LaSalleFball @BrettGordonLSHS @TomLoy247 @adamgorney @EPAFootball @PaFootballNews @garyonuekwusi @Rivals Final 5??🙂↔️ pic.twitter.com/qx2xfyBLln
— Zykee Scott (@zykeescott0) February 24, 2026
That’s an interesting top five of three ACC programs, one from the SEC, and Michigan State. There’s really no telling where he’ll end up, but he’s going to be good wherever he goes.
If he wants to play early, Michigan State might be the move with Jordan Hall moving on after the season. Though I’d bet he’d have a pretty good chance to play early at Wake Forest, Pitt, and North Carolina, but those programs don’t have a Max Bullough.
That’s the difference.
Scott is the nation’s No. 418 overall recruit and 32nd-best linebacker, according to 247Sports. He held over a dozen offers before trimming his list.
Max Bullough’s presence is already being felt
Not only is Bullough giving some run-through-a-wall worthy speeches to the team, but he’s also making his presence felt on the recruiting trail — and Scott is proof.
Bullough and Joe Rossi are pushing for the top-450 linebacker in the 2027 class to join a roster that is set up to have a ton of success in the immediate future. As mentioned before, Hall will be gone next season, but if Scott commits, he’ll join a group that consists of Brady Pretzlaff, Adam Shaw, and DeJae White. This group may be relatively raw and unproven, but it has talent oozing from its pores.
Scott would be a nice get at linebacker for Bullough and the Spartans. I have major expectations for this position in 2026 and beyond.