Michigan State football got better today. Zach Washington is now a Spartan.
Jonathan Smith has been on a heater lately, landing five players in the last four days. On Monday, he made it six players in five days, picking up St. Francis (Ill.) wideout Zach Washington. Shockingly, he becomes the first wide receiver in a now-16-person class.
What to know: Zach Washington
Washington stands at 6-foot-2, and weighs in at 183 pounds. As it stands, he is the No. 889 player nationally and No. 136 wideout, via the 247Sports Composite, and No. 112 receiver according to 247Sports.
During the recruiting cycle, he took visits to MSU, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. He held offers from six other Big Ten schools, and also notable schools like Miami, Ole Miss, and Missouri.
Considering Courtney Hawkins’ recent run of success at the receiver spot, it was surprising to see the Spartans get through 15 prospects before landing a receiver, but if there was any player to break that streak, Washington is an excellent option.
As a junior in high school, Washington recorded 1,450 total yards and 16 touchdowns, being named first-team all-conference, all-county, and all-state. Talk about racking up the accolades. Washington has the speed to take the top off of a defense, with a reported 4.37 40, per his X bio.
He becomes the first player from Illinois to commit since 2025 running back Zion Gist flipped his commitment from this year’s season-opening opponent Western Michigan in November 2024.
Class breakdown
The Wheaton, Ill., product becomes the third pass-catcher of the class, joining the tight end duo of Joey Caudill and Eddie Whiting. The trio will hopefully combine to be a lethal threat with four-star quarterback Kayd Coffman calling the shots.
Washington is the seventh offensive commit this cycle, with the trio of lineman Collin Campbell, Quinn Buckey, and Eli Bickel completing the offensive additions. As of June 16, the Spartans do not have a running back signed for the class, which is the only non-specialist spot without a 2026 commit.
Reunited with a familiar face
In addition to giving the Spartans their first receiver of the 2026 class, Zach Washington’s move to East Lansing will reunite him with a familiar face. Current redshirt freshman quarterback Alessio Milivojevic was leading the charge for St. Francis a few seasons ago, being responsible for Zach Washington’s first high school touchdown.
Unsurprisingly, Milivojevic has taken to X multiple times to encourage the Michigan State football fans to show some love to the receiver. On Monday, that all paid off, as Washington joins his quarterback in the charge of St. Francis Spartans into Michigan State rivnepost.rv.
