A trip to the Dec. 31 Silicon Valley Football Classic in San Jose, Calif., may cost MSU hundreds of thousands of dollars, but the return on that investment could be the signing of some highly sought after recruits.

Recruits are allowed to watch the team’s practice for a bowl game and see the team play on national TV, said Bill Kurelic, a recruiting expert from Midwest Recruiting.

“It’s a plus that they can watch practice,” Kurelic said. “Plus for them to be seen on TV, any time a team makes a bowl game it’s a plus for recruiting.”

But that won’t make the difference for wide receiver Kyle Brown, the most sought after recruit in Michigan. Brown, who will be on his official visit to MSU this weekend, only lives an hour away in West Bloomfield.

“I don’t think it’s a big deal,” Kurelic said. “He’s from Michigan and has seen practice before. They already have the lead for him. The biggest thing is being close to home. He went to USC last weekend and really liked it, but the question is if he wants to go that far from home.”

But Brown, who will visit Oklahoma next week before making his choice, said it will be cool to see how hyped MSU gets while preparing for its bowl game.

“I went to their practice that was the first day of pads,” said Brown, who lists his top four schools as USC, MSU, Purdue and Oklahoma. “It will be good to see them prepare for postseason play.”

Among other things, Brown said he wants to go to a school where he won’t have to wait long to see playing time.

Brown said he also confides in his brother Pierre, who plays wide receiver at Wayne State.

His sister, Tajie, is a merchandising management junior at MSU and works at the Duffy Daugherty Football Building.

“I want to go somewhere with a good social environment, good education and a really good football team,” Brown said. “Any place I know I’ll be able to play. As long as I play and not ride the bench.

“I’m making (the decision) on my own. I ask questions, I ask my parents what they think, but I’m making it on my own.”