Michigan State football: Official visitor list for June 14 weekend

Week three of official visit season is here and new recruits are headed to East Lansing to check out Michigan State football.

Weekend No. 3 of official visit season is upon us, Michigan State football fans. Coming off a productive second week which landed another 2025 commit from one prospect, the staff now will set their sights on the next handful of prospects descending on East Lansing for the weekend.

Who will be coming to visit and what should we expect? Let’s dive into it.

Prospects visiting

• Bobby Kanka, 4-star DL — Howell, Mich. (Currently committed to Michigan)
• Chris McCorkle, 3-star CB — Sarasota, Fla. (Currently committed to Indiana)
• Grant Beerman, 3-star LB — West Chester, Ohio
• Emmett Bork, 3-star TE — Oconomowoc, Wisc. (Currently committed to MSU)
• Cal Thrush, 3-star EDGE — Columbus, Ohio
• Derrick Simmons, 3-star DL — Frankenmuth, Mich.
• DJ Dugar, 3-star RB — Pflugerville, Texas (Visiting Monday)

Prospect breakdown

Overall we have a very talented group of players coming to town over the next few days. Let’s get to know a bit more about who the players are.

The overwhelming thing for the class of 2025 cycle for the Spartan coaches was to get back to recruiting heavily in state. Jonathan Smith has made it known that he has to do a ton of relationship building within the State of Michigan. He has been doing that with authority since taking over. I feel like I’ve stated this in every football recruiting article I’ve written about the 2025 class. Priority: recruit in-state. That is highlighted yet again this weekend.

Starting with the No. 5 ranked player in the state of Michigan for the 2025 cycle, Bobby Kanka. He is a highly-talented defensive line prospect from Howell. He originally committed to the school down the road in August of 2023 but after the coaching changes in Ann Arbor, rumblings about a potential de-commitment have popped up. Kanka is taking two official visits this month. The Spartans will get the first crack at impressing him before heading back to Ann Arbor next weekend. Will Smith and staff be able to impress him enough to potentially pull off a flip away from Michigan?

Next we have possibly my favorite prospect we are recruiting in the whole 2025 class, Chris McCorkle. He is a three-star cornerback from Florida. Besides having an awesome first name, McCorkle has a lot to like in terms of football skills. He is extremely athletic. The two sport athlete also plays basketball. He stands 6-foot-1 and weighs about 170 pounds. This past year he also played some receiver for his high school team. Regardless of his position, his dynamic athleticism is something the Spartans could really benefit from. Expect a big pitch from the staff to try to lure him away from the Hoosiers.

Next we have Grant Beerman who’s a three-star linebacker from Ohio. The Spartans find themselves battling Purdue and Cincinnati for his services. Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi loves Grant and adding him to a much improved linebacker room would be great for MSU. He stands 6-foot-4 and weighs about 220 pounds. As a junior in high school, he was first-team all-conference and recorded 79 tackles. Beerman excels in the classroom as well, reportedly holding above a 4.0 GPA.

Emmett Bork is the only current class of 2025 Michigan State football commit coming to campus this weekend. Bork has been committed to the Spartans for a month now and is coming back from Wisconsin to get more familiar with the staff and help recruit some other potential players. He is a big-bodied tight end who stands 6-foot-6 and weighs about 240 pounds. Bork has great hands and was formally a receiver. He is really comfortable in the pass-catching role and would be a major weapon for the Spartan offense.

Cal Thrush is another talented defensive line prospect coming to campus this weekend. The edge rusher from Columbus, Ohio, has been recruited heavily by the Spartans so far. Thrush shows a lot of potential at the position and would be a great fit in Rossi’s defensive scheme. Look for the Spartans to try to make a big push get a commitment from him this weekend.

The final weekend visitor is Derrick Simmons. The Michigan native is a defensive line prospect from Frankenmuth who is listing as the ninth overall prospect from the state of Michigan according to 247Sports. He stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 270 pounds approximately. Another player with tremendous upside, our coaching staff could do wonders in his development. Cincinnati, Illinois, Northwestern, and Purdue were all reportedly showing heavy interest in Simmons so the Spartans may have a battle on their hands for his services.

The last visitor on the list reportedly won’t be making it to campus until Monday. That is none other than Pflugerville, Texas, native DJ Dugar who is a 6-foot, 200-pound running back recently was offered by the Spartans. Michigan State football was a little later in his recruitment but it’s making up for lost time. The offensive staff likes his upside. He could pair really nicely with our other running backs in the class and on the team. Dugar was quick to set up an official once receiving his offer on May 22. He is also visiting Oklahoma State and Kansas State over the next week or so.

Conclusion

Overall this group is another talented group of players MSU is hosting. I love the vision Smith and staff are taking as far as roster construction. I know a lot of fans will get caught up in the lack of “high-profile” or “high-star” players, but these kids are all very talented.

The roster has been really gutted since the end of the Mel Tucker era. Filling it with solid, fundamentally sound players to raise the talent floor of the roster is crucial. To me, this strategy seems more of a Mark Dantonio philosophy than a Tucker one. Once the roster gets better overall and the depth is solved, then you may see some more four or five-star type players come in to help fill some gaps. The emphasis under Smith seems clear, however. Recruit for sound, solid play and development. That has also been more a recipe for success for the Spartans and I think it will continue to do that.

Good luck to the coaching staff and football staff this weekend. Also, welcome to all the prospects.

Finally, a big Happy Father’s Day wish to all the Spartan dads and father figures out there. Enjoy the weekend, everyone.