The MSU football team beefed up its 2001 recruiting class, literally and figuratively, with the signing of defensive end Kevin Vickerson on Monday.
Vickerson, a 6-foot-5, 270 pounder from Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, is highly regarded by several national and state publications as a top prospect at defensive end.
He was ranked by www.Rivals100.com as the 24th best defensive end coming out of high school in the nation, and was listed 42nd on SuperPrep’s list of top 50 prospects.
“Kevin Vickerson has outstanding high school credentials,” MSU head coach Bobby Williams said in a press release. “He adds size and speed to the defensive line. Kevin attended our football camp last summer so we were able to evaluate his athletic ability firsthand.”
Vickerson played on both the offensive and defensive line at King, but is expected to concentrate on the defensive side for the Spartans.
As a senior, Vickerson earned all-state honors by recording tackles, 26 of them for losses, and 17 sacks.
Jeremy Crabtree, analyst for www.rivals.com, said Vickerson has good size and technique and will be a big addition to Williams and his staff.
“When he gets after the quarterback, he gets after them with authority,” he said. “He will be one of the stars of this class.”
Crabtree said assuming Vickerson gets things such as his academics in order, he can make an immediate contribution to the Spartans.
“Big defensive ends don’t grow on trees,” he said.
James Reynolds, Vickerson’s high school coach at King, said Vickerson’s size, speed, and overall athletic ability make him a good recruit for MSU.
“We all know you win by whoever puts the best athletes out there,” he said.
Reynolds said being within a short driving distance of family and friends is one reason why MSU was so appealing to Vickerson.
“The people that know him can go see him play,” he said.
Vickerson was the only one of MSU’s 22 verbal commitments who didn’t sign on national signing day last Wednesday, the first day recruits were eligible to sign with an institution.
As of last Wednesday night, Rivals ranked MSU’s class 39th in the nation, which was considered an accomplishment since MSU’s class was projected to rank near the bottom of the Big Ten all winter.
Crabtree said the addition of Vickerson gives MSU’s 2001 class an additional boost.
“He’s a guy who can definitely make your class shinier than it was before,” he said.
