Northwestern commit DE Ashton Porter recaps Michigan State official visit
Cypress (Texas) Ranch four-star defensive lineman Ashton Porter took an official visit to Michigan State over the weekend as the Northwestern commit has begun to entertain other offers.
His visit to East Lansing was due largely in part to the Spartans' pass rush specialist Brandon Jordan who had a prior relationship with Porter from his days as a trainer in Houston.
"That's my dawg right there," Porter said. "He was my trainer for like two years. He's like family to me. He's from New Orleans, my parents are from New Orleans, I can relate to him."
Mel Tucker has also been a big presence in his recruitment as the Spartans' head coach was able to connect with Porter and his family two separate times throughout the weekend.
"Coach Tuck showed me what I needed to do if I go there," he said. "We had two deep conversations that I really enjoyed."
Porter's favorite parts of the visit included talking to academic advisors about the engineering program at Michigan State and enjoying the photoshoot and time with the players in East Lansing.
"They broke down what I needed, what right track to be on as far as engineering and stuff. That and probably the photoshoot. The players seem really cool and they're honest with me. They talk about the coaches and how about when they get there, they work."
Despite a rocky season thus far for Michigan State, Porter sees a team with a lot of potential in the middle of a rebuild.
"They're just rebuilding right now," he said. "They lost a lot to the draft, so I just look at it like they're rebuilding. I do believe in them."
As for other programs that have been in contact, Oklahoma State, Mississippi State, Penn State and Oregon are ones that are making the most noise. Porter plans on using his third and fourth official visits on Oklahoma State and Mississippi State.
"I just want to take it all in and make the best decision I can make," Porter said about his upcoming visits.
At 6-foot-3, 236 pounds, Porter is the No. 31 ranked strongside defensive end in the country and the No. 64 recruit from the state of Texas, according to Rivals.