Michigan State football lands 3-star DE Cal Thrush

Michigan State football and Jonathan Smith remained red-hot on the recruiting trail, landing three-star defensive end Cal Thrush.

Before the dust settled from Michigan State football landing Justin Bell Wednesday night, the Spartans received word that they also picked up another commitment. This time it was three-star defensive end Cal Thrush who became the 13th commit to pledge his services to the Spartans in the 2025 class.

COMMITTED!!! I am very excited to announce that I will be furthering my academic and athletic career at Michigan State University! Extremely grateful for this opportunity, and thankful for everyone that has gotten me to this point. Go Green!!🟢⚪️ pic.twitter.com/s0XCVIgJG3

— Cal Thrush (@cal_thrush) June 27, 2024

Thrush hails from Upper Arlington High School in Columbus, Ohio. The three-star stands 6-foot-4 and weighs about 250 pounds. He has been a little under-recruited so far as he’s only received 15 offers from other schools. Michigan State pushed hard for his commitment the whole way. He ended up only taking one official visit and that was to East Lansing.

The three-star end had previously said once he received the Spartans’ offer, they were going to be hard to top. He commended the coaching staff for staying in touch and reaching out to him quite a bit. He had a blast having his family up in East Lansing and said he could feel that something special was starting to happen at MSU.

Thrush finished last season making the first-team all-conference team and second-team all-district. He played both defensive end and tight end for Upper Arlington but will stick with defensive end for the Spartans presumably. His dad and uncle both played football in Columbus at Ohio State so his family knows all about Big Ten football.

When watching his film, Thrush shows a high motor and good pass rushing instincts. He can get off the line quickly and loves to get after the quarterback. He is a raw talent and will need some skills refined. It was pretty clear the Spartan defensive staff saw his potential and I think they will be able to develop it well. Off the field, Thrush works extremely hard in the classroom boasting a 3.95 cumulative GPA.

I like Thrush’s fit within the Spartan defensive line overall. I can see him being a very good piece to rotate in our pass rush in specific situations. Should he develop well, I could see him carving out a pretty good role with Michigan State football. The coaching staff also seems super excited to add him to the room as well.