Penn State Making Progress with Michigan State Commit
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It’s been a hectic few weeks for Michigan State football. The Spartans parted ways with former head coach Jonathan Smith at the end of November and quickly hired Pat Fitzgearld as his replacement, just in time for Early National Signing Day for the 2026 class.
However, the late coaching change led a four-star wide receiver to not sign with the Spartans. Shortly after he didn’t sign, Penn State began pursuing him, and the young wideout recently explained why he’s very interested in the Nittany Lions.
Michigan State Commit Details Penn State’s Recruitment of Him
On Dec. 9, Michigan State on SI reported that Penn State had offered Samson Gash, a four-star wide receiver from Detroit Catholic High School in South Lyon, Michigan.
Gash had been committed to Michigan State since June and was one of the highest-rated recruits Smith had brought in before his departure. On signing day, the four-star wide receiver ultimately decided to hold off on signing with the Spartans, allowing other schools, like Penn State, to get involved.
Shortly after receiving an offer from Penn State, Gash spoke with Blue White Illustrated's Ryan Snyder about the opportunity. He said that getting an offer from the Nittany Lions means a lot to him and mentioned that he has been in contact with new Penn State head coach Matt Campbell and his staff since their time at Iowa State.
- “This offer means a lot to me. It’s been a long time coming,” Gash told Snyder. “I’ve been up there a few times and I know the program is in great hands with this new Iowa State staff that I like and trust a lot after they were recruiting me a little bit at Iowa State.”
Gash’s father, Sam Gash, was a fullback at Penn State from 1987 to 1991. Given his family ties to the program, the young wide receiver told Snyder that it has always been a goal to get an offer from Penn State. However, he did note that he plans to take his process step by step and will make a decision when it’s time to sign with a school in February.
- “It’s always been a goal to get this offer,” Gash said to Snyder. “Obviously, my dad played there and stuff, but I’m going to take this whole process one step at a time until I sign in February.”
While there’s still a chance Gash remains committed to and ultimately signs with Michigan State, it’s clear that he’s seriously considering the Nittany Lions. Losing him would be a significant blow to the Spartans’ 2026 class as Rivals’ industry rankings list him as the No. 292 overall player nationally, the No. 46 wide receiver, and the No. 6 prospect from Michigan.
It will be interesting to see which program Gash ends up choosing, but Fitzgerald has a lot of work to do to convince the four-star to stay in East Lansing.
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Max Doresy serves as the Western United States College Recruiting Beat Writer On SI. He graduated from the prestigious Syracuse University – S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Before that, he worked for the Pro Football Network and was part of the recruiting department for Syracuse University's football program.