Michigan State’s new staff is already getting a meaningful early test on the recruiting trail, and it comes with one of the most eye-catching names in the state’s 2028 class.
Three-star tight end AJ Henley, the top-rated tight end in Michigan for his class, is set to visit East Lansing on Sept. 12. That trip comes one week after he opens his fall tour at the reigning national champs.
Henley laid out a packed run of visits for the fall:
Indiana on Sept. 5
Michigan State on Sept. 12
Toledo on Sept. 19
Purdue on Sept. 26
Iowa State on Oct. 3
Michigan on Oct. 17
Minnesota on Oct. 24
Washington on Nov. 7
At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Henley is listed as a WR/TE in the Class of 2028. He’s ranked No. 783 overall in the cycle and 38th among tight ends. That kind of travel schedule usually signals a prospect with plenty of attention, and Michigan State is getting a real shot to make an impression despite not yet having offered him, according to 247Sports.
That matters for a program trying to set a tone under Pat Fitzgerald. The Spartans are in the final week of fall camp, and this first season brings more than just a fresh start. It’s Fitzgerald’s chance to show he belongs back on the sideline, to give the program a push in a new direction, and to start stacking wins with recruits who can shape the next few years in East Lansing.
The tight end position, in particular, looks like an area Fitzgerald wants to elevate. Michigan State has talked before about making that room a centerpiece, but the results never quite matched the words under the previous staffs. Now, the Spartans appear to be pushing harder to make it a real feature of the offense.
Henley’s interest is a good sign for that effort. He’s spending his own money to visit a school that hasn’t landed him an offer yet, which says plenty about where Michigan State stands with him right now.
If the Spartans can build on that momentum, Henley would fit into a tight end group that already has some pieces in place. Jayden Savoury is expected to help lead the room, Carson Gulker brings the kind of do-everything H-back profile that gives an offense flexibility, and veteran Brennan Parachek adds experience.
For Michigan State, the bigger picture is simple: the tight end room finally looks like a place with some real upside. And getting a visit from the top tight end in Michigan’s 2028 class is exactly the kind of step that can help turn that potential into something more.
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