Trieu: Why Detroit King standout Don Spillers picked Michigan State

Michigan State now has 15 commits in their 2027 class with the addition of Detroit King’s two-way athlete Don Spillers.

Illinois made a big push at the end and was recruiting Spillers fully as a wide receiver, but the Spartans held them off and add him to the class as a defensive prospect.

He cited the staff, namely head coach Pat Fitzgerald, safeties coach James Adams, and director of recruiting communications Malik Gill, as having a big role in his choice.

“I like Coach Fitz,” Spillers said. “Coach Fitz is a real nice guy. He keeps it real with me. He kept it real with me with the depth chart. He told me what the depth chart was looking like and that there’s one more spot for safety. He was like, first come, first serve. They keep up with me. I talk to Malik (Gill), coach James Adams, they really love me there.”

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In Spillers, the Spartans get a 6-foot-2, 195-pound prospect who can play in space and in the box.

“He brings work ethic and he’s another kid that I don’t think is close to his ceiling,” King head coach Terel Patrick said. “He’s got a lot of growth, a lot of development left. There’s no telling where he’ll be on the next level. I think he projects to maybe three or four different positions defensively or to a good X receiver.”

The physicality of Spillers is what Patrick says allows him to play almost anywhere in a defense.

“Well, No. 1 is the toughness, but I think that comes from the wrestling background,” Patrick said. “He’s a student of the game. So if he keeps growing, he’ll be a three-down linebacker because he’s, you know, he can run, he’s physical, so you won’t have to take him off the field or he’ll be on a half safety. So either way it goes, I think he’s got a huge future in front of them.”

Spillers is ranked by Rivals as the No. 14 rising senior in the state.

Allen Trieu covers Midwest football recruiting for On3. He has been featured on the Big Ten Network on its annual Signing Day Show. His Michigan and Michigan State recruiting columns appear weekly at detroitnews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Trieu: Why Detroit King standout Don Spillers picked Michigan State