Michigan State is dipping into Ohio once again to add to its 2025 recruiting class. on Wednesday, the Spartans received a pledge from three-star defensive end Cal Thrush out of Upper Arlington High School.

Thrush received an offer from Michigan State in early May and quickly scheduled an official visit to East Lansing for the weekend of June 14. He also took unofficial visits to MSU in February and March.

The 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive end from the Columbus area is the first defensive line pledge for Michigan State's 2025 recruiting class thus far. He is also the second commit from Ohio, along with three-star wide receiver Braylon Collier (Perkins High School in Sandusky).

With Thrush now in the fold, the Spartans have 13 commitments in the 2025 cycle as of press time. He joins Collier, three-star offensive lineman Justin Bell (who also committed on Wednesday), three-star cornerback Aydan West, three-star defensive back George Mullins, three-star wide receiver Charles Taplin, three-star tight end Jayden Savoury, three-star tight end Emmett Bork, three-star quarterback Leo Hannan, three-star linebacker Charles White, three-star linebacker Dimari Malone, three-star running back Jace Clarizio and three-star offensive lineman Drew Nichols.

Thrush received additional scholarship offers from Cincinnati, Air Force, Army, Akron, Ball State, Buffalo, Cornell, Eastern Kentucky, Furman, Harvard, Kent State, Marshall, Miami (OH.), Navy, Ohio, Toledo and Yale.

Throughout his recruitment, Thrush also took visits to school such as Duke, Indiana, Notre Dame, Ohio State and West Virginia

While Thrush did participate in a camp at Ohio State following his official visit with the Spartans, the only school he took an official visit to was Michigan State.

He's built strong bonds with Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith, defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Joe Rossi, defensive line coach Legi Suiaunoa, co-special teams coordinator/rush ends coach Chad Wilt, tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator (and fellow Ohio native) Brian Wozniak, defensive line graduate assistant Antjuan Simmons and the rest of the staff.

Michigan State's 2025 recruiting class currently ranks 43rd in the national team rankings following Thrush's commitment.

Thrush (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) has a great frame for Michigan State’s coaching staff to build on. He’ll easily hold 15-20 more pounds of good weight, which will help him hold up in the trenches in the Big Ten. Technically, he does a good job using his hands and plays with power. He also flashes some secondary moves on film.

He might take a year or two to see the field, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Thrush makes a lot of noise in East Lansing.

-Greg Smith, Midwest recruiting analyst for Rivals

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