Elijah Rushing, 2024 5-star edge-rusher, has high praise for Michigan State, Notre Dame, reconnecting with Oregon

Salpointe Catholic High School (Arizona) standout Elijah Rushing is one of the nation's most coveted prospects in the class of 2024.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound athlete is rated the nation's No. 1 edge-rusher on 247Sports and the No. 7 overall prospect on On3 - an assessment college football programs share based on his impressive (and ever-expanding) offer sheet. 

This weekend, Rushing headed to East Lansing for his first visit to Michigan State.

All offseason there's been growing hype about the direction in which the Spartans are headed, and the Arizona product said he felt all of that during his trip.

"It was great. I loved it," Rushing said. "My feelings align with all of the other people. Going there, you can feel the type of energy coach (Mel) Tucker brings. He's just a great person. All of the coaches bring the energy and you can tell it's a family environment."

The dynamic edge-rusher, who said Michigan State is his last visit of the summer, indicated Notre Dame is the other program who he is talking to the most currently.

After visiting this spring, Rushing feels he made a connection with the Fighting Irish.

"They've always been consistent," he said. "You just feel the energy from them. It's a family atmosphere. When I went there I got to see a practice, which stood out to me. I saw that brotherhood environment, which goes with the prestige of Notre Dame."

Rushing has also previously spoken highly of Oregon, and while that relationship has shifted slightly with a change in coaching staff, he said it is once again picking up.

He hopes to make a return trip to Eugene in the coming months. 

"I will try to make plans to get back there during the season. If not, then next summer," he said. "It's building back up. It was quiet for a little bit, but it's building back up. With me moving into the top 10, I'm trying to talk with all of the schools and get an analysis of each one." 

Rushing hopes to spend the next several weeks assessing what he's learned on his visits and also incorporating the coaching he's received into his game.

While a commitment doesn't appear close, his visit schedule was productive and will help inform him before taking the next step in his decision-making process. 

Sophomore season highlights