OL recruiting a closer look
Offensive line is one of the most difficult positions to evaluate. Michigan State already has three players committed for the class of 2016, but could they take one more? SpartanMag.com takes a closer look.
Looking at the Michigan State commitment list the Spartans have 3 offensive linemen, Gavin Cupp, Thiyo Lukusa and Matt Allen. The question is will they take 4? The answer to that question is…It depends.
Things to remember:
1) Though the commitment list shows 3 offensive line commitments, the Spartans are looking at it more as they have 4 when you factor in that Cole Chewins will be coming in the fall as a grey-shirt and will go on scholarship in January
2) This winter the Spartans moved redshirt David Beedle to offensive line. The early word is that Beedle has looked solid and the staff believes he will have a solid future at the position.
Committable vs. non-committable offer:
The Rivals.com database shows several players that have a Michigan State offer, but keep in mind those offers were extended prior to Gain Cupp and Thiyo Lukusa making their commitments. Once those two players jumped on the opportunity to be Spartans many of the players with a Michigan State offer no longer have the ability to call up Mark Dantonio and say, I want to be a Spartan.
A few players in every class have that ability to commit whenever they want. For example, Malik McDowell was that type. From what I have been able to ascertain there are a few offensive line prospects that fall into that category. Matt Farniok of South Dakota and Cole Van Lanen of Wisconsin would be two.
A player the staff wants to see a little bit more of is Alaric Jackson of Detroit Renaissance. As many know Jackson just started playing football last year. He has the size and athletic ability coaches like to see, but that does not ensure that he is going to be a quality OL at the next level. The Spartan staff would certainly like to see more of him in action. That can happen at Michigan State’s Camp or it can happen this fall. Jackson is supposed to come to a session of camp on Wednesday. He could show that his skills are progressing at a rapid rate or he could show that he is still a project with potential.
Campers from Saturday:
Luke Fortner of Ohio: Why does a Kentucky commitment camp at Michigan State? Well it is pretty obvious. Kentucky is playing for bowl eligibility and Michigan State is playing for championships. Fortner looked solid on Saturday. He was not as good as or better than Gavin Cupp and that is what he probably needed to be to earn an offer.
Luke Campbell of Ohio: Campbell is not in the Rivals database yet (I will put him in today). He has offers from Illinois, Purdue, Cincinnati, Air Force and a host of MAC programs. Campbell is one of those players that was 6’5 245 last fall and now he is 265-pounds. He tested very well for an offensive lineman and was solid in drills. He reminds me of former Michigan native Ryan McDonald who went on the start 48 games for the Fighting Illini.
AJ Arcuri of Ohio: Arcuri camped at Michigan State last year as a defensive end. This year he flipped to OL and it looked as if Coach Staten was very intrigued with his potential. The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Arcuri still has to add size, but he has the frame and footwork coaches like to see. With Arcuri it is not what he is now, it is what he could become. He is definitely a name to remember.Arcuri is not in Rivals database yet either, but has offers from Toledo, BGSU, Kent State and Miami of Ohio.
In a perfect world players like Arcuri and Campbell would stay uncommitted and wait to see what Michigan State decides to do. That would allow Michigan State to evaluate their early game film. If one of both of them does that, I would not be shocked if one of them does earn a Spartan offer, especially if Farniok and Van Lanen are off the board.
As we stated above, offensive line recruiting is never an exact science and the more evaluation you can do the better chance you have of hitting the mark.
Offensive line is one of the most difficult positions to evaluate. Michigan State already has three players committed for the class of 2016, but could they take one more? SpartanMag.com takes a closer look.
Looking at the Michigan State commitment list the Spartans have 3 offensive linemen, Gavin Cupp, Thiyo Lukusa and Matt Allen. The question is will they take 4? The answer to that question is…It depends.
Things to remember:
1) Though the commitment list shows 3 offensive line commitments, the Spartans are looking at it more as they have 4 when you factor in that Cole Chewins will be coming in the fall as a grey-shirt and will go on scholarship in January
2) This winter the Spartans moved redshirt David Beedle to offensive line. The early word is that Beedle has looked solid and the staff believes he will have a solid future at the position.
Committable vs. non-committable offer:
The Rivals.com database shows several players that have a Michigan State offer, but keep in mind those offers were extended prior to Gain Cupp and Thiyo Lukusa making their commitments. Once those two players jumped on the opportunity to be Spartans many of the players with a Michigan State offer no longer have the ability to call up Mark Dantonio and say, I want to be a Spartan.
A few players in every class have that ability to commit whenever they want. For example, Malik McDowell was that type. From what I have been able to ascertain there are a few offensive line prospects that fall into that category. Matt Farniok of South Dakota and Cole Van Lanen of Wisconsin would be two.
A player the staff wants to see a little bit more of is Alaric Jackson of Detroit Renaissance. As many know Jackson just started playing football last year. He has the size and athletic ability coaches like to see, but that does not ensure that he is going to be a quality OL at the next level. The Spartan staff would certainly like to see more of him in action. That can happen at Michigan State’s Camp or it can happen this fall. Jackson is supposed to come to a session of camp on Wednesday. He could show that his skills are progressing at a rapid rate or he could show that he is still a project with potential.
Campers from Saturday:
Luke Fortner of Ohio: Why does a Kentucky commitment camp at Michigan State? Well it is pretty obvious. Kentucky is playing for bowl eligibility and Michigan State is playing for championships. Fortner looked solid on Saturday. He was not as good as or better than Gavin Cupp and that is what he probably needed to be to earn an offer.
Luke Campbell of Ohio: Campbell is not in the Rivals database yet (I will put him in today). He has offers from Illinois, Purdue, Cincinnati, Air Force and a host of MAC programs. Campbell is one of those players that was 6’5 245 last fall and now he is 265-pounds. He tested very well for an offensive lineman and was solid in drills. He reminds me of former Michigan native Ryan McDonald who went on the start 48 games for the Fighting Illini.
AJ Arcuri of Ohio: Arcuri camped at Michigan State last year as a defensive end. This year he flipped to OL and it looked as if Coach Staten was very intrigued with his potential. The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Arcuri still has to add size, but he has the frame and footwork coaches like to see. With Arcuri it is not what he is now, it is what he could become. He is definitely a name to remember.Arcuri is not in Rivals database yet either, but has offers from Toledo, BGSU, Kent State and Miami of Ohio.
In a perfect world players like Arcuri and Campbell would stay uncommitted and wait to see what Michigan State decides to do. That would allow Michigan State to evaluate their early game film. If one of both of them does that, I would not be shocked if one of them does earn a Spartan offer, especially if Farniok and Van Lanen are off the board.
As we stated above, offensive line recruiting is never an exact science and the more evaluation you can do the better chance you have of hitting the mark.
