Pat Fitzgerald’s job this offseason isn’t going to be easy. The new Michigan State head coach has the tall task of rebuilding a roster that will undoubtedly suffer a plethora of transfers — this roster went 9-15 over the past two seasons.
Oh, and he has to try and close out the 2026 recruiting class on a high note.
Fitzgerald has one unsigned commit to work on until February’s signing day, and keeping him gets harder and harder every single day, it seems.
Samson Gash, a four-star wideout from Detroit Catholic Central, has been receiving interest from several programs since the middle of the season. When it looked inevitable that Jonathan Smith would be fired, Gash started looking around at new programs.
It started with an Alabama visit, then West Virginia got involved right before the early signing period was over, and now a new team has joined the mix — and it’s bad news.
Georgia and Kirby Smart extended an offer to Gash on Friday night.
Blessed to receive an offer from Georgia!!🐶🔴⚫️ @CoachColey @KirbySmartUGA @DHill39 @AllenTrieu @GregSmithRivals @SWiltfong_ @adamgorney pic.twitter.com/cIFyIumAHB
— Samson Gash 4⭐️WR (@GashSamson) December 13, 2025
Just like the Alabama interest, this is horrible news for Fitzgerald and the Spartans.
Samson Gash trending away from Michigan State
In case it wasn’t already obvious, Gash is trending away from Michigan State and has been for a little while now. First it was Alabama, then it was West Virginia, and now it’s Georgia. The options are starting to multiply, and that’s just bad news for the Spartans.
Smart getting involved is a horrendous development for Fitzgerald. While I do think the new Spartan head coach can convince Gash to remain with Michigan State, Kirby has the advantage of being able to say he’s on multiple national titles and has gotten plenty of receivers to the NFL.
If his ultimate goal is to play in the NFL and play for championships, Georgia has an easy selling point.
And what top high school recruit doesn’t want to play in the league and win a national title along the way? It feels like Fitzgerald is going to have to do some major counter recruiting, and it’s not going to be easy to out-sell Georgia and Alabama.
Fitzgerald could also just opt to turn his attention elsewhere and not waste any time trying to convince a recruit that has been flirting with other schools for months to stay.
This Georgia offer could be the nail in the coffin.