With spring ball in the rearview mirror and fall camp still three months away, all the Michigan State football news that we’re going to hear out of East Lansing is going to be recruiting related.
It’s that time of the offseason when official visits are about to begin and summer camps mean more offers to guys from future classes, but it also means that coaches finally get a chance to look ahead a little bit. While the focus is obviously on the upcoming season and current roster, staffs get time to do some recruiting and build for the future.
Pat Fitzgerald is already looking ahead to future classes now that spring is over and he’s been extending some new offers and scheduling more official visits this week.
The 2027 class is priority right now as the next two months will be critical for the growth of that group that currently sits at six commits, but Fitzgerald isn’t shying away from the 2028 class. He hasn’t forgotten how important it is to create relationships early in the recruiting process.
That’s why his latest offer to four-star wide receiver Malachi Lee is so important.
On Wednesday evening, Fitzgerald and James Adams extended a scholarship offer to the four-star wide receiver from Chantilly, Va. This is a big one because not only is Lee a top-60 recruit in the country, but he’s also the No. 1 prospect from Virginia and he holds just a dozen offers.
Michigan State got in early, though the offer sheet is already elite:
Lee is the No. 53 recruit and No. 10 receiver in the 2028 class — as well as Virginia’s No. 1 overall prospect. Once again, Fitzgerald isn’t scare of recruiting competition.
Giving Malachi Lee to Courtney Hawkins wouldn’t be fair
Although he’s being recruited by Adams, Lee projects to be a receiver at the collegiate level with that 6-foot-2, 185-pound frame. And according to 247Sports, he had 69 catches for 978 yards and 11 touchdowns during his sophomore season for Westfield High School.
Giving that kind of talent to Courtney Hawkins just isn’t fair for everyone else.
I’ve already spoken at length about how Hawkins doesn’t get the love he deserves as a recruiter as well as talent developer. When he wants a guy, he goes out and gets him and although they don’t always end their careers at Michigan State, something tells me that we won’t see as many stars transferring out in the Fitzgerald era.
Hawkins is one of the best receivers coaches in the country and if Lee is to commit to Michigan State and learn from the Spartan legend, he’s going to be NFL-bound before he knows it.
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