“We signed 30, I think we had about 100 families here, it was awesome. I mean it was speed dating with a game of musical chairs,” Fitzgerald said at his signing day press conference Wednesday. “In game one group, then in came another. It was a lot of fun, it was a blast, and I think we put together a great group.”

Most of the high school recruits joining the Spartans for the 2026 season signed with the program less than 24 hours after Fitzgerald’s introductory press conference, but one athlete kept his recruitment open: wide receiver Samson Gash.

Retaining Gash quickly became a key priority for Fitzgerald. Gash is one of Michigan’s top prospects and the state’s top wide receiver. A speedy playmaker, he is Michigan’s reigning 100-meter dash champion in track. Gash took a visit to Penn State before ultimately making his commitment official after spending a weekend at Michigan State. He will join his brother, Caleb, a redshirt junior safety on the team.

“Samson is obviously the fastest athlete in this state, but also one of the fastest in the country,” Fitzgerald said. “To add that type of dynamic athleticism is exactly what we’re setting out to do at every position.”

Gash’s decision to sign with the Spartans serves as proof of the recruiting philosophy Fitzgerald has preached since arriving: recruiting will start and end in the state of Michigan.

Fitzgerald’s plan is to build the program around high school recruiting while plugging designated areas of need with older players from the transfer portal. With an emphasis on convincing the best players in the state to stay home, Fitzgerald aims to rebuild MSU’s presence not just in Michigan but throughout the Midwest.

“Samson hopefully will be a huge catalyst, not only for this year, but also to make a statement to the great players here in the state of Michigan to stay home,” Fitzgerald said. “That’s what our expectation is, from my standpoint to our personnel staff and to our coaches, that we want to keep our best players home.”

The art of bringing in 18-year-old freshmen and developing them into All-Americans who lead a championship charge grows less likely by the year. Fitzgerald understands that and recognizes the necessity of the transfer portal, but he believes high school recruiting does more than bring in future talent — it helps build a culture.

A culture that has noticeably been missing from the Spartans football program since legendary former head coach Mark Dantonio stepped down before the 2020 season. With the constant player turnover brought on by the transfer portal and continuous coaching changes, it can be difficult for a program to establish an identity, but Fitzgerald believes it starts from the ground up with the players recruited.

“I believe as I sit here today that I think we have one senior that was recruited here. I think the rest were transfers,” Fitzgerald said. “That’s no way to build a championship culture, no way to build a championship program. We are going to be fanatical in building our relationships with our players…if you start that in high school recruiting when a young man is 15 or 16, you’re going to be able to build that culture and have that rock set and that solid foundation of your team.”

Though recruiting will serve as the base, the magnitude of the transfer portal has not been forgotten — especially when attempting to revive a program that has suffered four straight losing seasons.

Competitive depth defines Fitzgerald’s approach to the portal, with the goal of building a roster capable of withstanding injuries while remaining competitive. That means bringing in seniors ready to contribute immediately, as well as younger transfers who can develop within MSU’s system.

“We have to have competitive depth. That was our focus in getting guys out of the portal, production over potential,” Fitzgerald said. “Almost all of these guys [transfers] have put it on tape. Varying degrees of that, but we were able to see what they did, how they did it and against the level of competition they were competing against.”

That philosophy was most evident along the offensive line, where redshirt senior Conner Moore is the lone player who started all 12 games last season to remain from a struggling unit. The need was addressed quickly, as four offensive linemen were added through the portal, with three of the four being seniors expected to start.

The charge was led by redshirt senior Ben Murawski, who became the first transfer to commit after arriving from UConn.

“There will always be a focus on the line of scrimmage here, period,” Fitzgerald said. “We needed to get bigger, and I think Ben answered that bell pretty quickly. Again, he’s put it on tape, the production speaks for itself.”

Other notable additions include redshirt senior running back Cam Edwards from UConn and sixth-year tight end Carson Gulker from Ferris State. Edwards rushed for 1,132 yards and 14 touchdowns last season and was a key contributor to UConn’s uncharacteristic 9-3 regular season.

Gulker, meanwhile, helped Ferris State capture another Division II national championship while showcasing his versatility. During the 2025 season, he rushed for 541 yards, caught passes for 548 yards and even threw for 141 yards, totaling 13 touchdowns.

On the defensive side, sixth-year cornerback Charles Brantley headlines the additions, returning to the program where he spent his first four seasons. Brantley is a familiar face and has already left his mark on Spartan history. He holds the school record for the longest pick-six with a 100-yard return and recorded the interception that sealed Michigan State’s 2021 win over Michigan, its most recent victory in the rivalry.

“We popped on his tape, we got a picture up in the office of a pretty big play he’s made in his history here, as all of our fans know,” Fitzgerald said. “And I went, ‘That’s the guy, yeah, we’ll take him.’”

With the roster now set for the 2026 season, the focus shifts to winter workouts before spring practices begin March 17. MSU ultimately finished with the nation’s No. 47 recruiting class, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.