Cass Tech's Connection with MSU: 'Our foundation comes from what they do'
Cass Technical High School in Detroit is a top contender in the Michigan High School Athletic Association's Division I year-in and year-out.
Cass Tech head coach Marvin Rushing knows his team has a chance to have another special season in 2023, so long as the Technicians put in the required necessary work.
Rushing, along with several of his players, recently spoke with Spartans Illustrated at the fifth annual SoundMind SoundBody High School Seven-on-Seven Showcase at Wayne State University in Detroit on Thursday, July 13. The Technicians spoke highly about Michigan State, gave updates about the "Spartan Dawg Con" event on July 28 and July 29, and talked about what they hope to accomplish this season.
"We feel good right now," Rushing said about his team. "We're young. We've been working hard. Right now, we're starting to come together, we're starting to find our leaders, and I think the cream is starting to rise to the top. The expectations are high no matter what, and we're ready to compete."
Rushing enters his third season at the helm for the Technicians. He has been with Cass Tech since 2012, previously working under former head coach Thomas Wilcher. Rushing primarily coached on the defensive side of the ball and helped out with special teams.
Rushing learned a lot from Wilcher, who departed Cass Tech in 2021 to become Michigan State's director of community and high school relations. After two years in that role, Wilcher is no longer on MSU's staff in 2023, but the pipeline between the two programs remains strong.
The opportunity to eventually become head coach of the Technicians was something Rushing had always hoped for.
"With Coach Wilcher's move to Michigan State, I got my opportunity to live my dream (as head coach of Cass Tech)," Rushing said.
Cass Tech is coming off of an impressive playoff run in 2022, making it to the state semifinals before losing to eventual champion Belleville by a single point, 29-28, in overtime.
Of course, the goal for the Technicians in 2023 is to win another state championship, which would be the program's first since 2016. In order to do that, Rushing will rely on his team leaders, such as 2025 three-star defensive back/athlete (and Michigan State target) Cashus Shivers, 2026 all-around athlete (and fellow MSU target) Corey "CJ" Sadler, 2024 offensive lineman Jaylen Washington, 2024 offensive lineman Noah Bishop and others, to get Cass Tech where it needs to be.
"One guy who is jumping out, which is to be expected, is Corey Sadler," Rushing said. "He's ready to assume the control of leading the team. Jaylen Washington, one of our seniors, probably our most dominant lineman, has been stepping up. Noah Bishop is probably gonna be our most aggressive, most disruptive pass rush artist on his defensive line. So those guys right now stick out."
Rushing also spoke about what Shivers brings to Cass Tech both on and off the field, and why he expects him to be a difference-maker for the Technicians.
"Cashus, right now, he's just physical," Rushing said about Shivers. "He's physical. He leads. He competes, whether it's special teams, offense or defense. He's been one of our most physical guys since his freshman year. He was happy to play special teams. He does whatever you ask, excels in the classroom and excels off the field. Quite honestly, if I've got more players like Cashus, the season's gonna be a lot easier."
That's also why MSU is recruiting Shivers to join the Spartan program.
Rushing, who wore a Cass Tech shirt branded with the "Spartan Dawg For Life (SD4L)" logo, spoke about the strong connection between his program and Michigan State.
Rushing has a lot of respect for what head coach Mel Tucker is building at Michigan State and he models many aspects of his program after the culture that is instilled at MSU.
"We've got a great relationship with them," Rushing said about Michigan State. "We kind of try to resemble a lot of what Coach Tucker does at Michigan State. The way they're built is the way we wanna be built. We wanna be disciplined, we wanna be physical, we wanna knock the snot off somebody's mouth, and we want to be great off the field.
"So we really appreciate a lot of their pillars. A lot of our foundations comes from what they do (at MSU). Obviously we had a great relationship with Coach Wilcher being there, and we're gonna keep going ahead to flourish that."
Currently, there are three former Cass Tech players on Michigan State's 2023 roster: true freshman defensive end Jalen Thompson, redshirt senior running back Jaren Mangham and redshirt junior wide receiver Sebastian Brown.
In addition to Shivers and Sadler, Michigan State is also pursuing 2026 standout offensive lineman Khalief Canty Jr.
Alex Graham, a four-star athlete/defensive back, is also a big-time target for Michigan State and many other programs in the 2025 class, but Graham has recently decided to transfer from Cass Tech to IMG Academy in Florida.
Rushing is expecting Thompson - a talented four-star defensive end prospect out of the 2023 class - to have a dominant career as a Spartan. While he doesn't necessarily believe Thompson will come in and have a great presence right away as a freshman, Rushing believes Thompson will make a lasting impact on Michigan State by the time it is all said and done.
