Quick explanation of how the recruiting cycle works at the beginning of this article.
Early Defections & Scholarship Count
Transfers are looking more and more unlikely by the day. If you haven't enrolled for classes at most universities by Tuesday the 17th, you pretty much can't anymore. So if you're in today, you're likely in for the remainder of the semester. Which is cool with me, I like our team.
Still think that MSU has three schollies to go although there would be no shame in quitting while ahead.
Official Visits Lined Up For This Weekend
It's a big thing for Dantonio to have a huge weekend where he gets a bunch of his committed prospects on campus along with a couple of key uncommitted prospects to try and get them to sign up. This year, that weekend is this upcoming weekend. Lots and lots of great prospects.
Riley Bullough(Committed) - Riley Bullough is a LB prospect from Traverse City. He comes from a long line of Bullough's that have attended Michigan State University. They pretty much are the closest thing that college football has to a lineage of family members playing a position. Bullough currently projects as a strongside linebacker and will likely take Denicos Allen's place when he leaves in 2013.
Zach Higgins(Committed) - Zach Higgins is an Offensive Tackle prospect out of Marlington High School, Ohio. Higgins in true MSU Offensive Tackle prospect fashion has already injured himself in a career-jeopardizing sense. The rumor being he tore an ACL and MCL. For a lament I wrote on our Offensive Tackles click here. Anyway, Dantonio honors scholarships, if the injury is recoverable and since 17 year olds are built out of rubber it may well be, you want him here. If it is not, he'll get a medical scholarship. Higgins has impressed when on the field and we can never have enough Offensive Tackle prospects.
Marcus Horne(Uncommitted) - Horne is a RB prospect out of Milwaukee. At 5'10" and 190 he's built very similarly to our already committed Nick Tompkins. Tompkins was promised that he would be the only running back we take in the class of 2012, however, I don't think anyone counted on Edwin Baker leaving the program after this year. Horne was talking a grey-shirt with MSU, but with Baker leaving obviously that changes things a bit. (A grey-shirt is when a kid pays their own way the first year, but then gets put on scholarship as a sophmore or beyond). Horne doesn't have an offer for a full-ride, if he gets one, I think he jumps, if he doesn't, I don't think he commits.
Terrell Jackson(Committed, to Duke) - Terrell Jackson is a DT prospect at 6'3" and 255 he does not meet the requirement needed to Be An Instant Worthy Replacement. Frankly, his offer sheet is kind of eh and if MSU takes him this would fall into the bucket of "might be a reach". He is currently committed to Duke which honestly is nice. I'm a little tired of the notion that MSU doesn't recruit players who are committed. MSU recruits kids who are interested in being recruited, "committed" or otherwise. That's what they should do.
Evan Jones(Committed) - I could copy and paste the description of JP Holtz I did last week, but I won't. Jones is a 6'6", 240 lbs dude who could end up playing a host of positions in college. He will likely end up at Tight End though since Tight End is among our more thin positions in the upcoming year or two. Jones offer sheet isn't stunning, but he also committed very early in the process.
Jamal Lyles(Committed) - Lyles is a DE prospect that will have kind of a similar trajectory to Lawrence Thomas IMO. A big-bodied dude who has the frame to put on a lot of good weight. Lyles is one of two Rivals four star recruits committed to MSU. He will continue to improve our already impressive Defensive Line.
Benny McGowan(Committed) - Here's what you need to know about OG/C prospect Benny McGowan, he is the first Offensive Lineman to ever score over 100 on the SPARQ rating. What is SPARQ? It's Nike's moderately unsuccessful attempt to create a standard scoring mechanism for all positions in football to measure Quickness, Agility, Strength and something else that starts with P and R. The fact of the matter is that you cannot reasonably compare the physical attributes of an offensive lineman and a defensive back. That said, no Offensive Lineman has scored over 100, ever. Except this one. Even in a flawed rating system, that speaks to a positive outlier.
Mark Meyers(Committed, to Toledo) - Meyers is a safety prospect currently committed to Toledo. With the departure of Tim Beckman to Illinois Meyer started waving his commitment around. Currently he is pursuing offers from MSU and Illinois and currrently he has offers from neither. Meyers is coming to MSU in the hopes of getting an offer and if he does, he will be in green and white.
Tyler O'Connor(Committed) - O'Connor is the MSU QB commit for 2012. He has a very nice but not elite offer sheet and selected MSU over Northwestern. It's a damn good thing he did too, he is the NW QB that makes you want to throw a brick through your TV. Accurate with quick feet that can get you a few yards on the ground, he'll provide a nice challenge to Cook in the QB battle of 2014 which is as ridiculous to type as it is to read.
Josiah Price(Committed) - When constructing the two-deeps due to go up over at the Only Colors this week, Price and Burbridge were my picks for kids who will not redshirt in the class of 2012. Burbridge because he'll choose not to, Price because the staff will need him catching passes and playing Tight End. Price is one of the gems of the 2012 class.
Anfornee Stewart(Uncommitted) - What can I say? This kid's recruitment has Keshawn Martin/Le'Veon Bell written all over it. A kid who sends out film after his senior season and gets looks from a bunch of schools.
Rumory Rumor Internet SOPA Rumors
- Monty Madaris will decide sometime this weekend or shortly thereafter. He is rumored to be planning a visit to MSU.
- MSU is getting involved with another 2012 Safety recruit, Jordan Moore, at the 11th hour.
- The kid at the top of MSU's Safety board, Demetrious Cox is rumored to be visiting OSU this weekend.
Best Guess On Finishing Out The Class
TE - JP Holtz, WR - Monty Madaris, S - Anfornee Stewart
It's pretty obvious with how hard MSU has been hitting the safety types in the past week that getting a safety is high priority right now. I don't think the big-bodied kid to replace Worthy is there right now, so MSU will address their most pressing defensive need.
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