MSU in Recruiting Battle With Illinois for in-State Prospect

One local recruit is between Michigan State and another Big Ten team in his recruitment.

Detroit King's Don Spillers, right, celebrate his touchdown catch with Tay'Shawn Henry during the fourth quarter in the game against Mason on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, at Chelsea High School. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan State football is battling for another in-state prospect.

According to a Sunday report by Rivals' Allen Trieu, Detroit MLK (Mich.) athlete Don Spillers III is between the Spartans and Illinois for his final decision. Spillers visited East Lansing last weekend and was in Champaign this weekend.

Basics on Spillers

Detroit MLK prospect Don Spillers III on his official visit to Michigan State. | Don Spillers III / Michigan State Football

Spillers' decision simply might come down to which position he wants to play. MSU seems to want Spillers as a safety, while Illinois wants him at wide receiver.

His list previously included Louisville, but the Cardinals seem to be eliminated with Trieu's report. Spillers also had offers from Michigan, Missouri, Pitt, Purdue, Maryland, and several Group of Six programs. He's ranked No. 856 overall in the class of 2027 on the 247Sports Composite and 14th among those from Michigan.

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

The Spartans have known about Spillers for some time. They offered him back in June 2025 as a wide receiver, but the focus has apparently shifted towards adding him to the defensive backfield. Instead of wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins being Spillers' primary recruiter, it should now be safeties coach James Adams.

Spillers feels like a bit of a must-get for Michigan State. He's not the highest-ranked recruit that MSU is targeting, but losing out on an in-state target to a nearby conference rival would be a difficult loss. This would be right after missing out on top target and four-star prospect Gideon Gash, who picked Texas Tech instead.

Outlook for MSU's 2027 Class

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

The Spartans' recruiting activity suggests they want another safety in their 2027 recruiting class. Michigan State already has 3-star St. Peter's Prep (N.J.) recruit Ty'ire Clark at the position in the class right now. Clark committed to MSU back in April, despite offers from Penn State, Vanderbilt, Cincinnati, Boston College, West Virginia, and others.

Recent commit Henry Sakalas from Nazareth Academy (Ill.) is listed as a safety on recruiting platforms, but the Spartans want him to play linebacker.

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

A reason why Michigan State probably wants multiple safeties is that several at the position are departing the program this offseason. Nikai Martinez, Aveon Grose, Khalil Majeed, and Michael Richard are all seniors. Richard could get a fifth year with pending NCAA rule changes, though.

With Spillers, all MSU can really do now is hope that they did enough last weekend to earn the commitment. Illinois getting the last word in isn't the best sign, but Michigan State is still the Rivals RPM favorite. One prediction for Spillers to land in East Lansing is as recent as May 22.

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