"Jalen Thompson, have you seen him (recently)?" Rushing asked with a laugh. "I mean, he looked good with us, but leaving early, his body, he looks like a Greek god right now. I told him, don't get too big before they have to figure out how to put him inside. But, you've got a guy with a high motor, who watches his film, does what he's supposed to do, is physical, and is humble as can be. He's gonna do well. Hopefully people don't expect too much of him as a freshman, but I know he is gonna set the right standard this year, and watch what happens the next two, three, four years with him up here."
Mangham - who transferred in from South Florida after starting his career at Colorado while playing under Tucker with the Buffaloes at the time - is set to carve out a big role in Michigan State's backfield in 2023. In fact, Rushing expects him to have a lot of success as a Spartan.
"Mangham didn't go [to MSU] to sit," Rushing said about the running back. "Mangham thinks a lot of himself because he's a hell of a player.
"That's why his picture is right here on the Xenith van," said Rushing, as he pointed toward the van in front of where he was standing near the Wayne State practice field. "So, he's there to make plays. He's [there] to get the ball in the end zone. He's [there] to make a difference. And it is cool as heck to watch him wear number one (on his jersey) and share it with his brother (Jaden Mangham). So they created a family tradition that probably won't be repeated at Michigan State."
As for the seven-on-seven event itself, Rushing — similar to Belleville head coach Calvin Norman — was not too worried about being the best team out there, but wanted to use the opportunity for his guys to build chemistry and continue their development this summer.
"Today, this is all about competing, communication, and effort," Rushing said on Thursday before the seven-on-seven matchups. "No offense, but we're not built for spandex season. This is spandex season. We're all about 11-on-11. We are about when you put the whistle to the lips for the referees, pads are on, who's gonna come downhill and lay somebody out and make a play? So this is great to see if guys can communicate, have effort, have fun, and really the thing I'm looking at is when we have success, do we celebrate it? If we have some struggles, who goes and lifts that man up? That's really what I'm looking for today."
With that said, if Cass Tech is "not built for spandex season," we here at Spartans Illustrated can only imagine how dominant the Technicians will be once the pads come on because the team looked extremely talented in the seven-on-seven setting on Thursday.
Rushing is expecting big things out of his team, and believes Michigan State will have a bounce-back season in 2023 as well.
"We're ready to have a great year," Rushing said. "Hopefully the Green and White, both in East Lansing and on Second Avenue (in Detroit), walk away with some titles this year."
As for players who are planning to attend Michigan State's "Spartan Dawg Con" event at the end of the month, Shivers plans to make it, while Sadler and Canty are both considering it.
Shivers, who plays wide receiver and defensive back for Cass Tech, is being recruited to Michigan State as a safety.
He most recently took an official visit to Michigan State in April, which is when secondary coach Harlon Barnett and the rest of the staff offered Shivers a scholarship. Now he plans to return to East Lansing in late July.
"I got the invite to Spartan Dawg Con," Shivers noted. "I think I'm gonna be able to go on July 29. I really just want to meet the other recruits (while I'm on campus). I just want to bond with them, bond with the coaches, bond with my position coach (Coach Barnett) a little bit more. Just get into it with them, for real."
As for his relationship with Barnett, Shivers already feels a strong bond there and hopes to continue to grow that connection. He feels like Michigan State is making him a priority and has a lot of interest in the Spartans.
"It's really good," Shivers said about his relationship with Barnett. "The visit when I went when they offered me (in April), it was really good. They all connected with me. The players and coaches, they were loving me. It was just a good environment. Coach Barnett, that's my guy for real. It's much love there at Michigan State."
Shivers went on to speak about what he likes most about Michigan State, which includes a feeling of camaraderie and togetherness throughout the entire program. He is also familiar with many current Spartans.
"I like the program they're building over there," Shivers said about MSU. "I can see it's really a brotherhood. They don't leave any guys behind. The 'Spartan Dawg' (mentality), it's a whole thing. I just love what they're building over there, really. I know a lot of players over there, Cass Tech guys, even the guys who didn't go to Cass Tech. The metro Detroit areas, like Oak Park, Roseville, those type of guys I know, too. It feels like it's a great place to call home."
Shivers has also had conversations with Tucker, and has a lot of respect for the head coach.
"We've talked a few times," Shivers said about Tucker. "He met my mom, he met my dad, so we have a pretty tight relationship, too. He would check up on me sometimes, so we're really in tune."
Michigan State is a team that will remain high on Shivers' list throughout his recruitment. In fact, as of right now, the Spartans are definitely at the top of his mind.
"I could say that Michigan State is definitely at the top of my list right now," Shivers said.
In addition to Michigan State, Oregon, Iowa, Louisville, Kansas, and Tennessee are standing out in Shivers' recruitment right now. He has nearly 20 offers in total.
As for what he wanted to show during the seven-on-seven event, and what he plans to accomplish this fall, Shivers is simply looking to lead his team both on and off the field.
"I'm really just trying to play to the best of my abilities, and show people what I can do," Shivers said. "Just put on a show for everybody and give people what they want to see. For the fall, I want to lead the defense in tackles. I want to be up there in interceptions — I've got a little bit of competition with Corey Sadler — but I want to be up there in interceptions and tackling. Receiving touchdowns, I want to have a few of them. If not leading (in receiving touchdowns), I want to be second, but the goal is always to be first."
All in all, Shivers has a lot of love for the Spartans.
"Go Green," Shivers said to end our conversation.
Meanwhile, Sadler is already considered as one of the top athletes in the 2026 class. He earned an offer from Michigan State in April of 2022.
There aren't many things on the football field that Sadler can't do. He plays quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back for the Technicians. Sadler said that MSU is mainly recruiting him as a wide receiver, but some schools like him as a defensive back. In fact, he actually hopes to play both sides of the ball at the college level.
"I have been talking to a lot of schools lately, Michigan State has been one of them," Sadler said. "The recruiting process there has been going good, just getting to know the coaching staff. Everything really just goes though my (high school) coaches (as a 2026 prospect). They just give me the information (the MSU coaches) tell them."
As for "Spartan Dawg Con," or other events at the end of the month, Sadler is still mulling over his options, but there is a chance he could go to East Lansing.
"I'm possibly considering going to Spartan Dawg Con," Sadler said.
Even though he is only entering his sophomore campaign, Rushing singled out Sadler as a leader for a reason. He wants to do all he can to ensure his team reaches its goals.
"Winning, and coming together as a team," Sadler said when asked what Cass Tech is looking to accomplish this season. "Most importantly coming together as a team, winning as a team, and doing everything as a team. And most importantly, wining that state championship."
Ahead of the seven-on-seven competition, Sadler echoed some of Rushing's comments about what the Technicians were looking to do while at Wayne State.
"Today, we're just focusing on competing," Sadler said about the seven-on-seven event on Thursday. "As days go by, it's just competing and getting better and coming together. Things like (seven-on-seven) can help your team bond, get to know the chemistry and all of that type of stuff. We're just focused on that today. Just be ready for the show today!'
Sadler did put on a "show" at multiple positions. As a defensive back, he battled and made plays against Michigan State four-star wide receiver commit Nick Marsh (Marsh had an incredible night himself).
Sadler has taken notice of the Cass Tech to Michigan State pipeline, but understands that the recruiting process is different for everybody.
"I noticed that a lot," Sadler said when asked about how many Cass Tech players go to Michigan State. "Guys choose their schools based on what's best for them. That's the school that those guys chose was best for them, which was Michigan State. It might be me, it might not be me."
With some of the top programs in the country already offering or showing interest, Sadler noted that Alabama, Michigan, Georgia, Oregon and Tennessee are standing out early in his recruitment.
As for Canty, Michigan State made sure to get an early scholarship offer out to him in December of 2022 as he already is on track to be one of the state's top players in the 2026 cycle.
He has built a strong bond with Michigan State assistant head coach/offensive line coach/run game coordinator Chris Kapilovic and assistant offensive line coach Jacob Lail.
Canty said that he doesn't have any plans set for the end of the month, but that he "might" go to the "Spartan Dawg Con" event.
Canty has been training hard this summer to improve his body, get stronger and better his overall game.
"I've really just been working," Canty said when asked how his summer has been going. "Working out, getting my body right, just getting better every day."
He camped at Michigan State on June 14 and said it "went really well."
When asked earlier this year about the connection between Cass Tech and Michigan State, Canty said he believes it is because the people at both programs have similar mindsets and cultures.
"I think it’s just the coaches and the players," Canty told Spartans Illustrated back in April. "People from Cass Tech, they really like the (Michigan State) coaches because it's like a family. It's like another Cass Tech at Michigan State. That's why people from there really like it."
Just like the rest of his teammates, Canty's focus is on bringing another state championship trophy back into the halls of Cass Tech.
"Really, it's just to keep working," Canty said on Thursday. "Our goal is to win a state championship."
Canty, who earned an invite to Rivals' Next Five-Star camp in Georgia, which took place in June, is high on a few schools early on in the process. He noted that Michigan State, Tennessee and Michigan are the three schools sticking out to him most right now.
Individually, Canty reiterated that transforming his body and getting in the best possible shape is his offseason focus, as he believes that will ultimately help his team most on the field in 2023.
"Once again, it's just about getting my body set, getting it straight, and trying to get better from last year," Canty said when asked about what he is looking to show on the field in 2023.
Cass Tech will open the 2023 season against Southfield A&T at Wayne State on Saturday, Aug. 26.