Michigan State offers 3-Star 2027 Defensive Lineman
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While Michigan State has been targeting hundreds of players at nearly every position in the 2027 college football recruiting cycle, head coach Pat Fitzgerald and his staff have been focusing on some of the top defensive linemen in the class as of late.
Over the past week, the Spartans have extended offers to three talented defensive linemen, most recently targeting a three-star prospect and a top 400 overall player in the country.
Spartans Extend Offer to Top 2027 Defensive Lineman
On Feb. 8, Michigan State extended an offer to Maleek Lee, a three-star defensive lineman from Booker High School in Sarasota, Florida. He announced the offer on X, writing, “Extremely blessed to receive an offer from [Michigan State Football].”
Extremely blessed to receive an offer from @MSU_Football @Coach_DeBo46 @CoachWoodsC @coachshayhowell @ttjharden8 @247Sports @RivalsHS @espn @On3 pic.twitter.com/uBujM5YArZ
— 4⭐️ Maleek Lee (@LeekLee77) February 8, 2026
Lee is a talented prospect coming off a strong junior season at Booker, where, according to his X, he recorded 50 total tackles, 27 tackles for loss, seven sacks, and one interception. He’s drawn interest from several Division I programs throughout his process, but his recruitment exploded in January.
Since the start of the new year, Lee has received offers from 15 new programs, 10 of which are Power Four schools, including UNC, Nebraska, Miami, Florida, and more.
While the Spartans’ offer comes relatively late in his recruitment, no program has established itself as a frontrunner for the three-star defensive lineman, giving Fitzgerald and company plenty of time to make up ground.
The defensive front has become a priority for Michigan State in the 2027 class, as Lee is now the third defensive lineman the Spartans have offered in the past week, joining Isaac Miller and Marvin Nguetsop.
Throughout his career, Fitzgerald has built his teams through the trenches, and Lee would be a welcome addition to Michigan State’s 2027 class. Rivals’ industry rankings list him as the No. 359 overall player in the country, the No. 41 defensive lineman, and the No. 37 prospect in the state of Florida.
Miami, Florida State, and Florida are actively pursuing Lee, and it will be hard for any program to pull him out of his home state. Still, with a strong push, the Spartans should be able to emerge as a contender for the young defensive lineman.
If Fitzgerald and his staff can make a strong early impression on Lee, continue building their relationship with him over the coming months, and get him on campus in East Lansing at some point this spring, they could position themselves to land one of the top defensive linemen in the 2027 class.
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Max Dorsey serves as the Western United States College Recruiting Beat Writer On SI. He graduated from the prestigious Syracuse University – S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Before that, he worked for the Pro Football Network and was part of the recruiting department for Syracuse University's football program.