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Here’s who MSU football will host the night game against Purdue

Posted on by L. Dreeye
Here’s who MSU football will host the night game against Purdue

Allen Trieu
| Special to Detroit News

Michigan State hosts a Big Ten matchup with Purdue on Friday night.

Typically, Friday night games are not conducive to recruiting, but with the high school season wrapping up, the Spartans will be able to host key recruits on campus, from new seniors to underclassmen with offers.

One of those high-profile targets returning is West Virginia commit Terrence Edwards from Richmond (Va.) Trinity Episcopal School. Edwards, the cousin of former Sparta wide receiver Felton Davis III, was a top-three Spartan prospect at the time of his transfer to the Mountaineers.

A 6-foot-1, 180-pound two-way player who scored five offensive touchdowns as a junior, schools are recruiting Edwards more as a defensive back.

Two other committed seniors coming are Cairo Skanes, a defensive back from Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day who moved to Miami (Ohio), and Zion Gist, a running back from Frankfort (Ill.) Lincoln-Way East who moved to Western Michigan.

Skanes is a 6-foot, 170-pound prospect who had a strong senior season and has since drawn a lot of interest in the Power Four. He recently visited Wisconsin.

Gist is a 6-foot, 200-pound powerhouse prospect who recently received an offer from the Spartans.

One of the state’s top juniors, Portage Northern offensive lineman Gregory Patrick, will be at Michigan State on Friday. He is a key target for the Spartans, and his father Joe played offensive line at MSU.

Two four-star juniors from Illinois will be on campus in Chicago Simeon, defensive lineman McHale Blade and Morgan Park athlete Nasir Rankin. Blade is a 6-4, 230-pound prospect with offers from around the country who missed the season with an injury. Rankin (5-11, 175) is a two-way athlete and a standout basketball player. Most schools view him as a receiver, but he could also be a nickel or slot corner.

Other notable 2026 recruits include Delaware (Ohio) Hayes running back Favor Akih, who is returning for one more game and has an offer from MSU. East Kentwood guard Cade Coffman recently received an offer from the Spartans, and they are the frontrunner for him in the 247Sports Crystal Ball.

Another West Virginia player, Dayveon Taylor, a junior linebacker from Aliquippa (Pa.), will be on campus. Taylor is a tall, athletic prospect at 6-2 and 210 pounds.

Taylor’s teammate Larry Moon III, a defensive end, is considered an elite member of the 2027 class and will be visiting. Darius Dennis, a sophomore guard from Dayton (Ohio) Trotwood-Madison who has an offer from Michigan State and attended the game this season, will return for the Purdue game.

Defender Chicago Simeon 2027 Future DeMoss will visit. New to the recruiting radar, the 6-5, 215-pound DeMoss added offers from Michigan State, Ole Miss, Indiana and Florida last week.

The Spartans also recently offered Chicago Heights (Ill.) Marian Catholic sophomore Jeremy Stonewall, and he will be visiting.

MSU defensive end Leo Hannan, a California graduate, will be on campus.

Additional information

Terrance Edwards Profile

Cairo Skanes Profile

Sion Gist’s profile

Allen Trieu covers the Midwest football recruiting scene for 247Sports. He was featured on the Big Ten Network’s annual Signing Day show. His Michigan and Michigan State recruiting columns appear weekly on detroitnews.com.