Cincinnati transfer EDGE Ty Gillison breaks down decision to commit to Michigan State

Michigan State received a commitment from transfer portal EDGE Ty Gillison on Monday. He announced his decision via social media. Gillison (6-4, 242) spent the previous two seasons at Cincinnati, where he emerged as a valuable rotation player in 2023.

Gillison logged 15 tackles (2.5 for a loss) during his redshirt freshman season in 2023. He did not appear in a game during his true freshman season in 2022.

Spartan fans may recognize the Gillison name. Ty is the younger brother of former Michigan State tight end Trenton Gillison. The elder Gillison finished his career at Youngstown State and Tennessee State after spending three seasons in East Lansing (2018-21).

Inside the recruitment

Gillison has three years of eligibility remaining. He will join a Spartan rush ends group led by position coach Chad Wilt. Wilt and Michigan State defensive coordinator Joe Rossi were quick to target Gillison after he hit the transfer portal on April 20.

“When I entered the portal, the whole staff reached out to me,” Gillison told SpartanMag after announcing his decision. “They were on me real quick. They were adamant about how bad they wanted me. I talked to coach Wilt a lot. Coach Rossi also called me when I first entered the portal.”

Gillison was already familiar with Michigan State’s campus due to his brother’s time in East Lansing, so his portal recruitment process was fairly short. Gillison looks forward to enrolling at Michigan State at the end of the month.

“It feels real good,” Gillison said. “I am just very blessed and thankful that they wanted me. I’m just ready to get to work.”

“I was pretty familiar up there,” Gillison continued. “My brother went there so I was up there quite a bit with the players. I was up there a lot with his best friends – Chris Jackson, James Ohonba, Jeslord Boateng, Xavier Henderson, (Jalen) Speedy Nailor. Those guys were his best friends, so being up there it felt like a full-circle moment. They didn’t recruit me out of high school, so that is always a fire under me. I am just ready to get to work.”

Gillison made his way to East Lansing for an official visit from April 28-30. He decided to commit to the Spartans shortly after the visit, with full support from his older brother and the rest of his family.

“(Trenton) just wanted me to do what is right for me,” Gillison said. “Obviously it is a different staff from when he was up there and from when he left and everything. I am really thankful to have him as a big brother. He just told me to do what is best for me, and he is rocking with me no matter what. That’s great to have in your corner no matter what, and my family, my mom and dad, my grandpa, they were really supportive of my decision.”

How Gillison can help Michigan State on the field

With three years of eligibility remaining, Gillison will join a Michigan State rush end room that needed replenishing this offseason. Gillison has experience at the Power Four level thanks to his rotational role with the Bearcats in 2023.

Wilt, Rossi and the rest of Michigan State’s staff will look for Gillison to replace former class of 2023 defensive ends Bai Jobe and Andrew Depaepe, as both entered the portal earlier this offseason. Gillison is excited for his opportunity with the Spartans and views Rossi’s scheme as a good fit for his play style.

“They really love how I play,” Gillison said. “They like my effort. I am a fierce competitor and I love to compete. What made it a great fit for me was the defensive scheme. I feel real comfortable in that scheme. I think highly of coach Wilt and coach Rossi.”

“They are really good coaches,” Gillison continued. “What stuck out to me was having my own coach for the rush end position. Some schools might have just a defensive line room, here we have coach Wilt specifically for our position. Coach Rossi was a rush ends coach for a bit, too. Then he got the defensive coordinator job at Minnesota, so he already knows the position. I felt real comfortable making the decision about being with this coaching staff.”

Gillison will enroll at Michigan State this summer. He is excited to get to work with Wilt and his new teammates.

“I want to improve on my pass rush, just improving on everything,” Gillison said. “Coach (Wilt) is a real guru with that stuff. Improving my get-off, my eyes, my hands, my hips, everything that he brings to the table. I am just eager to get up there and work every day hard and put my best foot forward everyday.”

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