Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald has been making waves in the 2027 recruiting class, especially along the defensive line, and the Winston DeLattiboudere III effect is being felt.
The Spartans have been recruiting well along the defensive line in the upcoming class and that has a lot to do with the fact that they need all the help they can get up front and DeLattiboudere III is one of the better recruiters on the staff — at least so far.
Fitzgerald and DeLattiboudere III have combined to lock in several official visits, make several top schools lists, and they even landed four-star Chicago-based prospect Ohimai Ozolua.
Now, they’ve made the top three for yet another four-star defensive lineman from Minnesota.
Michigan State, Missouri, and Nebraska make the Top 3 for Composite 4 ⭐️ DT @Nehemiah_Ombati as he told 247Sports @CfbRalb pic.twitter.com/bA8JRq3hFK
— Corey Robinson (@C_Robinson247) May 2, 2026
Michigan State, Nebraska, and Missouri are in Nehemiah Ombati’s top schools ahead of official visits taking place later this month. He was supposed to take an official to Minnesota in May but I’m not sure that’ll be taking place anymore seeing as the Gophers missed his top three.
It’s interesting to see the home state team miss out on a top schools list, especially for a team like Michigan State to replace them after four straight years of futility and a new coaching staff in place. That just goes to show how good of a job Fitzgerald and DeLattiboudere are doing on the recruiting trail. They’re aiming high in this first full recruiting class for the staff.
The new Michigan State staff is prioritizing the right positions
The previous two coaching staffs in East Lansing prioritized all the wrong things, it seemed. The Mel Tucker era prioritized size without really just getting guys who fit the system. The Jonathan Smith era wasn’t really around long enough to show its priorities, but it felt like they weren’t on the defensive line for whatever reason.
I’ll admit that Smith and Tucker both addressed key positional needs, but it felt like they were always on the offensive side of the ball and the defense kind of fell by the wayside.
Fitzgerald and Co. are making sure that defense feels the love on the recruiting trail, too. Seeing the staff in the mix for several four-star defensive linemen after landing one a week ago is a sight that I truly missed. Mark Dantonio would always be in the mix for top defensive linemen and that’s because he realized that a good defensive line can fix a lot of problems on defense.
Fitzgerald is bringing back the defensive line, and Michigan State fans couldn’t be happier.
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