What's New: The staff has been canvassing the nation this week. Most of the time has been spent visiting the committed players for the class of 2016. That tells me 2 things. First, the staff is very excited about the players that are committed and they are in no hurry to put the finishing touches on the class. Second, A staff that is not excited about the class would be visiting a host of kids that are not committed and trying to get in on a bunch of new prospects.
The staff did extend a new off this week and that was to 2017 center prospect Cesar Ruiz of IMG Academy in Florida. Ruiz is ranked a 4-star prospect by Rivals.com and #156 nationally. Keep in mind MSU is very much in the mix for fellow 2017 OL and IMG Academy product Robert Hainsey. Coach Mark Staten has been recruiting Hainsey for 2-years and has built up a strong rapport with him and his family.
I firmly believe that MSU whopping Penn State and the struggles of the Lions offensively is doing nothing but help Michigan State chances with Hainsey. Hainsey has long stated he plans on making an early decision. If he does select Michigan State I expect that will help them with Ruiz. If Hainsey is committed to Michigan State come this summer I have a feeling Ruiz could camp as well.
Speaking of Penn State and offensive line prospects, I think the way the season has played out has not hurt Michigan State chances with Matt Bockhorst of St Xavier HS in Ohio. The Buckeyes and Irish have yet to offer Bockhorst and the longer they wait the more likely he ends up in Green IMO. Penn state has a commitment from St Xavier QB Sean Clifford and they are viewed by most as the stiffest competition based on scholarship offers.
One other tidbit about offensive line recruiting is that OL Coach Mark Staten was in Utah this week visiting Mufi Hunt. I think it is VERY safe to assume that he was killing two birds with one stone and also stopping into see JUCO OL Garett Bolles of Snow College in Utah. Bolles is very difficult to reach so right now it is somewhat of a guessing game when it comes to predicting his destination. What we do know is MSU hosted him on a visit and he thoroughly enjoyed himself. We also know that MSU has a spot available and Coach Staten is a solid recruiter. Add those things up and you have to think MSU has a good chance.
George Hill is a player that many are wondering about and I know many would like to see his name on the commitment list. Hill is taking a visit to Pittsburgh this weekend and that follows his visits to Wisconsin and Michigan State. I think this one is basically just a matter of time andhe will eventually end up in East Lansing. Mark Dantonio is not going to push kids to make a decision one way or another. That approach has led to a lot of talented kids selecting MSU and no need to change now. You have to be very confident in what you have to offer to use that type of approach in today's high pressure/used car salesmen world and Coach Dantonio is.
What's Next?
December 16th is the day players that are enrolling early can sign LOI's
What that means is that based on my information Cameron Chambers, Joe Bachie, Thiyo Lukusa, Kenny Lyke and Messiah deWeaver will officially become Spartans. Whenever you can lock up 5 players who bring as much talent to the table as those players you have to celebrate and you can be sure they staff will be excited.
Some have wondered about Donnie Corley and his decision due to him being a potential early enroll player as well.December 16th is the first day of the signing period. The last day is January 15th. Michigan State begins class on January 11th. What that means is that Corley does not need to sign next week, he can wait a little while if he so pleases.
Many are also wondering about Lavert Hill his teammate at Detroit King. I have long expected that King will end up in Ann Arbor. I know some people are thinking that if Corley ends up in East Lansing King will as well and that is a possibility. King could also surprise some people and follow John Kelly down to Tennessee. Where he ends up is IMO pure speculation. I do not think anyone knows for sure and that probably includes Hill. Corley and Hill are expected to decide the same day.
I stated on Monday that I was expecting some new names to pop up on the radar and I think that is the case. Some on here have been getting very excited about Miles Sanders. I would temper that enthusiasm a bit right now. Not only is he committed to PSU, but Pitt is working very hard to flip him. Keep in mind, I do not think it would hurt MSU if he flipped to Pitt. Not only would that hurt PSU, but it would also all but make Hill to Pitt an impossibility. I approach Sanders recruitment the same way I did Malik McDowell or even Daelin Hayes...No need getting all worked up until they decide to step on campus in an official capacity. if that happens, then you can do back flips.
The name JJ Givens popped up on the board earlier this week and I reached out to him. He did not tell me if he was considering Michigan State. He did say he was de-committed from South Carolina and was looking around. Keep in mind Mechanicsville is right outside of Richmond. That is not only where Ron Burton is from, but where Felton Davis is from as well.
Michigan State is in position to get a lot of kids who might be committed elsewhere right now. In fact, I have been told that many kids have actually reached out to MSU to gauge interest. The staff is in no hurry though and will be very selective.
One committed player that MSU has been in contact with is Cedrick Lattimore of Detroit East English. Lattimore is committed to Iowa and has been since the spring. In addition his teammate Chauncy Golston is also committed. The Hawkeyes were the first to offer and the fact that they also have his teammate makes it unlikely that he will flip IMO.
The other player I have been talking about is Tony Poljan of Lansing Catholic. I think if Poljan decides that he is willing to be recruited as an Athlete that it is very possible that he will be offered by Michigan State. I also think Michigan State will only offer if they are confident that he will end up in Green and White. MSU is deep at TE for 2017, but once Price and Lyles leave, the depth chart gets thin.
MSU has a very solid player committed in Noah Davis. With that said to me Davis is more of a Paul Lang type as compared to a Josiah Price. To me Poljan is this years version of Cole Chewins...A big ATH that Coach Dantonio likes. The difference is the Spartans may have room for him in this class without a grey-shirt.
Add it all up....Everyone always wants to know how the class finishes up:
I think a safe guesstimate would be:
-Corley
-Bolles
-G. Hill
-Poljan
With that being said, this time last year many thought the following could be Spartans:
-Anthony McKee
-Quarte Sapp
-Ricky DeBerry
-Chris Hart
-Anree Saint-Amour
MSU "missed" on those guys and ended up with
- Andrew Dowell
-David Dowell
-Mufi Hunt
-Drake Martinez
-Cassius Peat
The staff did extend a new off this week and that was to 2017 center prospect Cesar Ruiz of IMG Academy in Florida. Ruiz is ranked a 4-star prospect by Rivals.com and #156 nationally. Keep in mind MSU is very much in the mix for fellow 2017 OL and IMG Academy product Robert Hainsey. Coach Mark Staten has been recruiting Hainsey for 2-years and has built up a strong rapport with him and his family.
I firmly believe that MSU whopping Penn State and the struggles of the Lions offensively is doing nothing but help Michigan State chances with Hainsey. Hainsey has long stated he plans on making an early decision. If he does select Michigan State I expect that will help them with Ruiz. If Hainsey is committed to Michigan State come this summer I have a feeling Ruiz could camp as well.
Speaking of Penn State and offensive line prospects, I think the way the season has played out has not hurt Michigan State chances with Matt Bockhorst of St Xavier HS in Ohio. The Buckeyes and Irish have yet to offer Bockhorst and the longer they wait the more likely he ends up in Green IMO. Penn state has a commitment from St Xavier QB Sean Clifford and they are viewed by most as the stiffest competition based on scholarship offers.
One other tidbit about offensive line recruiting is that OL Coach Mark Staten was in Utah this week visiting Mufi Hunt. I think it is VERY safe to assume that he was killing two birds with one stone and also stopping into see JUCO OL Garett Bolles of Snow College in Utah. Bolles is very difficult to reach so right now it is somewhat of a guessing game when it comes to predicting his destination. What we do know is MSU hosted him on a visit and he thoroughly enjoyed himself. We also know that MSU has a spot available and Coach Staten is a solid recruiter. Add those things up and you have to think MSU has a good chance.
George Hill is a player that many are wondering about and I know many would like to see his name on the commitment list. Hill is taking a visit to Pittsburgh this weekend and that follows his visits to Wisconsin and Michigan State. I think this one is basically just a matter of time andhe will eventually end up in East Lansing. Mark Dantonio is not going to push kids to make a decision one way or another. That approach has led to a lot of talented kids selecting MSU and no need to change now. You have to be very confident in what you have to offer to use that type of approach in today's high pressure/used car salesmen world and Coach Dantonio is.
What's Next?
December 16th is the day players that are enrolling early can sign LOI's
What that means is that based on my information Cameron Chambers, Joe Bachie, Thiyo Lukusa, Kenny Lyke and Messiah deWeaver will officially become Spartans. Whenever you can lock up 5 players who bring as much talent to the table as those players you have to celebrate and you can be sure they staff will be excited.
Some have wondered about Donnie Corley and his decision due to him being a potential early enroll player as well.December 16th is the first day of the signing period. The last day is January 15th. Michigan State begins class on January 11th. What that means is that Corley does not need to sign next week, he can wait a little while if he so pleases.
Many are also wondering about Lavert Hill his teammate at Detroit King. I have long expected that King will end up in Ann Arbor. I know some people are thinking that if Corley ends up in East Lansing King will as well and that is a possibility. King could also surprise some people and follow John Kelly down to Tennessee. Where he ends up is IMO pure speculation. I do not think anyone knows for sure and that probably includes Hill. Corley and Hill are expected to decide the same day.
I stated on Monday that I was expecting some new names to pop up on the radar and I think that is the case. Some on here have been getting very excited about Miles Sanders. I would temper that enthusiasm a bit right now. Not only is he committed to PSU, but Pitt is working very hard to flip him. Keep in mind, I do not think it would hurt MSU if he flipped to Pitt. Not only would that hurt PSU, but it would also all but make Hill to Pitt an impossibility. I approach Sanders recruitment the same way I did Malik McDowell or even Daelin Hayes...No need getting all worked up until they decide to step on campus in an official capacity. if that happens, then you can do back flips.
The name JJ Givens popped up on the board earlier this week and I reached out to him. He did not tell me if he was considering Michigan State. He did say he was de-committed from South Carolina and was looking around. Keep in mind Mechanicsville is right outside of Richmond. That is not only where Ron Burton is from, but where Felton Davis is from as well.
Michigan State is in position to get a lot of kids who might be committed elsewhere right now. In fact, I have been told that many kids have actually reached out to MSU to gauge interest. The staff is in no hurry though and will be very selective.
One committed player that MSU has been in contact with is Cedrick Lattimore of Detroit East English. Lattimore is committed to Iowa and has been since the spring. In addition his teammate Chauncy Golston is also committed. The Hawkeyes were the first to offer and the fact that they also have his teammate makes it unlikely that he will flip IMO.
The other player I have been talking about is Tony Poljan of Lansing Catholic. I think if Poljan decides that he is willing to be recruited as an Athlete that it is very possible that he will be offered by Michigan State. I also think Michigan State will only offer if they are confident that he will end up in Green and White. MSU is deep at TE for 2017, but once Price and Lyles leave, the depth chart gets thin.
MSU has a very solid player committed in Noah Davis. With that said to me Davis is more of a Paul Lang type as compared to a Josiah Price. To me Poljan is this years version of Cole Chewins...A big ATH that Coach Dantonio likes. The difference is the Spartans may have room for him in this class without a grey-shirt.
Add it all up....Everyone always wants to know how the class finishes up:
I think a safe guesstimate would be:
-Corley
-Bolles
-G. Hill
-Poljan
With that being said, this time last year many thought the following could be Spartans:
-Anthony McKee
-Quarte Sapp
-Ricky DeBerry
-Chris Hart
-Anree Saint-Amour
MSU "missed" on those guys and ended up with
- Andrew Dowell
-David Dowell
-Mufi Hunt
-Drake Martinez
-Cassius Peat
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