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Michigan State lands 2026 Georgia CB KJ Deriso

On3 imageby: Jason Killop06/06/25KillopOn3
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Michigan State added to its 2026 class when it landed 2026 three-star Georgia cornerback Kelsey ‘KJ’ Deriso on Friday. Deriso announced his commitment via social media after taking several days to soak in his official visit to East Lansing, which wrapped up on Monday.

Deriso was scheduled to visit Kentucky, South Florida and Louisville later this month, but he opted to shut down his recruitment following his commitment.

Michigan State was the first stop on Deriso’s summer tour. He spent the weekend of May 30 in East Lansing. The Spartans were Deriso’s first Power Four offer, but he eventually received offers from Kentucky, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Syracuse and Mississippi State, among others.

“It definitely sticks with me,” Deriso previously told SpartanMag when asked about his Michigan State offer. “That was the first school to take a chance on me and see me as a worthy player for a scholarship, so it definitely means something to me.”

Deriso’s official visit marked his second time on campus, as he also visited this spring. Deriso told SpartanMag that he received a deeper look at the Michigan State program over the weekend while continuing to develop a strong relationship with Spartan cornerbacks coach Blue Adams.

“It was much more in-depth,” Deriso said of his official visit. “I got to talk to Coach Blue on the unofficial, but it wasn’t like a sit-down and one-on-one. On the spring trip, it was more as if I was a player in the meeting room, but on the official, it was more one-on-one, getting into how I fit into the scheme, what I need to work on, what I’m good at, stuff like that.”

Deriso is the No. 1,170 recruit No. 104 cornerback and No. 116 player from Georgia in the 2026 class, per the On3 Industry Rankings.

Deriso becomes the third player to commit to Michigan State from the May 30 official visit weekend. He joins linebacker Braylon Hodge, of Englewood (Colo.) Cherry Creek High School, and former Iowa State safety commitment Brayden Thomas.

During their visits, the trio spent time with fellow Michigan State 2026 commitment Eddie Whiting, a tight end from Sioux Falls (S.D.) Jefferson High School who also took his official visit that weekend. 2026 quarterback Kayd Coffman, of East Kentwood (Mich.) High Schoo, and offensive lineman Eli Bickel, of North Branch (Mich.) High School, both took unofficial visits to campus that Saturday. Mansfield (Ohio) Lexington High School tight end Joey Caudill joins those six in the Spartans’ 2026 class.

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