Recapping MSU Football's National Signing Day Activity

Wednesday's biggest headline for the football team was the signing of four-star wide receiver Samson Gash. The Detroit Catholic Central product probably instantly became the Spartans' fastest player when he signed his letter of intent that morning --- he's been clocked at running the 100-meter dash in just 10.41 seconds. Landing Gash not only gives Pat Fitzgerald's team another receiver who might contribute immediately, but it also sends a recruiting message to the state.

"I've alluded to it now numerous times, and hopefully now the high school coaches see we're backing it up," Pat Fitzgerald said Wednesday. "We're going to start and end our recruiting in the state of Michigan. Samson obviously is a huge piece of that puzzle today... I think we're walking the talk, and that's what I think is most important."

Preferred Walk-On Additions

QB Peyton Babbitt

One nice PWO get was quarterback Peyton Babbitt. Michigan State was able to flip him away from Division II Saginaw Valley State and announced his signing just before noon ET on Wednesday.

This was a process that moved a bit quickly. MSU extended a PWO offer to Babbitt on Sunday, going off his Twitter page, and still landed him, despite Babbitt's SVSU commitment stretching back to July. Babbitt is from Orchard View High School in Muskegon, Mich.

DB Darelle Cochran

Another late addition by the staff was defensive back Darelle Cochran. He was offered a preferred walk-on spot this past Friday and put pen to paper on Wednesday. Cochran, who attends Ferndale High School, is a pretty good athlete who also played on his school's basketball team.

DB Luca Genrich

MSU also signed defensive back Luca Genrich, who verbally committed to the Spartans on Tuesday. He, too, is a preferred walk-on. Genrich was teammates with Gash at Detroit Catholic Central as well, with the Shamrocks winning the MHSAA Division 1 state title this past fall.

RB Cedric Williams Jr.

Another Detroit Catholic Central teammate who is headed to East Lansing is Cedric Williams Jr. He received his PWO offer from the staff last Wednesday and ended up officially picking the Spartans one week later. Standing at 5-foot-11, 200 pounds, and with a 4.55-second 40-yard dash time, according to his Twitter/X bio, Williams is a guy who brings some potential with him.

OL Cole Bertke

Adding to the offensive line is East Grand Rapids product Cole Bertke. His recruitment was done without any real social media activity --- Bertke was simply announced by the team as a new PWO addition. At 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds, Bertke has the potential to be an intriguing prospect if he bulks up some more.

K Stephen Gonzales

Another interesting addition is kicker Stephen Gonzales, who verbally committed to MSU last month. He might be Michigan State's long-range specialist immediately, given that he's already made field goals during games as long as 57 yards. The Spartans' new portal addition, Charlotte transfer Liam Boyd, has a career-long of 42 yards in college. Kohl's Kicking ranks him fourth among all kickers in the 2026 class.

LS Trey Serauskis

Another special teams signing was long snapper Trey Serauskis, who also committed last month. Serauskis will likely back up Oregon transfer Nick Duzansky to start his career, but Serauskis is still ranked fourth in his class on Rubio Long Snapping.

TE Jack Van Prooyen (Loss)

The only commitment Michigan State lost was tight end Jack Van Prooyen, who flipped to Army. The Northview High School prospect had been committed to MSU as a PWO since Jan. 3, but will end up getting a full ride to West Point instead.

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