Michigan State Football Offers Underrecruited Georgia DB, Gets Official Visit

With the recruiting dead period closing in by the day, Michigan State football continues to identify and offer talents as Pat Fitzgerald looks to rebuild. One of the most recent players to get identified by the staff was Apalachee High School (GA.) defensive back George Murray III.

What to Know About George Murray III

Murray III has yet to receive a ranking by either On3 or 247Sports, despite Michigan State football being his ninth FBS offer of the recruiting cycle. Last season with Apalachee, Murray III was a two-way player.

His 2024 season was impressive, with the defensive back picking off four passes and breaking up another 12, per MaxPreps. In addition, Murray III added 29 tackles on the season in 10 games. He also added 70 rushing yards and 105 receiving yards, catching three touchdowns as his team struggled with a 2-8 record. His 105 receiving yards ranked second on the team.

His recruiting profile puts the defensive back at 5-foot-11, 175 pounds. Defensive back coach Hank Poteat has been on a recruiting blitz in Georgia, recently offering Shyne Parham, another underrecruited defensive back from the Peach State.

The Spartans added two Georgia native defensive backs in their 2026 class, those being early enrollees KJ Deriso and TJ Umenyiora. It would be remiss to not mention that Michigan State football’s last Thorpe Award Winner, Darqueze Dennard, was an underrecruited Georgia defensive back out of high school.

Michigan State Football Locks in Official Visit

The Spartans moved fast with Murray III, as they have scheduled to fly out Murray and his family for their second week of official visits, with the prospect set to fly out the week of June 5.

He will be visiting alongside Parham. They account for two of the nine scheduled official visits for the week of June 5, as it stands.

Official Visitor List—June 9

• RB Keyon Thomas, No Ranking, Warren Central HS (IN.)
• DB Shyne Parham, No Ranking, Jefferson HS (GA.)
• DB George Murray III, No Ranking, Apalachee HS (GA.)
• DL Carter Napier, Three-Star, Springboro HS (Ohio)
• LB Kason Clayborne, Three-Star, Sioux City East HS (Iowa)
• DL Cain Van Norden, Three-Star, Bischop McNamara HS (MD.)
• WR Isaiah Alvarez, Three-Star, Don Bosco Prep (N.J.)
• EDGE Munir Lewis, Three-Star, Brush HS (Ohio)—Louisville Commit
• DL Nehemiah Ombati, Four-Star, Shakopee HS (Minn.)

Who is Michigan State Football Competing With?

The Spartans are Murray’s only Power Four offer as of this writing. He has offers from Troy, Army, Eastern Michigan, and Arkansas State, among others. The Spartans are the first announced official visit for the Georgia native.

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.