Michigan State Adds Late Official Visit Ahead of Big Recruiting Weekend: 4-Star ATH Deontay Malone

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Put on your hosting shoes if you’re near the East Lansing area this weekend, as the Spartans are set to host a slew of official visitors over the next few days.

As of Thursday afternoon, the list of recruits coming to check out the Michigan State campus grew by one when a 4-star recruit officially locked in a visit for May 29-31.

Athlete Deontay Malone, who can play both in the secondary and at wide receiver, has seen Michigan State join the growing line of interested programs hoping to win over the talented prospect.

Malone stands 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds and currently plays for Massillon Washington High School in Massillon, Ohio.

According to 247Sports, Malone carries an 88 rating, placing him near the higher end of the 3-star rankings. That ranking also slots him as the 27th-best prospect in the state of Ohio and the No. 51 athlete in the nation for the 2027 class.

However, the 4-star rating comes into play through the 247Sports Composite score, which grades Malone much higher than his standalone 247Sports ranking. Via the composite rankings, Malone sits at a 0.9065 rating, pushing him into the 4-star echelon.

That composite score ranks him No. 303 nationally in the 2027 class while also placing him as the No. 18 athlete in the country — 33 spots higher than his standard 247Sports positional ranking. The composite rankings also place Malone as the No. 12 player in Ohio for the 2027 class, a 15-spot jump from his original 247Sports ranking.

You may be asking: what exactly is the composite score?

The 247Sports Composite is a proprietary player ranking system that combines ratings from the major recruiting services into one consensus ranking. The goal is to provide a more balanced evaluation of a prospect by factoring in multiple scouting perspectives instead of relying on just one outlet.

In Malone’s case, 247Sports may currently view him as a high-end 3-star prospect, but other recruiting services appear to be significantly higher on him. When those rankings are combined into the composite score, Malone jumps into 4-star territory.

Michigan State now joins a long list of programs hoping to land a visit — and eventually a commitment — from Malone. Spartans wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins has been leading the charge in his recruitment.

The Spartans are also now the second Big Ten program to officially host Malone, as he already has an official visit scheduled with Ohio State on June 12.

Along with Michigan State and Ohio State, Malone has also drawn interest from Auburn, Boston College, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Purdue, and West Virginia.

One of the biggest things that stands out on film is Malone’s speed. While watching his highlights, you immediately notice his shiftiness paired with impressive straight-line acceleration.

On one jet sweep, Malone appeared bottled up nearly five yards behind the line of scrimmage before escaping the pile in Barry Sanders-like fashion and turning it into a 50-yard gain. His speed also flashes on kick and punt returns, where he becomes a major threat in open space.

Malone also shows strong hands and runs fairly crisp routes already at this stage of his development, though continued refinement in his route-running could take his game to another level.

Malone will have a major decision to make this summer, but if things go well this weekend, the Spartans could find themselves hearing from the talented athlete sooner rather than later.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos