3 Young Guys on Michigan State's Roster With High Upside

There is always a bit of a guessing element when it comes to high school recruiting.

You have to watch these players play against competition several steps below the Big Ten, then figure out whether their skills can translate. That's why recruiting rankings are never perfect, or why "draft busts" exist in the NFL. There's never a way to actually know.

Michigan State Spartans head football coach Pat Fitzgerald points while introducing himself to the crowd at a men's basketball game against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. Fitzgerald was officially hired by MSU on Monday. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Being able to reliably predict which players can play Big Ten football is, in basic form, the best way for Michigan State football to turn its fortunes around. Doing "more with less" is why Pat Fitzgerald lasted so long at Northwestern, after all, and MSU's last three classes have finished no better than 43rd, according to On3.

Of the younger guys (players in their first or second years of football) on the Spartans' roster, these three seem to stand out as players with some pretty nice futures:

WR Samson Gash (Fr.)

Joining the team in the coming months is Samson Gash. The 4-star wide receiver from Detroit Catholic Central stuck with his original MSU commitment over a late push from Penn State, one of Fitzgerald's big early recruiting wins.

Speed is the obvious reason to believe Gash can translate to the Big Ten level, perhaps immediately. He ran the 100-meter dash in 10.41 seconds, setting a Michigan track state record. That's something that can't be taught by a coach, and it makes the idea of getting Gash the ball in the open field or throwing him a deep ball pretty exciting.

QB Kayd Coffman (Fr.)

April 18, 2026; East Lansing, Mich.; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Kayd Coffman (8) throws it deep during MSU's "Spring Showcase" at Spartan Stadium. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

True freshman Kayd Coffman also has a ton of promise. He flashed some arm strength and some mobility in his legs during Michigan State's "Spring Showcase" last month. Quarterbacks coach John McNulty has complimented Coffman's work and ability to retain information during meetings, also saying it's rare to see him make the same mistake twice.

Coffman will be behind quarterback Alessio Milivojevic and almost certainly UCF transfer Cam Fancher on the depth chart in 2026. This won't be the year for him to show his stuff, but there will be a point in the future where Coffman gets his shot.

RB Marvis Parrish (So.)

One interesting transfer portal addition is Western Kentucky transfer Marvis Parrish. Even though Parrish was just a low-three-star recruit, he instantly contributed for WKU as a true freshman. Parrish had 576 rushing yards and 203 receiving yards in 2025, making Conference USA's All-Freshman Team.

I would have thought Parrish would be a decent pickup if this were his junior or senior year, but he's just a sophomore. UConn transfer Cam Edwards is expected to be the Spartans' featured back next season, but that could easily be Parrish's main role after that.

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