Michigan State Scores Official Visit From Rising Ohio EDGE Rusher

The Spartans are making headway for a defender from Ohio who just popped onto the radar.

April 18, 2026; East Lansing, Mich.; Michigan State Spartans defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere III walks onto the field for MSU's "Spring Showcase" at Spartan Stadium. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Michigan State is continuing to work more and more official visits onto its schedule for the summer.

One of the latest additions to the docket has been Whitehall Yearling (Ohio) EDGE rusher Lawrence Kanneh. He announced on social media on Wednesday that he had set up an official visit with MSU for June 5-7. Kanneh had only officially been offered by the Spartans earlier that day.

Excited to go on an official visit with Michigan State! @Coach_Bindel @Coach_DeBo46 pic.twitter.com/NzHRBWnfe0

— Lawrence Kanneh (@KannehLawrence) May 13, 2026

Kanneh had previously been unranked on the major recruiting platforms. Since his offer from Michigan State and defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere III, though, Kanneh has debuted as a three-star prospect ranked No. 844 overall in the class of 2027 on the 247Sports Composite. He's 69th among those at EDGE, as well as 31st among all recruits from Ohio in the class.

As of now, Kanneh's other offers are all from Group of Six schools: Appalachian State, East Carolina, Marshall, South Florida, Akron, Bowling Green, Kent State, Miami (OH), and Toledo. All of those offers have come since March 26. I get the feeling the Spartans won't be the only Power Four team on Kanneh's offer sheet for very long.

Michigan State's head coach Pat Fitzgerald calls out to players during spring football practice on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kanneh's Tape

The reason I think that is the athleticism that pops out on Kanneh's tape. He's already got some decent size at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, and he can really move out there. Kanneh has a couple of different moves in his arsenal on the defensive line, but he just moves a step quicker than everybody else on the field, and quicker than some of the other pass rushers that are on Michigan State's radar.

Kanneh has also put up some massive numbers. Whitehall Yearling plays in Division II of the OHSAA, so the competition is going to be decent. During his junior season, Kanneh ended up totaling 60 tackles with a whopping 23.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks.

Potential Role at MSU

April 18, 2026; East Lansing, Mich.; Michigan State Spartans rush end Anelu Lafaele (11) walks onto the field for MSU's "Spring Showcase" at Spartan Stadium. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

MSU seems to be looking at Kanneh as a rush end right now. Kanneh also tagged Rush Ends coach Andrew Bindelglass on his post announcing the official visit. That role is one of the quirks of defensive coordinator Joe Rossi's system.

That would put Kanneh in the shoes of Kenny Soares Jr. and Anelu Lafaele on the current roster. It's meant to serve as a hybrid between defensive end and linebacker. Some players, like Soares, are more like linebackers. Some, like Lafaele, are more of a pure pass rusher. Kanneh would lean more towards the latter, meaning he would be great in obvious passing situations where he can pin his ears back and focus on attacking the opposing quarterback.

April 18, 2026; East Lansing, Mich.; Michigan State Spartans defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere III observes drills during MSU's "Spring Showcase" at Spartan Stadium. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI