Welcome To The War Room
By Jim Comparon and Staff
SpartanMag.com
East Lansing, Mich. - We are conducting a test. This is only a test. For the next several minutes you will be reading the debut edition of The War Room, a brand new feature at SpartanMag.com.
Many web sites within the Rivals.com family publish weekly “War Room” features which provide insight, analysis and occasionally insider illumination on rumors and happenings in and about their respective athletic programs. SpartanMag.com is now joining that enterprise with the inaugural walk into The War Room.
In this edition, we will talk about the late signing period, with the latest on Rayshaun Benny, Keon Coleman and Davon Townley, and a lot of information about in-state recruiting for 2022. Make sure you read all the way to the bottom. Some good stuff is buried down there.
We also check the phone lines to survey players on MSU’s recruiting list for 2022 to see which teams called them on Feb. 1, the first day college coaches were allowed to call high school juniors in this contact period.
But first, let's check back in on Recruiting 2021:
Wednesday is the first day of the late signing period. The first Wednesday used to be THE recruiting holiday, but the December early signing period has stolen at least 90 percent of the thunder.
For Michigan State, there is still a little bit of intrigue about the late signing period. Rayshaun Benny, MSU’s highest-ranked commitment, didn’t sign in December. He committed to Michigan State on Nov. 9 with the intention of waiting until February to sign.
It’s become rare for players to wait until February to sign. It’s even more rare for a player to commit prior to the December signing period and wait until February. And it’s flat out nerve-wracking when a Top 100 recruit like Benny does it.
I met him and observed him during and after Oak Park’s Regional Final victory over Livonia Churchill three weeks ago. He’s a smiling, humble, soft-spoken teen-ager. His teammates and coaches love him.
People around him told me last month that he is and was planning to sign with Michigan State. No funny business. No posturing. No seeking of the spotlight. He just wanted to do it in February from the jump. He briefly considered signing in December anyway, but opted to go with his original plan. Which leads us to Wednesday.
Full disclosure: When I began writing this piece on Monday afternoon, there were still simmering questions as to whether Michigan or Texas might be able to flip Benny from his Michigan State commitment.
But by the time I finished this article, on Monday evening, almost all of the flip smoke had been extinguished, including a report from Wolverine.com recruiting writer EJ Holland that he was no longer forecasting any chance of a flip. Earlier this winter, Holland had been reporting that there was a chance, and to keep an eye on this recruitment.
Good sources have told me that Wolverine commitments had been working to flip Benny to U-M. Nothing wrong with that. That’s part of the game these days. However, my sources indicated that Benny hasn’t budged. And Holland's report agrees with that.
I asked Rayshaun after the Regional Final game (with my face covered, at a safe distance, while outside on the field) if he still planned to sign with Michigan State. He said yes without hesitation.
Michigan State felt good and unchanged about its chances with him yesterday.
Benny’s Twitter page is still decked out in green and white, with a photo of him in a Spartan uniform. In late January, he was still recruiting for the Spartans, urging 2022 standout Myles Rowser to pick Michigan State.
(Rowser is a beastly cruiser of a defensive player, by the way. He is ranked No. 2 in the state of Michigan for 2022. He is 6-feet, 185 but seems to play much bigger than that. He’s a safety, but he often plays at the linebacker level in high school. He’s a natural with a nasty football disposition. Sometimes I disagree with rankings and feel certain players are overrated. I don’t feel that way about Rowser.)
So, after Wednesday, I fully expect Benny to have signed with Michigan State and begin helping the Spartans in their pursuit of Rowser, and other members of the 2022 class.
The very, very latest indication that Michigan State and Benny are in lock-step is a press release today from Michigan State University that head coach Mel Tucker will have a signing day Zoom press conference with media on Wednesday. They wouldn’t call that press conference if they didn’t anticipate someone signing. We're expecting that someone to be Benny.
UPDATE: New clouds of smoke rolling in. Benny recruitment might not be over. Discussion here.
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Benny's junior film was outstanding, maybe the best junior film from an in-state, two-way lineman commitment to Michigan State that I’ve seen in the internet era.
His senior film is good, but a summer car accident resulted in ligament damage, surgery and a slow rally to 100 percent health. Hence, his senior film was merely good and not what it would have been if he hadn’t been involved in the accident. His coach, Greg Carter, says there will be ill effects from the injury in college.
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As for Keon Coleman, the 6-foot-4, 188-pound wide receiver from Opelousas, La., I know for a fact that within the actual Michigan State recruiting war room that they feel Michigan State is still in it and has a chance to sign him. It’s hard for the Spartan coaches to read the smoke signals on this one. Coleman’s recruitment has been quiet and enigmatic.
A source in Louisiana told me he wouldn’t be shocked if Coleman picks an Historically Black College, with Florida A&M being a real possibility.
Coleman committed to Kansas over Oklahoma on July 4 but de-committed on Oct. 6.
Kansas is listed as a favorite in the Rivals.com Fancast, but I spoke with a decades-long veteran of Kansas recruiting coverage and he says he doesn’t see any way Coleman signs with the Jayhawks. The Kansas source didn’t really elaborate, other than to add that Kansas signed another four-star wide receiver. I trust this source immensely. He knows the Kansas war room well, and says it’s not going to happen for the Jayhawks. So that’s the best info I could find from Lawrence, Kan. We’ll see if that part of it turns out to be accurate.
Coleman is an excellent shooting guard in basketball and wants to sign with a college that will give him a chance to play both sports, and a school that seriously recruited him for both sports.
Tom Izzo told Mel Tucker he is available to do anything to help Michigan State football. Tucker took him up on it. Izzo watched Coleman’s film, gave it a nod, and helped Tucker with the recruiting pitch. Izzo had a Zoom meeting with Coleman at one point.
Michigan State feels its conversations with Coleman have been positive. But Coleman has been very difficult to read. It’s been an odd recruitment.
Coleman is an outstanding talent. He is listed as a three-star by Rivals.com, but if he played in Michigan, he would easily stand out as a four-star. Good talent sometimes gets overshadowed in a talent-rich state like Louisiana. I’ll just say that Rivals.com’s regional people in Louisiana are tough graders. I give them credit for that. Rivals.com currently has only 11 players from Louisiana listed as four-star recruits. I haven’t seen all of them play, but I’ve watched Coleman’s film and RB Logan Diggs’ film (RB headed to Notre Dame) and they are excellent, excellent three-star talents.
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If Michigan State happens to sign Coleman, the work won’t be done. He is going to be a maintenance task. One source in Louisiana predicts that regardless of where he signs, he will be in the portal within a year. I hate to be a bringer of sour news, but this is The War Room, and I’m going to pass along (most of) what I know.
As of last week, and earlier this week for that matter, Coleman had given little indication as to which school is his leader. All this time, there may not have ever been a leader. And it wouldn’t shock me if he waits until after Wednesday to sign. He’s a different cat.
He’s a terrific talent, and signing him would help Michigan State in the recruiting rankings, for what it's worth. But I’m not sure how much rubber is going to meet the road for whichever school signs him this month. But if you’re looking to add a big-time talent to your WR room, and you're willing to work on ironing out the other wrinkles after he arrives, then he’s your guy.
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As for Davon Townley, the four-star defensive end from Minneapolis, Michigan State made his top seven or eight. But there is no indication the Spartans will steal this one.
Rivals.com Midwest analyst Josh Helmholdt tells me that it’s down to Penn State and Washington for Townley. Helmholdt has been on the front lines of this recruitment from the start and has a very good read on the proceedings. He
“It’s really tight right now, could go either way,” Helmholdt said of the Huskies-Nittany Lions battle.
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As for the class of 2022, Monday was a noteworthy date on the calendar in that it marked the first day that college coaches could make phone calls to junior recruits for this contact period.
I reached out to some Michigan State recruiting targets and here are the responses that I’ve received so far: (You might not recognize most or any of these names. But get familiar with them. Some of them are going to be discussed in the weeks, months and years ahead).
SHANNON BLAIR (6-1, 165, CB), a sleeper from Knoxville, Tenn., who has not yet been rated by Rivals.com, received a surprise scholarship offer from Michigan State last week.
Blair received two phone calls on Monday. One from Michigan State cornerbacks coach Travares Tillman, and one from Liberty University, which offered him a scholarship during the call. He has offers from those two schools, plus Virginia.
JAMES JOINTER (5-11, 205, RB), a three-star from Little Rock, Ark., received calls on Monday from Michigan State, Missouri, Purdue, Utah, Arizona State, Virginia, Illinois and Vanderbilt.
SULLIVAN WEIDMAN (6-5, 300, OL), a three-star from Brookline, Mass., received calls from Chris Kapilovic of Michigan State, Dave Borbely of Pitt, and Dennis Dottin-Carter of UConn.
MUMA BIN-WAHAD (5-11, 180, CB), a three-star from Loganville (Ga.) Grayson High School received calls from Michigan State, Mississippi State and South Carolina.
DAMARI ALSTON (5-10, 206, RB), a four-star from College Park (Ga.), received calls from Ohio State, Michigan State, Auburn, Alabama, North Carolina, Florida, Vanderbilt, Nebraska Penn State “and others.”
JUSTIN WILLIAMS (6-0, 200, RB), a four-star from Dallas (Ga.) East Paulding High, received calls from Norval McKenzie of Vanderbilt, De’Rail Sims of Louisville and Cam Aiken of South Florida. Williams wasn’t available for all phone calls on Monday and received a phone call from Michigan State on Tuesday morning.
RODNEY HILL (6-0, 180, RB), a three-star from Statesboro (Ga.) Bulloch Academy, received calls from Virginia and Minnesota.
QUENCY WIGGINS (6-7, 270, DE), a three-star from Baton Rouge, La., says he didn’t hear from any coaches on Monday. He is ranked the No. 24 player in Louisiana and has offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Florida State, Michigan, Tennesse and Baylor among others.
He isn’t listed with an Michigan State offer, but he has heard from the Spartans in recent days.
“Yeah, they are talking with me,” he said, “it (the scholarship offer) isn’t official yet.”
DAMARI ALSTON (5-10, 206, RB), a four-star from College Park (Ga.), received calls from Ohio State, Michigan State, Auburn, Alabama, North Carolina, Florida, Vanderbilt, Nebraska Penn State “and others.”
BRADEN MILLER (6-7, 290, OT), a three-star from Centennial, Col., heard from Michigan State, Michigan, Utah and Stanford.
ANDREW CHAMBLEE (6-6, 292, OT), a three-star from Maumelle, Ark., received calls from Miami, Ohio State, Michigan State and Oklahoma State.
NETINHO OLIVIERI (6-4, 290, OG), a sleeper from Millis (Mass.) Dexter Southfield, says he heard from Michigan State “and some other schools.”
OSCAR DELP (6-5, 220, TE), a four-star from Cumming (Ga.) West Forsyth says he took calls from “10 to 15 schools. Some of those included Georgia, Florida State, LSU, Clemson, South Carolina, Auburn, North Carolina, USC, Michigan, Michigan State and Florida.”
KAMARII LANDERS (6-4, 295, OG), a three-star from Dearborn (Mich.) Fordson says: “I heard from a lot of schools, to be honest. Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska and every school I got an offer from, except one.”
Landers also has offers from Indiana, Kentucky, Oregon and West Virginia.
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Kamarii Landers is an interesting recruiting prospect. He shows excellent power in his junior film and nice, quick feet for a guy his size. He’s listed at 295 in the Rivals.com database, but that figure is from last year. Landers put on some unneeded weight during the summer. As one scout told me, COVID lockdown wasn’t a good thing for him.
But he’s working to get back in shape. The excess weight hasn’t deterred many of his suitors. He had a busy Monday.
He is a Plan A on MSU’s list, and Michigan State has done a great job connecting with him. Michigan State is the team to beat for Landers right now.
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From the desk of Paul Konyndyk, an interesting tale about an Michigan State commitment facing off against an Michigan State target:
Michigan State commitment Tyrell Henry had a respectable performance in his Roseville High team's 28-12 loss to Ty’Shawn Trent-led Eastpointe when the two friends squared off against one another in October.
Henry totaled 105 all-purpose yards against eventual Macomb Area Conference Gold champion Eastpointe, with 61 receiving yards, 29 rushing yards, and a 15-yard punt return.
Henry also accounted for one of Roseville’s two touchdowns in the game.
The game within that game was the sometimes match-up between Trent and Henry, both of whom are two-way players.
“It was fun going up against my guy,” Trent said. “He likes to talk a little bit, and he’s chippy too. He was trying to hit me when the play was over when the refs couldn’t see it. If we are playing like that, we are playing like that. It was all love after the game. That’s my guy.”
According to Trent, his friend Henry couldn't shake him when he was playing safety for Eastpointe.
“He had a good game against us, and give him credit for that,” Trent said, “but when I was guarding him, I kind of put the locks on him.”
Trent also contends that Henry couldn’t cover him when the Michigan State commitment was playing defensive back.
“When he guarded me, I went up high on him twice,” Trent said. “I caught the ball once for a touchdown, and another was just a regular catch.”
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Back to me, Comparoni:
That’s not quite how Henry remembers it. I asked Henry if Trent matched up with him during that game. Henry said: “No he (Trent) didn’t, but he was very good, strong good hands, and I enjoyed the visit,” Henry said. “Very nice place good atmosphere all around.”
So that one might need to be revisited next season, or perhaps on the Michigan State practice field some day.
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We are starting to see a positive trend for Michigan State recruiting in the state of Michigan. Many observers expected Mel Tucker and his staff to have a strong year during the 2022 recruiting cycle, their first full year of recruiting while at Michigan State. Although Tucker and his staff haven’t been able to meet many players face to face, the Spartan staff - unlike last year - is basically operating from the same starting spot as most other programs.
Many other programs did get a chance to get some face-to-face time with 2022 recruits when they were sophomores, but the contact deficit isn’t as extreme as the one Michigan State faced last year with Tucker’s staff getting in place in February and having only one unofficial visit weekend prior to the onset of the lockdown.
Now, with Tucker and his staff operating equally with others, the Spartans are hitting the ground hard and won’t be outworked. I’ve followed Michigan State recruiting for more than three decades, and the organizational skills and commitment to the day-to-day work of recruiting displayed by the current staff is probably the best I’ve seen at Michigan State.
The initial two years of Nick Saban and the initial two years of Mark Dantonio were very good, as Michigan State ramped up its energy and outreach at the outset of those administrations. However, the current staff is operating with just a little more octane, with more support staff. And there’s no question that the new staff is making busier early in-roads with recruits outside of the five-hour radius than any Michigan State staff of the 85-scholarship era.
(I covered the George Perles era, beginning in 1987, but wasn't yet a professional reporter when he was hired at Michigan State. I wasn't here to cover the "we knocked their socks off" class of Andre Rison. So put an asterisk on that one for me. I can't compare the current Tucker efforts to the early Perles days, but I suspect they are similar.)
As for recruiting closer to home, trends are starting to show that Michigan State is operating more favorably in-state than has been the case in at least five years.
We are seeing indications that Michigan State is emerging as the team to beat for four-star WR Tay-Shawn Trent of Eastpointe (ranked No. 5 in the state), three-star DT Deon Walker of Detroit Cass Tech (No. 18 in the state) and three-star OL Kamarii Landers (ranked No. 20 in the state).
Michigan State is running a very good race for four-star athlete Jaden Mangham (No. 8 in the state). The college head coach that shows Mangham the most love is going to gain the edge. Michigan State is right there, with the work Courtney Hawkins has put in. But watch out for schools like West Virginia, Nebraska and Washington State. If Jaden likes a place and the coach is forthcoming, relatable and makes a connection, that school will be in the mix.
Mangham will be dropping his list of top schools on Monday. Michigan State will be on it.
Michigan State is also off to a very good start with four-star athlete Dillon Tatum of West Bloomfield (No. 6 in the state) and big athlete Michael Williams of West Bloomfield (No. 9 in the state).
Michigan State has made up serious ground with Belleville safety Myles Rowser (No. 2 in the state). Rowser was formerly a Michigan commitment. Rowser told SpartanMag.com’s Kenny Jordan that Michigan is still the team to beat but he felt like he made that commitment prematurely and hadn’t given enough schools a chance, which is what he’s doing right now.
Rowser’s step brother, Andre Seldon, is a heading into his sophomore year as a cornerback at Michigan. The things Rowser hears back from Seldon about the true experience at Michigan and playing for Jim Harbaugh will obviously have a big impact on Rowser’s decision.
Rowser told Kenny Jordan that while Michigan is still the team to beat, Tucker coming in and offering a scholarship despite his step brother being at Michigan, and making Rowser a priority despite many Belleville players recently leaving Michigan State, shows how serious Tucker is about winning. Those are Rowser's words. Tucker has resonated with Rowser. Tucker is going to get an audience with him at some point.
But Notre Dame is up there in consideration too, for Rowser.
Speaking of Notre Dame, a source in Detroit tells me that super big-time 2023 QB Dante Moore of Detroit King is eagerly waiting to hear from the Irish. You may remember Moore. He’s the guy whom Michigan offered as a freshman. It was big, strange news back then, but offers to freshmen is becoming more commonplace than it used to be.
Moore flashed extraordinary talent this season at Detroit King.
Has Michigan State succeeded in getting a foot in the door with Moore? My source says yes. There has been communication.
Tucker has a presence. He and his staff are energized, engaging and intriguing. And they beat Michigan in year one. These athletes are receptive to MSU’s overtures and looking forward to getting face-to-face time with Tucker.
Big-time 2023 offensive lineman Amir Herring of West Bloomfield is in line to become a national Top 100 recruit. Many see him as an early lean to Michigan. They said the same thing about Rayshaun Benny.
But this is what Herring told me: “I plan on visiting (Michigan State) as soon as the dead period ends. Looking forward to meeting Coach Tucker.”
Getting back to the 2022 class, by my count, Michigan State has extended offers to 13 of the uncommitted rising seniors in the state of Michigan. Michigan State is in real good shape for 10 of them, outside of CB Will Johnson of Grosse Pointe South (his father played at Michigan) and LB Joshua Burnham of Traverse City. Michigan State is recruiting Burnham, but he seems to be a strong Michigan lean.
It's been hard to get a read on Antonio Gates Jr.
MSU offered Zeeland (Mich.) East defensive end Tag Bonnema in April. Iowa offered the previous June.
Bonnema says he has received texts this week from Michigan, Notre Dame, Kentucky, Iowa, Michigan State, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan and Cincinnati.
Bonnema told Kenny Jordan that he is closing in on a decision, perhaps this spring. We’ll keep our ear to the ground on that one as well.
Many observers expected this to be a splash year for Tucker with in-state recruiting, and it seems to be setting up that way.
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That’s all we have for this week. We had a lot of things saved up. The War Room might not always be this voluminous. But we’ll work to bring you the backchannel info as we get it.
By Jim Comparon and Staff
SpartanMag.com
East Lansing, Mich. - We are conducting a test. This is only a test. For the next several minutes you will be reading the debut edition of The War Room, a brand new feature at SpartanMag.com.
Many web sites within the Rivals.com family publish weekly “War Room” features which provide insight, analysis and occasionally insider illumination on rumors and happenings in and about their respective athletic programs. SpartanMag.com is now joining that enterprise with the inaugural walk into The War Room.
In this edition, we will talk about the late signing period, with the latest on Rayshaun Benny, Keon Coleman and Davon Townley, and a lot of information about in-state recruiting for 2022. Make sure you read all the way to the bottom. Some good stuff is buried down there.
We also check the phone lines to survey players on MSU’s recruiting list for 2022 to see which teams called them on Feb. 1, the first day college coaches were allowed to call high school juniors in this contact period.
But first, let's check back in on Recruiting 2021:
Wednesday is the first day of the late signing period. The first Wednesday used to be THE recruiting holiday, but the December early signing period has stolen at least 90 percent of the thunder.
For Michigan State, there is still a little bit of intrigue about the late signing period. Rayshaun Benny, MSU’s highest-ranked commitment, didn’t sign in December. He committed to Michigan State on Nov. 9 with the intention of waiting until February to sign.
It’s become rare for players to wait until February to sign. It’s even more rare for a player to commit prior to the December signing period and wait until February. And it’s flat out nerve-wracking when a Top 100 recruit like Benny does it.
I met him and observed him during and after Oak Park’s Regional Final victory over Livonia Churchill three weeks ago. He’s a smiling, humble, soft-spoken teen-ager. His teammates and coaches love him.
People around him told me last month that he is and was planning to sign with Michigan State. No funny business. No posturing. No seeking of the spotlight. He just wanted to do it in February from the jump. He briefly considered signing in December anyway, but opted to go with his original plan. Which leads us to Wednesday.
Full disclosure: When I began writing this piece on Monday afternoon, there were still simmering questions as to whether Michigan or Texas might be able to flip Benny from his Michigan State commitment.
But by the time I finished this article, on Monday evening, almost all of the flip smoke had been extinguished, including a report from Wolverine.com recruiting writer EJ Holland that he was no longer forecasting any chance of a flip. Earlier this winter, Holland had been reporting that there was a chance, and to keep an eye on this recruitment.
Good sources have told me that Wolverine commitments had been working to flip Benny to U-M. Nothing wrong with that. That’s part of the game these days. However, my sources indicated that Benny hasn’t budged. And Holland's report agrees with that.
I asked Rayshaun after the Regional Final game (with my face covered, at a safe distance, while outside on the field) if he still planned to sign with Michigan State. He said yes without hesitation.
Michigan State felt good and unchanged about its chances with him yesterday.
Benny’s Twitter page is still decked out in green and white, with a photo of him in a Spartan uniform. In late January, he was still recruiting for the Spartans, urging 2022 standout Myles Rowser to pick Michigan State.
(Rowser is a beastly cruiser of a defensive player, by the way. He is ranked No. 2 in the state of Michigan for 2022. He is 6-feet, 185 but seems to play much bigger than that. He’s a safety, but he often plays at the linebacker level in high school. He’s a natural with a nasty football disposition. Sometimes I disagree with rankings and feel certain players are overrated. I don’t feel that way about Rowser.)
So, after Wednesday, I fully expect Benny to have signed with Michigan State and begin helping the Spartans in their pursuit of Rowser, and other members of the 2022 class.
The very, very latest indication that Michigan State and Benny are in lock-step is a press release today from Michigan State University that head coach Mel Tucker will have a signing day Zoom press conference with media on Wednesday. They wouldn’t call that press conference if they didn’t anticipate someone signing. We're expecting that someone to be Benny.
UPDATE: New clouds of smoke rolling in. Benny recruitment might not be over. Discussion here.
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Benny's junior film was outstanding, maybe the best junior film from an in-state, two-way lineman commitment to Michigan State that I’ve seen in the internet era.
His senior film is good, but a summer car accident resulted in ligament damage, surgery and a slow rally to 100 percent health. Hence, his senior film was merely good and not what it would have been if he hadn’t been involved in the accident. His coach, Greg Carter, says there will be ill effects from the injury in college.
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As for Keon Coleman, the 6-foot-4, 188-pound wide receiver from Opelousas, La., I know for a fact that within the actual Michigan State recruiting war room that they feel Michigan State is still in it and has a chance to sign him. It’s hard for the Spartan coaches to read the smoke signals on this one. Coleman’s recruitment has been quiet and enigmatic.
A source in Louisiana told me he wouldn’t be shocked if Coleman picks an Historically Black College, with Florida A&M being a real possibility.
Coleman committed to Kansas over Oklahoma on July 4 but de-committed on Oct. 6.
Kansas is listed as a favorite in the Rivals.com Fancast, but I spoke with a decades-long veteran of Kansas recruiting coverage and he says he doesn’t see any way Coleman signs with the Jayhawks. The Kansas source didn’t really elaborate, other than to add that Kansas signed another four-star wide receiver. I trust this source immensely. He knows the Kansas war room well, and says it’s not going to happen for the Jayhawks. So that’s the best info I could find from Lawrence, Kan. We’ll see if that part of it turns out to be accurate.
Coleman is an excellent shooting guard in basketball and wants to sign with a college that will give him a chance to play both sports, and a school that seriously recruited him for both sports.
Tom Izzo told Mel Tucker he is available to do anything to help Michigan State football. Tucker took him up on it. Izzo watched Coleman’s film, gave it a nod, and helped Tucker with the recruiting pitch. Izzo had a Zoom meeting with Coleman at one point.
Michigan State feels its conversations with Coleman have been positive. But Coleman has been very difficult to read. It’s been an odd recruitment.
Coleman is an outstanding talent. He is listed as a three-star by Rivals.com, but if he played in Michigan, he would easily stand out as a four-star. Good talent sometimes gets overshadowed in a talent-rich state like Louisiana. I’ll just say that Rivals.com’s regional people in Louisiana are tough graders. I give them credit for that. Rivals.com currently has only 11 players from Louisiana listed as four-star recruits. I haven’t seen all of them play, but I’ve watched Coleman’s film and RB Logan Diggs’ film (RB headed to Notre Dame) and they are excellent, excellent three-star talents.
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If Michigan State happens to sign Coleman, the work won’t be done. He is going to be a maintenance task. One source in Louisiana predicts that regardless of where he signs, he will be in the portal within a year. I hate to be a bringer of sour news, but this is The War Room, and I’m going to pass along (most of) what I know.
As of last week, and earlier this week for that matter, Coleman had given little indication as to which school is his leader. All this time, there may not have ever been a leader. And it wouldn’t shock me if he waits until after Wednesday to sign. He’s a different cat.
He’s a terrific talent, and signing him would help Michigan State in the recruiting rankings, for what it's worth. But I’m not sure how much rubber is going to meet the road for whichever school signs him this month. But if you’re looking to add a big-time talent to your WR room, and you're willing to work on ironing out the other wrinkles after he arrives, then he’s your guy.
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As for Davon Townley, the four-star defensive end from Minneapolis, Michigan State made his top seven or eight. But there is no indication the Spartans will steal this one.
Rivals.com Midwest analyst Josh Helmholdt tells me that it’s down to Penn State and Washington for Townley. Helmholdt has been on the front lines of this recruitment from the start and has a very good read on the proceedings. He
“It’s really tight right now, could go either way,” Helmholdt said of the Huskies-Nittany Lions battle.
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As for the class of 2022, Monday was a noteworthy date on the calendar in that it marked the first day that college coaches could make phone calls to junior recruits for this contact period.
I reached out to some Michigan State recruiting targets and here are the responses that I’ve received so far: (You might not recognize most or any of these names. But get familiar with them. Some of them are going to be discussed in the weeks, months and years ahead).
SHANNON BLAIR (6-1, 165, CB), a sleeper from Knoxville, Tenn., who has not yet been rated by Rivals.com, received a surprise scholarship offer from Michigan State last week.
Blair received two phone calls on Monday. One from Michigan State cornerbacks coach Travares Tillman, and one from Liberty University, which offered him a scholarship during the call. He has offers from those two schools, plus Virginia.
JAMES JOINTER (5-11, 205, RB), a three-star from Little Rock, Ark., received calls on Monday from Michigan State, Missouri, Purdue, Utah, Arizona State, Virginia, Illinois and Vanderbilt.
SULLIVAN WEIDMAN (6-5, 300, OL), a three-star from Brookline, Mass., received calls from Chris Kapilovic of Michigan State, Dave Borbely of Pitt, and Dennis Dottin-Carter of UConn.
MUMA BIN-WAHAD (5-11, 180, CB), a three-star from Loganville (Ga.) Grayson High School received calls from Michigan State, Mississippi State and South Carolina.
DAMARI ALSTON (5-10, 206, RB), a four-star from College Park (Ga.), received calls from Ohio State, Michigan State, Auburn, Alabama, North Carolina, Florida, Vanderbilt, Nebraska Penn State “and others.”
JUSTIN WILLIAMS (6-0, 200, RB), a four-star from Dallas (Ga.) East Paulding High, received calls from Norval McKenzie of Vanderbilt, De’Rail Sims of Louisville and Cam Aiken of South Florida. Williams wasn’t available for all phone calls on Monday and received a phone call from Michigan State on Tuesday morning.
RODNEY HILL (6-0, 180, RB), a three-star from Statesboro (Ga.) Bulloch Academy, received calls from Virginia and Minnesota.
QUENCY WIGGINS (6-7, 270, DE), a three-star from Baton Rouge, La., says he didn’t hear from any coaches on Monday. He is ranked the No. 24 player in Louisiana and has offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Florida State, Michigan, Tennesse and Baylor among others.
He isn’t listed with an Michigan State offer, but he has heard from the Spartans in recent days.
“Yeah, they are talking with me,” he said, “it (the scholarship offer) isn’t official yet.”
DAMARI ALSTON (5-10, 206, RB), a four-star from College Park (Ga.), received calls from Ohio State, Michigan State, Auburn, Alabama, North Carolina, Florida, Vanderbilt, Nebraska Penn State “and others.”
BRADEN MILLER (6-7, 290, OT), a three-star from Centennial, Col., heard from Michigan State, Michigan, Utah and Stanford.
ANDREW CHAMBLEE (6-6, 292, OT), a three-star from Maumelle, Ark., received calls from Miami, Ohio State, Michigan State and Oklahoma State.
NETINHO OLIVIERI (6-4, 290, OG), a sleeper from Millis (Mass.) Dexter Southfield, says he heard from Michigan State “and some other schools.”
OSCAR DELP (6-5, 220, TE), a four-star from Cumming (Ga.) West Forsyth says he took calls from “10 to 15 schools. Some of those included Georgia, Florida State, LSU, Clemson, South Carolina, Auburn, North Carolina, USC, Michigan, Michigan State and Florida.”
KAMARII LANDERS (6-4, 295, OG), a three-star from Dearborn (Mich.) Fordson says: “I heard from a lot of schools, to be honest. Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska and every school I got an offer from, except one.”
Landers also has offers from Indiana, Kentucky, Oregon and West Virginia.
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Kamarii Landers is an interesting recruiting prospect. He shows excellent power in his junior film and nice, quick feet for a guy his size. He’s listed at 295 in the Rivals.com database, but that figure is from last year. Landers put on some unneeded weight during the summer. As one scout told me, COVID lockdown wasn’t a good thing for him.
But he’s working to get back in shape. The excess weight hasn’t deterred many of his suitors. He had a busy Monday.
He is a Plan A on MSU’s list, and Michigan State has done a great job connecting with him. Michigan State is the team to beat for Landers right now.
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From the desk of Paul Konyndyk, an interesting tale about an Michigan State commitment facing off against an Michigan State target:
Michigan State commitment Tyrell Henry had a respectable performance in his Roseville High team's 28-12 loss to Ty’Shawn Trent-led Eastpointe when the two friends squared off against one another in October.
Henry totaled 105 all-purpose yards against eventual Macomb Area Conference Gold champion Eastpointe, with 61 receiving yards, 29 rushing yards, and a 15-yard punt return.
Henry also accounted for one of Roseville’s two touchdowns in the game.
The game within that game was the sometimes match-up between Trent and Henry, both of whom are two-way players.
“It was fun going up against my guy,” Trent said. “He likes to talk a little bit, and he’s chippy too. He was trying to hit me when the play was over when the refs couldn’t see it. If we are playing like that, we are playing like that. It was all love after the game. That’s my guy.”
According to Trent, his friend Henry couldn't shake him when he was playing safety for Eastpointe.
“He had a good game against us, and give him credit for that,” Trent said, “but when I was guarding him, I kind of put the locks on him.”
Trent also contends that Henry couldn’t cover him when the Michigan State commitment was playing defensive back.
“When he guarded me, I went up high on him twice,” Trent said. “I caught the ball once for a touchdown, and another was just a regular catch.”
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Back to me, Comparoni:
That’s not quite how Henry remembers it. I asked Henry if Trent matched up with him during that game. Henry said: “No he (Trent) didn’t, but he was very good, strong good hands, and I enjoyed the visit,” Henry said. “Very nice place good atmosphere all around.”
So that one might need to be revisited next season, or perhaps on the Michigan State practice field some day.
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We are starting to see a positive trend for Michigan State recruiting in the state of Michigan. Many observers expected Mel Tucker and his staff to have a strong year during the 2022 recruiting cycle, their first full year of recruiting while at Michigan State. Although Tucker and his staff haven’t been able to meet many players face to face, the Spartan staff - unlike last year - is basically operating from the same starting spot as most other programs.
Many other programs did get a chance to get some face-to-face time with 2022 recruits when they were sophomores, but the contact deficit isn’t as extreme as the one Michigan State faced last year with Tucker’s staff getting in place in February and having only one unofficial visit weekend prior to the onset of the lockdown.
Now, with Tucker and his staff operating equally with others, the Spartans are hitting the ground hard and won’t be outworked. I’ve followed Michigan State recruiting for more than three decades, and the organizational skills and commitment to the day-to-day work of recruiting displayed by the current staff is probably the best I’ve seen at Michigan State.
The initial two years of Nick Saban and the initial two years of Mark Dantonio were very good, as Michigan State ramped up its energy and outreach at the outset of those administrations. However, the current staff is operating with just a little more octane, with more support staff. And there’s no question that the new staff is making busier early in-roads with recruits outside of the five-hour radius than any Michigan State staff of the 85-scholarship era.
(I covered the George Perles era, beginning in 1987, but wasn't yet a professional reporter when he was hired at Michigan State. I wasn't here to cover the "we knocked their socks off" class of Andre Rison. So put an asterisk on that one for me. I can't compare the current Tucker efforts to the early Perles days, but I suspect they are similar.)
As for recruiting closer to home, trends are starting to show that Michigan State is operating more favorably in-state than has been the case in at least five years.
We are seeing indications that Michigan State is emerging as the team to beat for four-star WR Tay-Shawn Trent of Eastpointe (ranked No. 5 in the state), three-star DT Deon Walker of Detroit Cass Tech (No. 18 in the state) and three-star OL Kamarii Landers (ranked No. 20 in the state).
Michigan State is running a very good race for four-star athlete Jaden Mangham (No. 8 in the state). The college head coach that shows Mangham the most love is going to gain the edge. Michigan State is right there, with the work Courtney Hawkins has put in. But watch out for schools like West Virginia, Nebraska and Washington State. If Jaden likes a place and the coach is forthcoming, relatable and makes a connection, that school will be in the mix.
Mangham will be dropping his list of top schools on Monday. Michigan State will be on it.
Michigan State is also off to a very good start with four-star athlete Dillon Tatum of West Bloomfield (No. 6 in the state) and big athlete Michael Williams of West Bloomfield (No. 9 in the state).
Michigan State has made up serious ground with Belleville safety Myles Rowser (No. 2 in the state). Rowser was formerly a Michigan commitment. Rowser told SpartanMag.com’s Kenny Jordan that Michigan is still the team to beat but he felt like he made that commitment prematurely and hadn’t given enough schools a chance, which is what he’s doing right now.
Rowser’s step brother, Andre Seldon, is a heading into his sophomore year as a cornerback at Michigan. The things Rowser hears back from Seldon about the true experience at Michigan and playing for Jim Harbaugh will obviously have a big impact on Rowser’s decision.
Rowser told Kenny Jordan that while Michigan is still the team to beat, Tucker coming in and offering a scholarship despite his step brother being at Michigan, and making Rowser a priority despite many Belleville players recently leaving Michigan State, shows how serious Tucker is about winning. Those are Rowser's words. Tucker has resonated with Rowser. Tucker is going to get an audience with him at some point.
But Notre Dame is up there in consideration too, for Rowser.
Speaking of Notre Dame, a source in Detroit tells me that super big-time 2023 QB Dante Moore of Detroit King is eagerly waiting to hear from the Irish. You may remember Moore. He’s the guy whom Michigan offered as a freshman. It was big, strange news back then, but offers to freshmen is becoming more commonplace than it used to be.
Moore flashed extraordinary talent this season at Detroit King.
Has Michigan State succeeded in getting a foot in the door with Moore? My source says yes. There has been communication.
Tucker has a presence. He and his staff are energized, engaging and intriguing. And they beat Michigan in year one. These athletes are receptive to MSU’s overtures and looking forward to getting face-to-face time with Tucker.
Big-time 2023 offensive lineman Amir Herring of West Bloomfield is in line to become a national Top 100 recruit. Many see him as an early lean to Michigan. They said the same thing about Rayshaun Benny.
But this is what Herring told me: “I plan on visiting (Michigan State) as soon as the dead period ends. Looking forward to meeting Coach Tucker.”
Getting back to the 2022 class, by my count, Michigan State has extended offers to 13 of the uncommitted rising seniors in the state of Michigan. Michigan State is in real good shape for 10 of them, outside of CB Will Johnson of Grosse Pointe South (his father played at Michigan) and LB Joshua Burnham of Traverse City. Michigan State is recruiting Burnham, but he seems to be a strong Michigan lean.
It's been hard to get a read on Antonio Gates Jr.
MSU offered Zeeland (Mich.) East defensive end Tag Bonnema in April. Iowa offered the previous June.
Bonnema says he has received texts this week from Michigan, Notre Dame, Kentucky, Iowa, Michigan State, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan and Cincinnati.
Bonnema told Kenny Jordan that he is closing in on a decision, perhaps this spring. We’ll keep our ear to the ground on that one as well.
Many observers expected this to be a splash year for Tucker with in-state recruiting, and it seems to be setting up that way.
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That’s all we have for this week. We had a lot of things saved up. The War Room might not always be this voluminous. But we’ll work to bring you the backchannel info as we get it.
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