Spartans Lose Battle for '26 Three-Star WR

The Michigan State Spartans lost the recruiting battle for 2026 three-star wide receiver Xavier Stinson to a fellow Big Ten school.

Vero Beach wide receiver Xavier Stinson catches a 34-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter against Centennial during a high school football game on Thursday, September 12, 2024 at South County Stadium in Port St. Lucie. | Bryan Cooney/Special to TCPalm / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Michigan State Spartans lost a recent recruiting battle for 2026 three-star wide receiver Xavier Stinson, as he announced his commitment to join a fellow Big Ten program, the UCLA Bruins. The Spartans were among the top schools on his list but were unable to secure the talented pass catcher.

Stinson took to social media on Monday afternoon to announce his commitment to UCLA.

100% COMMITTED @DeShaunFoster26 @CoachToler @CoachTSunseri @jerryneuheisel @CoachAKwon @CooperJared5 @toddycenteio @CoachKrum @CoachAJSteward @Daniel__Segal @coachmattbiondi @TomLoy247 @ChadSimmons_ @JohnGarcia_Jr @RossMikeJones @Andy_Villamarzo @adamgorney @JonSantucci #AGTG pic.twitter.com/Fk3hC6GQh4

— Xavier Stinson 4⭐️ (@Xavierstin11) June 16, 2025

Stinson hails from Vero Beach, Florida, ranked as the 113th prospect in the state and No. 139-ranked wide receiver in the country for the 2026 recruiting class, per 247 Sports' Composite ratings. He caught 43 passes for 740 yards and seven touchdowns in his junior season in 2024.

Stinson was scheduled to make his official visit to East Lansing on June 20, but he has canceled all his remaining visits.

This is the second piece of bad news the Spartans have suffered over the past few days as 2027 four-star safety Khalil Terry announced his decommitment from Michigan State this past weekend. This is the nature of the beast on the recruiting trail -- while the Spartans have found much success this month, there's always bound to be some hardship along the way.

The Spartans have now lost three 2026 wide receiver targets to UCLA. A program that had an identical 5-7 record as Michigan State last year in its debut season in the Big Ten is beginning to build momentum while securing some of the top recruits in the country.

It would be quite disappointing for Spartan fans if a team like UCLA, which is making a drastic transition from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten, was able to return to elite success and consistent production before the Spartans do. Michigan State is on the right track, but the wins must translate before other teams catch up.

The Spartans did, however, land class of 2026 three-star wide receiver Zachary Washington on Monday. They beat out Wisconsin and West Virginia, and after landing three-star linebacker Adam Shaw on Tuesday, Michigan State has secured three more class of 2026 commits in the past 24 hours.

The Spartans are still doing just fine.

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