Michigan State Football May Recruiting Recap

Another month has come and gone, with Michigan State football remaining on the recruiting trail as Pat Fitzgerald attempts to revamp and rebuild the Spartans. This last month offered no new commitments for MSU, but it did mark the start of official visit season.

Michigan State Football Offers

While the Spartans have sent out less offers lately, they remain active on the trail. Here are their offers from May. It is worth noting that OL Drew Aagesen and LB Rome Ewell are left off this list. They were offered in May, but committed to Iowa State (Aagesen) and Houston (Ewell) during the first week of official visits.

• DL Amir Moore, Three-Star (No. 1130), Harrells Christian Academy (Nc.)
• DB Cordaro Shyne Parham, No Ranking, Jefferson HS (Ga.)
• LB Tyson Washington, Three-Star (No. 854), The St. James Academy (Va.)
• DB George Murray III, No Ranking, Apalachee HS (Ga.)
• LB CJ Ohuabunwa, No Ranking, Greater Atlanta Christian School (Ga.)
• WR Maliek Brown, Three-Star (No. 854), Chapel Hill HS (Tx.)
• EDGE Lawrence Kanneh, Three-Star (No. 854), Whitehall Yearling HS (Ohio)
• LB/S Henry Sakalas, Three-Star (No. 854), Nazareth Academy (Ill.)
• LB Caleb Green, Three-Star (No. 730), Lee’s Summit North HS (Mo.)–Missouri Commit
• DB Noah Willis, No Ranking, Blessed Trinity Catholic HS (Ga.)
• OL RJ Clem, No Ranking, Logansport HS (Ind.)
• TE/DL Ryan Pankey, Three-Star (No. 1358), Montrose HS (Colo.)

Official Visit Season Begins

The Spartans hosted 14 players over the May 29-31 weekend, but did not land a new commitment.

It is worth noting that of the 14 visitors, multiple of them were already committed to the Spartans, so it is not a 0-for-14 line.

May 29-31 Official Visit List

• DB Gideon Gash, Four-Star (No. 70 National Rank), Catholic Central HS (Mich.)
• OL Caleb Johnson, Four-Star (No. 248), Noblesville HS (Ind.)
• LB Amarri Irvin, Four-Star (No. 286), IMG Academy (Fl.)—Notre Dame Commit
• DL Reinaldo Perez, Four-Star (No. 296), Columbus Academy (Ohio)
• ATH Deontay Malone, Four-Star (No. 303), Massillon Washington HS (Ohio)
• TE Anthony Cartwright, Four-Star (No. 395), Detroit Country Day HS (Mich.)
• DL Marcellus Young Casario, Three-Star (No. 538), Rabun Gap-Nacoochee HS (Ga.)
• WR Isaiah Alvarez, Three-Star (No. 706), Don Bosco Prep (Nj.)
• WR/S Don Spillers, Three-Star (No. 854), Martin Luther King HS (Mich.)
• LB/S Henry Sakalas, Three-Star (No. 854), Nazareth Academy (Ill.)
• RB Savior Owens, Three-Star (No. 1130), Massillon Washington HS (Ohio)—MSU Commit
• CB Kayden Battle, Three-Star (No. 1130), McEachern HS (Ga.)
• S Ty’ire Clark, Three-Star (No. 1306), St. Peter’s Prep (Nj.)—MSU Commit
• LB Matthew Brady, Three-Star (No.1358), Central Catholic HS (Ill.)

Targets Off the Board

The following players have all announced commitments elsewhere, or left the Spartans out of consideration for their schools.

• WR Chad Willis—Cincinnati Commit
• ATH Lundon Hampton—Michigan Commit
• LB Rome Ewell—Houston Commit
• EDGE Myles Smith—Indiana Commit
• DL Nehemiah Ombati—Cancelled Official Visit to MSU
• LB Bryce Breeden—Left MSU Off Top Six
• DL Carter Napier—Pittsburgh Commit
• OL Drew Aagesen—Iowa State Commit

Spartans Lose Backup Kicker to Memphis

The Spartans saw their final projected portal departure in the middle of May, with kicker Tarik Ahmetbasic heading to Memphis. Ahmetbasic appeared in one game for the Spartans in 2024, and missed all of 2025 with injury. The kicker was in the portal during spring ball, but the Spartans kept him on roster with Liam Boyd as the only other kicker option enrolled.

All the other names in the portal from Michigan State football are not expected to return, nor did they participate in spring ball with the Spartans. The exception to this is Rod Bullard Jr., who put his name in the portal to try to provoke quicker action from the NCAA regarding his eligibility for this fall. However, if granted eligibility, he has expressed a mutual desire with the staff to remain at MSU.

As of June 1 at 10 p.m. EST, there has been no formal ruling from the NCAA on his status.

Transfer Portal Movement

While the Spartans are looking to aid their 2027 efforts, there is still some attention to the 2026 squad. There may be a few more enrollments this summer. The Spartans have reached out to Canadian DT Franklin Ibelo, and were set to host him. However, per sources, the visit was cancelled that are not recruiting battle or character related.

His brother, Sylvester Ibelo, is also receiving interest, with the Spartans among the teams reaching out to gauge interest. He also would have the same concerns as the elder Ibelo, hence the Spartans not hosting him on a visit yet.

There is one visit set to happen on June 2, making it a little late for the May recruiting recap, but EDGE Aidan Boehle will be visiting East Lansing. Boehle had 2.5 sacks over his 11 games with Winona State, and had transferred to Harding for the spring. The DL originally from Minnetonka HS (Minn.) re-entered the portal, and now has MSU’s eye.

Incoming Enrollee Suffers Injury

It is not all flowers for Michigan State football, as WR Samson Gash suffered an injury at the Michigan High School State Championship Track and Field Meet. The speedster was unable to defend his state championship in the 100m dash.

That said, the Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) recruit should be rested and ready in time for June conditioning sessions with the team, well before August practices are set to begin. The four-star will be wearing no. 5 this season.

Follow along for more Spartan recruiting updates as they come along. My X is @E_Matasovsky57 and I will be keeping things as up-to-date as possible.