MSU Extends Offer to Intriguing 4-Star Recruit From Virginia

The Spartans are setting their sights on an interesting 2028 recruit.

Michigan State's new football coach Pat Fitzgerald addresses the crowd during a timeout in the first half of the Spartans basketball game against Iowa on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The current recruiting cycle is for 2027, but Michigan State is still looking ahead a bit to another year down the line.

On Wednesday, 2028 Westfield (Va.) wide receiver Malachi Lee announced that he had received an offer. He is a 4-star prospect currently slotted at No. 54 overall in his class on the Rivals Industry Ranking, including being the class's ninth-best receiver and the No. 2 prospect from Virginia.

After a great conversation with @JA_Adams06 I am blessed to receive an offer from Michigan State University #GoSpartans @coachfitz51 pic.twitter.com/Ig0fV2YmN7

— 4⭐️ Malachi Lee (@Malachi_ballin1) April 29, 2026

The interesting part, though, is that it doesn't seem MSU is recruiting him to play receiver. Lee says that safeties coach James Adams is the one he was talking to when he got the offer from the Spartans, rather than wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins. Adams' involvement likely means MSU will pursue him as a safety.

Lee's bio on Twitter/X indicates he plays both wide receiver and defensive back, but it's not uncommon to see highly regarded recruits play two ways in high school. Whatever Michigan State has seen at DB, it's been good enough to extend an offer. Lee also sports offers from fellow Big Ten schools Indiana, Penn State, Wisconsin, Rutgers, and Maryland.

Recruiting Outlook for MSU

April 18, 2026; East Lansing, Mich.; Michigan State Spartans safeties coach James Adams watches drills during MSU's "Spring Showcase" at Spartan Stadium. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

It's going to be a long time until Michigan State would even approach the finish line here, as very few 2028 recruits have committed somewhere. Only five recruits in that entire class have committed to Big Ten schools so far. MSU has none of them.

Teams are still in the opening stages of putting together their '27 classes. Michigan State has gotten seven verbal commitments so far. One such recruit is 3-star St. Peter's (N.J.) safety Ty'ire Clark. He's ranked 1,170th overall in the class on the 247Sports Composite and 115th among safeties. That's worth noting, assuming the Spartans want Lee as a safety, given Adams' involvement.

Safety Situation for MSU

Michigan State's Nikai Martinez smiles while watching the team warm up before the football game against Boston College on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

MSU also has to be thinking ahead about replacing the talent still on its roster. Multiple different safeties are entering their final season of eligibility, including starter Nikai Martinez, Aveon Grose, Khalil Majeed, and nickelback Michael Richard.

Those losses won't necessarily impact Lee, though. Barring transfers (a big assumption these days), the only safety that would run out of eligibility following 2027 is Devin Vaught, who just transferred in from Maine. The Spartans also have Caleb Gash and Trevaughn Martinez, but injuries from their pasts likely mean that they'll still have eligibility beyond that, though things can change with the NCAA's pending "5-for-5" rule.

Michigan State safeties coach James Adams | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans On SI