Where MSU Stands as Final Decision Nears for Gash
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The final major decision pertaining to Michigan State football's 2026 recruiting class is almost here.
In-state four-star wide receiver Samson Gash is expected to sign with his final decision on Wednesday. Gash is still technically verbally committed to MSU, but he decided not to sign with the Spartans in the wake of the program's coaching change, and Michigan State has been trying to fend off Penn State since.
Keeping Gash's pledge and getting the pen to the paper on Wednesday would be a huge recruiting victory for new MSU head coach Pat Fitzgerald. Gash, who attends Detroit Catholic Central, is one of the best players from the state of Michigan, and Fitzgerald is making it a clear priority to try to recruit the Spartans' backyard well.
There's that common idiom, "Actions speak louder than words," though. Getting Gash, the state's top wide receiver, to go green would give something tangible for Fitzgerald and his staff to point to from their early days on the job.
Where MSU Stands Entering Final Days
Things seem to be pointing in Michigan State's direction at the moment. It certainly helps that Gash never officially rescinded his verbal commitment to MSU, but a report from Rivals' Greg Smith from last week says that the Spartans were the program that was "regaining" momentum in Gash's recruitment.
That was also before Michigan State hosted Gash on his official visit. Gash visited Penn State in mid-January, but he granted MSU to be the final school that he would visit. He was spotted attending the Spartans' men's basketball game against Michigan this past Friday. Gash walked out onto the court alongside Fitzgerald, who promptly introduced him to Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who was sitting courtside.
Fitzgerald personally getting involved in Gash's recruitment certainly helps, but there are some other built-in advantages for MSU's efforts here. Firstly, the fact that Gash wouldn't have to be far from home certainly helps. Gash's dad, Sam, is a Penn State alumnus, but East Lansing is still much closer than State College, Penn.
Secondly, Michigan State can offer the chance to play with his brother, Caleb. Samson's brother is entering his redshirt junior season at MSU, though Caleb has three years of eligibility remaining because he suffered a season-ending injury during the Spartans' 2025 opener. The silver lining is that that means the overlap between Samson and Caleb can be truly significant and not a one-year type of deal.
Lastly, Fitzgerald ended up retaining wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins. That has allowed Gash to know that he'll still have another familiar face around, given that Hawkins was the one recruiting him while Jonathan Smith was the Spartans' head coach.
Ranked 245th in the class of 2026 by the Rivals Industry Ranking, Gash is simply a must-get for MSU. If he chooses the Spartans again, he would rank third among incoming high school recruits for Michigan State, only behind OT Collin Campbell (220th) and QB Kayd Coffman (241st).
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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