Rutgers beats out MSU for 3-star DL Jermaine Polk of Toledo, Ohio

One of the defensive lineman Michigan State is targeting in the 2026 class is off the board and heading to another Big Ten school.

Jermaine Polk of Toledo, Ohio announced his commitment to Rutgers on Sunday afternoon. Polk took an official visit to Rutgers this weekend, which ultimately led to the Scarlet Knights sealing the deal with his commitment.

Michigan State was one of five schools recently named a finalist for Polk, which didn’t include Rutgers. Michigan State, Boston College, Iowa, Iowa State and Wisconsin were the five schools Polk named as his finalists in late May, but an offer from Rutgers this past week quickly changed his recruiting landscape, with the Scarlet Knights working fast to get him on campus and committed.

Polk is a three-star prospect and ranks as the No. 73 defensive lineman in 247Sports’ rankings for the 2026 class. He holds a recruiting rating of 88 on 247Sports as well.

Michigan State landed their own defensive lineman prospect in the 2026 class, with Christopher Knauls Jr. committing to the Spartans following his official visit. So that commitment from Knauls eases the blow of Rutgers beating out Michigan State for Polk.

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