REPORT: Top MSU Edge Target Makes Big Move
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Michigan State is set to host edge rusher Chris Addison, a 2026 prospect from Winnsboro, Louisiana on June 13-15, per a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Addison is a 6-foot-5, 235-pound edge rusher who is a high three-star who 247Sports ranks the No. 40 edge in the class and the 13th-best player in the state.
I spoke with Addison in February, who told me rush ends coach Chad Wilt flew down for a visit and offered him. Wilt made a positive impression on the 2026 prospect, who said, "Coach Chad is a really good guy; we talked for a long time before he offered. I like him, he's a good guy."
Addison is the perfect size and has the right traits to be the standup rush end in Spartans defensive coordinator Joe Rossi's defense, a spot that is the answer to the modern offense.
"This rush end position -- we were talking earlier -- it's it's a hybrid outside backer/D-end thing," Wilt told reporters last spring. "So sometimes, he’s going to have D-end jobs -- play over tight end, right? Play in the C-gap, be strong and sturdy and sometimes it might be, ‘Hey, you're gonna be over this tight end man-to-man.
"It goes back to ... the jobs that they're going to be asked are very different. And some of those jobs you can't do from a three-point stance -- or, I shouldn't say can't -- extremely difficult to do from a three-point stance. So now we can do that from a two-point, and you don't know offensively that, 'Okay, hey, we're gonna be in our pressure package or we're gonna be in our base package here -- base calls.' So I think just allow those guys the freedom and flexibility, but then it also gives us, I think, another set of eyes that can see, right? Instead of having four guys down -- and those guys, once they put their hand in the stance, you can see a whole lot.
"And then, those guys for the rush ends, it that allows them to take a little bit of stress and pressure off the backers. 'Hey, what's the backfield set that they're in? Where are the tight ends' alignment? What are the details of the tight ends' alignment? Hey, the back moved, the back flipped sides.' Now, our rush ends can make some of those calls, and now, the backers don't have to."
Michael France is Sports Illustrated's Michigan State recruiting beat writer, covering all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive Spartans recruiting coverage.
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