Michigan State has missed on its fair share of targets so far in the 2027 recruiting class, but there are still dozens more who could pull the trigger and join the green and white.
One of those is three-star linebacker Henry Sakalas from La Grange Park, Ill., who was just on campus over the weekend and the staff has been working quickly with him.
In less than a month, Sakalas was offered by Michigan State, scheduled an official visit, took that visit, and then committed to the Spartans.
He made the news official on Thursday afternoon.
Committed!! Go Green 🟢⚪️@MSU_Football @Bullough40 @JoeS_Rossi @coachfitz51 @Coach_DeBo46 @CoachChris_Roll @EDGYTIM @AllenTrieu @GregSmithRivals @TimRacki @itsyaboyjosh1 @FootballNaz @JordanWesty1 @CoachMikeHHA1 @PrepRedzoneIL @247recruiting @HankSakalas @SakalasStella… pic.twitter.com/WL7OT1l4IF
— Henry Sakalas (@HenrySakalas) June 4, 2026
Pat Fitzgerald had teased two commitments this week with his famous “Pat Signal” that he posts on Twitter when he gets a verbal. The first was three-star linebacker Matthew Brady and the second is Sakalas who was also on a visit over the weekend. Max Bullough is clearly attracting linebacker talent because it took next to no time for these guys to commit after their visits.
Sakalas had visits scheduled to Nebraska and Illinois but canceled those in order to become a Spartan. He also held offers from Minnesota, West Virginia, and a slew of Group of Five programs.
With the commitment, Michigan State’s 2027 class grows to nine and it’s now ranked No. 41 in the country by 247Sports. Sakalas is the No. 855 recruit in the class.
Michigan State is quietly building a solid class
Year one of the Fitzgerald era is probably going to be a rebuilding season, although the first-year head coach has dubbed it a “rebirth”. It’s expected that it’s going to take some time to turn this ship around. Recruiting success isn’t an overnight thing unless you’re Curt Cignetti — AKA the rarest of cases.
Fitzgerald has done a solid job given the circumstances, and he’s going to get some four-stars in the mix soon enough. He has to prove that he’s going to turn things around first, though.
The class that he’s putting together in 2027 may not be the highest-rated, but he’s got some guys who could very well end up being four-stars by the time the final rankings come out. Ohimai Ozolua is a four-star defensive lineman, Jack Carlson could very well be a four-star eventually, and three-star quarterback commit Eli Stumpf should shoot up the rankings before the dust settles.
I like the class so far and there are still a dozen-plus spots to fill. I’m excited to see what he does with the remaining spots.
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