MSU Got More Than Just a Commitment With Parham and the Upside Proves It

One of the Spartans' latest recruits could be a diamond in the rough.

Michigan State mascot "Sparty" looks on during a game against Louisville during the second round of the NCAA Tournament at the KeyBank Center on Saturday, March 21, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Michigan State might have found a very promising prospect from Georgia who had previously been overlooked.

On Friday, MSU picked up a verbal commitment from Jefferson (Ga.) prospect Shyne Parham. The rankings alone don't inspire a ton of confidence. Parham is a three-star prospect at 1,457th overall in the class of 2027 on the Rivals Industry Rankings. He's not ranked at all on 247Sports.

Why Parham Can Outperform Ranking

Sep 7, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; A detailed view of Michigan State Spartans helmet on the field before the game against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Parham's measurables are a huge reason that the Spartans and cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat showed interest. He also runs track at Jefferson and has recorded some impressive times. Parham recorded an impressive time of 22.30 seconds while competing in the 200-meter dash during the spring.

He's also recorded a 41.3-inch vertical jump, a triple jump of 43 feet and 2 inches, and a high jump of 6 feet and 2 inches. Parham is also 6'2" with a wingspan of 6'3". He's a bit of an under-the-radar prospect. Michigan State was the very first FBS team to offer Parham, though offers from Kansas State, Liberty, Jacksonville State, Toledo, Arkansas State, and Kennesaw State did follow afterward.

Poteat's History

April 18, 2026; East Lansing, Mich.; Michigan State Spartans cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat observes drills during MSU's "Spring Showcase" at Spartan Stadium. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Poteat also has a history of having success with overlooked prospects. One of his starters this season will be Tre Bell, who followed him to East Lansing from Iowa State. Before Bell was at ISU, though, he was playing at Lindenwood. He wasn't even a starter there in 2024 before he entered the portal.

Despite that, Poteat was still interested. Bell ended up starting Iowa State's final eight games of the season and performed pretty well. He and Charles Brantley as the starting corners is probably one of the strong points for Michigan State this coming fall.

Nov 8, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Iowa State Cyclones defensive back Tre Bell (7) celebrates a defensive stop against the TCU Horned Frogs during the first half at Amon G. Carter Stadium. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The development at Iowa State for Jontez Williams is another reason to be excited. Williams wasn't recruited to Ames by Poteat, but his only other offer coming out of high school was from Tennessee Tech.

Poteat inherited Williams after he redshirted as a true freshman and turned him into the Cyclones' top corner. He only played in five games last year, but his 83.6 overall defensive grade was the best on the team.

April 18, 2026; East Lansing, Mich.; Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald watches the action going on during MSU's "Spring Showcase" at Spartan Stadium. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Poteat has a proven eye for talent. Parham probably won't be Big Ten-ready off the bat, but part of high school recruiting is projecting who will be the best in 3-4 years. His measurables show that there is real upside here.

The portal also allows teams to take more risks on high-potential prospects who might be a little further down in the rankings, too.