Thursday, March 28, 2024

Trannon commits to Spartans

November 2, 2001

Flint Northern football and basketball standout Matt Trannon verbally committed to play for the Spartans in 2002 on Friday afternoon.

The 6-foot-7 wide receiver/forward will accept a scholarship from MSU football head coach Bobby Williams and in-turn give MSU men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo a top 20 recruit with walk-on status.

The double-duty Trannon will face in college is a task he looks forward to.

”I’m signing for football in order to play both,” he said.

Trannon, who narrowed his decision to MSU and Michigan, said the MSU environment was the clincher when picking the green and white.

“It was just the atmosphere (at MSU),” Trannon said. “It was like I was at home. There was just love for me like I was really at home.”

Flint Northern head football coach Gary Lee said he supports Trannon’s school choice and understands the struggles Trannon has ahead of him playing two sports at the Division I college level.

“He’s the one that’s going to have to go through all the ups and downs, and my phone will always be there,” Lee said. “But if this is where he really wanted to go, I’m happy for him just like I am with all of my kids that went to school.”

Coming out of Flint Northern, Trannon now faces the infamous ‘Flintstone’ tag given to players coming out of the area. Being from Flint Northern could add more pressure because the original ‘Flintstones’ Antonio Smith and Mateen Cleaves graduated as Vikings.

But Trannon said being from Flint doesn’t cause stress but makes him proud to be part of such a healthy lineage of great stars.

“There’s not any extra pressure (being a ‘Flintstone),” Trannon said. “It’s more exciting because I’m keeping the tradition alive.”

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