Michigan State Offers Talented 2027 Athlete
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The 2027 recruiting cycle has become the top priority of the college football offseason for Michigan State and head coach Pat Fitzgerald, with the Spartans firmly in contention for some of the top prospects in the class.
Fitzgerald and his staff have spent the past few months targeting and making progress with several 2027 prospects, most recently offering a fast-rising athlete from Maryland.
Spartans Extend Offer to Fast-Rising 2027 Athlete
On Feb. 12, Michigan State extended an offer to Cain Van Norden, a 2027 athlete prospect from Bishop McNamara High School in District Heights, Maryland. He announced the offer on X, writing, “Blessed to receive my 15th offer from Michigan State University!!”
Blessed to receive my 15th offer from Michigan State University!! @Coach_DeBo46 @CoachG_Calhoun @BMACFootball@EdOBrienCFB@BrianDohn247 @TheUCReport pic.twitter.com/Tth41yr8Nq
— Cain Van Norden (@CainV41608) February 12, 2026
As Van Norden notes, the Spartans are the 15th program to offer him. Although he drew interest from several programs during his junior season at Bishop McNamara, his recruitment has recently gained momentum. Since the start of 2026, the young athlete has received eight new offers from USF, UMass, Memphis, UConn, Georgia State, Temple, James Madison, and now Michigan State.
The Spartans are the seventh Power program to get involved in his recruitment, joining Nebraska, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Syracuse, Oklahoma, and Ole Miss.
Although Van Norden doesn’t have a star rating from 247Sports or Rivals, he’s still a talented player and one of the most intriguing prospects in the 2027 class. He has a monster frame, standing 6’8” and weighing 265 pounds, and can play both tight end and defensive end at the college level.
Not only is Van Norden a versatile football player, but he also plays basketball for Bishop McNamara and has been earning recognition as a power forward prospect in the 2027 class.
It’s still early in Van Norden’s recruitment, and he’ll likely receive interest from several more programs in the coming months. Michigan State’s offer comes at a key time, allowing Fitzgerald and his staff to strengthen their relationship with him before other schools get involved.
As it stands today, there’s no clear frontrunner for Van Norden, giving Michigan State plenty of time to gain ground on the other programs that have been pursuing him for the past few months.
While there’s still likely a long way to go before Van Norden makes a decision, if the Spartans can make a strong early impression on Van Norden and continue to improve their standing throughout his recruitment, Michigan State should emerge as a serious contender for the 2027 athlete.
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Max Dorsey 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.