With MSU calling, Novi DCC's Samson Gash put team over recruitment
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The best player on the best high school football team in Michigan had his phone blowing up the day of the biggest game of his life.
Novi Detroit Catholic Central wide receiver/defensive back Samson Gash, one of the most sought-after recruits in the state verbally committed to Michigan State, had coaches reaching out after the Spartans moved on from former coach Jonathan Smith and pivoted to Pat Fitzgerald.
Gash, however, did not worry about his recruitment on Sunday, Nov. 30. The only thing on his mind was helping Catholic Central back to the top of the high school football mountain. And later on Sunday, Gash and the Shamrocks did just that, handily beating Detroit Cass Tech, 42-19, in the Division 1 state title game for the Shamrocks’ first championship since 2009.
Gash, alongside high-profile teammates Benjamin Eziuka and Jack Janda, put college decisions on the back burner the week leading up to the state championship game to ensure they were locked in on completing a perfect season with early signing period set to start Wednesday, Dec. 3.
“All those guys shut it down all week,” Catholic Central coach Justin Cessante said on Friday, Dec. 5. “I was getting calls from college coaches saying, ‘I can’t get in touch with those guys’, and I said ‘Well, you are not going to.’ We made a pact. Everything will still be there after the game. Please respect that and we’ll get back to you.
“That came from the players, not from me. That’s their future and I am going to respect what they do. But for the most part, those guys did a great job honing in on the task at hand.”
Gash had five catches for 25 yards plus a big kick return leading to points in the state title game. He frequently drew the most attention, opening up Catholic Central’s steady running game and deep shots to his little brother, Gideon Gash, who had three touchdown catches. After the game, Samson Gash said he was waiting until February to sign with a college to re-evaluate his options following MSU’s coaching change.
Cessante said they could’ve gotten the ball to him more, but feeding Samson Gash wasn’t necessary to walk away with CC’s 11th state title. He did his part as a decoy and blocker, while still showing elite playmaking abilities when the ball did come his way. Samson Gash also had an uptick in defensive snaps at Ford Field, rotating as a defensive back.
“All of these guys are my brothers and I would do anything for them,” Samson Gash said Sunday. “Winning it with these guys, my best friends, it feels really good.”
Samson Gash had 50 catches for 930 yards and 14 touchdowns. He carried it 10 times for 100 yards and a touchdown, plus had over 500 return yards and two return touchdowns. The state record holder in the 100-meter dash for track and field, he has unmatched speed on the field to pair with his 6-foot, 180-pound frame. He served as a leader without needing the ball in his hands every play, thanks to the sheer talent on Catholic Central’s roster, leading to 14 straight wins by at least 12 points.
“Samson was a great leader,” Cessante said. “He came to work every day, he was a live-it guy. When he went into games, he made everyone around him better because of how dominating he was.
“I know what Samson was to our team, which was the best team in the state and one of the best teams in the country,” Cessante said. “He did it against top competition, against top dogs week in and week out. There were no breaks in our schedule. And he really put [the attention] aside for a bigger cause.”
Samson Gash, who holds 18 offers from Division 1 programs, including Alabama, could be the third CC senior to flip their commitment. He remains committed to MSU, but reopened his recruitment after the coaching change and will make a final decision before signing day in February.
Janda flipped his commitment from Wisconsin to sign with Iowa, joining Dearborn Divine Child’s Marcello Vitti and Sterling Heights Stevenson’s Ronnie Hill as future Hawkeyes. Eziuka flipped his commitment from Penn State to Virginia Tech and coach James Franklin.
Janda and Eziuka signed their national letters of intent on Thursday and will enroll early at their respective schools. They are the first two CC players in program history to graduate and enroll early at the next level, according to Cessante. In total, the CC coach expects around a dozen seniors to sign with college programs, including running back Cedric Williams, linebacker Josh Atiemo, and defensive backs Beckett Glynn and Luca Genrich.
Catholic Central’s senior class, led by Samson Gash, helped re-establish the program as the top team in Michigan and is savoring the celebration even as the next steps begin to loom.
“The other rare thing is, at Catholic Central, we still have guys playing for something bigger than themselves,” Cessante said. “No matter their recruitment or status or accolades, they are playing for their brothers and playing to win a state championship more than they are to win an award. That’s pretty special in this day and age.”
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Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com; Follow Jared on X or Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State was calling, but DCC’s Samson Gash had to focus on team
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