MSU Football Makes Top 5 of Philadelphia-Area Linebacker
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Michigan State is on the short list of teams still in the running for one pretty promising recruit.
On Monday night, three-star La Salle (Penn.) linebacker Zykee Scott announced that he was down to five schools on social media. MSU was one of those programs, alongside North Carolina, Tennessee, Pitt, and Wake Forest. Scott notably omitted Penn State, Syracuse, and Nebraska, which were all teams he held offers from and were the teams with the three highest odds on Rivals' RPM.
@LaSalleFball @BrettGordonLSHS @TomLoy247 @adamgorney @EPAFootball @PaFootballNews @garyonuekwusi @Rivals Final 5??🙂↔️ pic.twitter.com/qx2xfyBLln
— Zykee Scott (@zykeescott0) February 24, 2026
Scott is currently rated 417th overall in the class of 2027 on the Rivals Industry Ranking. Both Rivals and 247Sports seem to have him as a higher-end three-star recruit. Scott's current ranking placed into the Spartans' 2026 recruiting class would have made him the team's fourth-best high school recruit of the cycle.
Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi is a name to watch in Scott's recruitment, as well as linebackers coach Max Bullough. Rossi is from Pittsburgh, while Scott is from the Philadelphia area. The two cities are on opposite sides of Pennsylvania, but that connection of still being from the same state cannot hurt.
More on Scott
Scott has also reportedly lined up a visit for March 28, which is towards the beginning of spring ball for the Spartans. His recruitment to Michigan State predates the arrival of head coach Pat Fitzgerald by a fair bit; MSU first offered him in May 2025 and then re-offered him. Rossi's retention likely is helping the cause here as well.
Turning on the tape, what stands out is Scott's decisiveness. There aren't really plays where Scott shows hesitation. That's a really nice quality to have for any position, but that's especially so for somebody who is seeking to play linebacker at the power conference level.
He also moves like a pretty polished athlete. Scott already stands at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds. That's not too much smaller than star MSU linebacker Jordan Hall (6-foot-3, 238 pounds). Sometimes with high school recruits, that previously mentioned hesitation shows up, but most don't seem to move on the field as smoothly as Scott does.
That combination of decisiveness, smooth movement, and a pretty good frame already built up would make him a pretty good get for Michigan State. He definitely looks like somebody with the potential to play this game at a high level, and that's why plenty of coaches and schools are taking notice. We'll just have to see how Scott's recruitment unfolds from here.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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