MSU Finalist for Class of 2026 DT From Ohio

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated May 24, 2025 11:30 AM ET

Michigan State football continues to be a finalist for some high-quality class of 2026 prospects, sitting right on the doorstep of adding to what is, so far, a very small room of commits.

On Friday, class of 2026 defensive tackle Jermaine Polk of St. Francis De Sales (Ohio) announced his top five schools on social media, and the Spartans made the cut. The others are Boston College, Iowa State, Wisconsin and Iowa.

Michigan State offered Polk last month. As of now, he has official visits scheduled with Boston College (May 30), Wisconsin (June 5), Iowa State (June 13) and Iowa (June 20).

The 6-3, 279-pound prospect is rated a three-star by 247Sports, which has him ranked the No. 25 class of 2026 prospect in Ohio and the No. 74 defensive lineman in his class.

Michigan State only has four scholarship commits from the class of 2026 so far, and none from the defensive side of the ball.

The Spartans are trying to gain ground in the Midwest, and securing a commitment from Polk would be a solid step forward in doing that.

Michigan State was rather late to the party in Polk's recruiting. But better late than never. The Spartans do have an advantage in regard to proximity to home, and while he doesn't have an official visit set to East Lansing yet, they were able to get him to campus during spring camp.

Recruiting the class of 2026 hasn't been easy for Michigan State, and it is very behind in that department. But as previously mentioned, the Spartans are constantly being named finalists for prospects, and it just seems like, at some point, it's going to start paying off for them.

But much of that will come down to their upcoming official visits, which Michigan State has to make the most of. Now is the time to do it.

The opportunities are there, and the Spartans need to capitalize. If they do, they should go into fall camp in a much better position than they are now with their recruiting of the class of 2026. It's essential that that happens.

Keep up with all our Michigan State recruiting coverage when you follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook, Spartan Nation, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and make sure to share your thoughts when you join our community group, Go Green Go White, as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.

You can also find us on X (Twitter) @MSUSpartansOnSI.

This article first appeared on Michigan State Spartans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: