2025 Macomb LB DiMari Malone Commits: 'I want to be part of' Michigan State

The Michigan State football program has its third commitment of the 2025 class, as in-state three-star linebacker DiMari Malone committed to the Spartans on Sunday.

Malone took to social media on Mother's Day to announce the news live on Instagram.

Michigan State's new regime offered Malone a scholarship back in January and quickly made him a priority. Since then, he's built strong bonds with head coach Jonathan Smith, defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Joe Rossi and others on the staff.

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Malone — who currently attends Dakota High School in Macomb, Michigan — believes that Michigan State is going to find a lot of success under Smith, and that he is a great match for Rossi's defense. His comfortability with the program and faith in Smith's vision for the future are some of the reasons why he wanted to become a Spartan.

"I choose Michigan State because of how comfortable I feel when I’m up there," Malone told Spartans Illustrated. "I have been there numerous times to see and understand how they do things. I think I will fit it perfectly."

Malone is the second linebacker to pledge to MSU in the 2025 cycle, as he joins fellow in-state three-star prospect Charles White. The other 2025 recruit currently committed to Michigan State is three-star California quarterback Leo Hannan, who was the first pledge in the cycle for the Spartans. As Michigan State begins to host prospects on official visits at the end of this month and into June, that list will continue to grow.

His aforementioned relationships with Smith and Rossi played big roles in his decision to commit to Michigan State. Malone knows they will develop him on the field, but he also truly feels like they care about him as a person as well.

"My relationships with Coach Smith and Coach Rossi are great," Malone said. "They are great coaches and even better people. I can’t wait to keep building on top of what we already have."

Another factor that means a lot to Malone is the opportunity to play for a program in his home state — the same one that he grew up rooting for throughout his childhood. In addition to that, he wants to be part of the group that lays the foundation for future success for the program under Smith's leadership.

"To be an in-state guy committed to Michigan State is a big thing for me because I feel like what they have coming in the next couple years is going to be some history and I want to be a part of that while being an in-state guy," Malone explained. "I've always been a Spartan fan."

The next item on Malone's agenda is to start recruiting his peers to Michigan State. His goal is to help the Spartans build something special.

"I do plan on helping recruit some more guys to make the team even better," Malone said. "I'm going to try getting some top dogs here!"

As he mentioned, Malone has visited Michigan State on multiple occasions, including a recent trip to East Lansing on April 6 to watch the Spartans participate in spring practice and compete in a scrimmage.

Next up, Malone will take an official visit to MSU during the weekend of June 7. He is looking forward to spending time with the current players and coaches and learning more about what the university offers on the academics side of things.

"I plan on seeing how the guys are with each other, how the academics are and really just bonding with some of the guys," Malone said.

Unsurprisingly, now that he is committed to Michigan State, Malone will not be taking any additional official visits elsewhere.

Michigan State was far from the only program that pursued Malone, however. He also had scholarship offers from Illinois, Minnesota, Rutgers, Indiana, Kansas, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Marshall and several others.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Malone is a do-it-all linebacker who can play multiple spots in Rossi's defensive system. As a junior in 2023, Malone was incredibly productive for the Cougars, recording 73 tackles, eight tackles for loss, one sack, three interceptions, six pass break-ups, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

"I feel like I’m pretty versatile," Malone said when asked to describe his game. "I can play the Mike or Will and make plays for both positions and that’s how they would use me up there (at Michigan State) and I just feel like it fits perfectly."

In the classroom, Malone carries a 3.0 grade point average.

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