Michigan State Football WR Target Commits Elsewhere

On Saturday, Michigan State football saw an in-state target commit elsewhere after making the top four. The Spartans and Courtney Hawkins will be looking elsewhere for production during 2026 after Chad Willis announced his commitment to the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Quick Breakdown on Chad Willis

Willis is a receiver from Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, the same high school that sent Jayden Savoury, Antonio Johnson, Bryson Williams, Darrin Jones Jr., and DeJae White to the Spartans during the 2025 cycle. Willis is a two-time state champ with St. Mary’s, going back-to-back after the 2025 class won to end their careers and saw it defended.

The 6-foot-2 receiver committed to Cincinnati over Michigan State, Minnesota, and Pitt as his other finalists. Willis is currently ranked no. 822 in the nation, and no. 14 in the state of Michigan. He is third among receivers in the state, behind five-star Dakota Guerrant and Tre Britton III.

Amongst all receivers, Willis ranks no. 102 in the nation. He joins a Bearcats program that has seen three receivers selected between the last four NFL Drafts.

While the Spartans lost out on Willis, there is the question on if they had continued to recruit the receiver. He had not set up an official visit with any of the final four schools in his recruitment, per his 247Sports Profile. His last post or repost on X (formerly Twitter) regarding Michigan State is dated from December 2025.

Who else is Michigan State football looking at?

The Spartans continue to look for their first wide receiver commit in the class, with Courtney Hawkins having official visits set with Don Spillers III (Tied with Willis as the no. 14 player in Michigan), Namajay Thompson (No. 598 nationally), Isaiah Alvarez (No. 693), and Steele Harris (No. 726).

Who else is Michigan State in the running for?

The Spartans “made the cut” in the narrowing of recruiting lists for the following players.

• OL Dominic Black, Tri-Village HS (Ohio), Top Eight
• CB Larry Morgan III, West Boca Raton HS (Fla.), Top Six
• TE Anthony Cartwright III, Detroit Country Day (Mich.), Top Five
• OL Patrick O’Brien, Archbishop Moeller (Ohio), Top Six
• DL Nehemiah Ombati, Shakopee HS (Minn.), Top Three

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.