A familiar name will be part of the MSU football team next season.

College of the Canyons defensive end Domata Peko said he plans to make a verbal commitment to head coach John L. Smith on Monday.

"I'm already sure I'm going to commit (to MSU)," Peko said. "It's my brother's alma mater, and I want to follow in his footsteps."

At 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds, Peko would add to an increasingly bulky defensive line. His teammate Daniel Zynn recently committed to MSU, and Rivals100.com editor Jeremy Crabtree said Peko would give the defensive line a needed injection of experience.

"The most important thing about adding another junior college player is the added depth and experience they bring," Crabtree said. "Peko has that experience, and it allows him to be more advanced than kids coming straight out of high school."

An All-America junior college selection, Peko was named Western State Conference Player of the Year. His older brother, Siitupe Peko, who came to MSU in 1999, was MSU's starting left tackle for both seasons and also was a junior college All-American.

Peko is an impact player, Crabtree said, and adding that an impact player, particularly at defensive end, is important in the Big Ten.

"It's becoming more obvious in the Big Ten that you need a big impact defensive end in order to do well," he said. "Every team has diversified their offense, and you need a defensive end who can put pressure on the quarterback."

So far, Peko has visited MSU, Oregon State and University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and will visit Hawaii this weekend. But he said he was most impressed by the MSU coaching staff and their commitment to their players.

"They made me feel comfortable and made it feel like I was at home," Peko said. "I went a lot of other places, but it didn't feel as comfortable as I did when I visited MSU."

Zynn, Peko's friend and teammate, said he would be excited to have Peko join him on the Spartan defensive line because they have a lot of trust in each other.

"I think he would fit in well on the team," Zynn said. "And since his brother went there, he would really want to do well."

Putting trust in each other is an important aspect of their relationship as teammates, Peko said.

"We went through our season 11-1 and I have so much trust in (Zynn) now, after seeing him play," he said. "I don't have to worry about any running plays up the middle, because he'll clog those holes."

Peko added that he's already at work to ease the shift between junior college and Big Ten football.

"The Big Ten is a big conference, but I don't think the transition would be that hard," he said. "I'm working out hard in the weight room and running a lot for conditioning."

And the chance to play in the Big Ten against teams like Michigan and Ohio State is one of the most enticing aspects of Spartan football, Peko said.

"I think it's going to be crazy, playing against those big schools," he said. "I just want to go and kill that quarterback already."

If he commits, Peko said he would come to MSU in June to begin training.