It's crunch time for next season's football recruitment, and the Spartans already have an impressive array of commitments. A mere nine days separate players from deciding their college football destinies, meaning of course that we're on the verge of National Signing Day.
With 20 oral commits and four signed letters of intent, MSU head football coach John L. Smith is proving he has the necessary recruiting ability, a skill he perfected while head coach at the University of Louisville. In addition, coaches Paul Haynes, Chris Smeland, Steve Stripling, Jeff Stoutland and Jim McElwain have shown their recruitment dedication by nabbing some top players.
Among the top recruits is SirDarean Adams from Bayshore High School in Brandenton, Fla.
Having thrown for 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns and rushing for 900 yards and 14 scores in his senior year, Adams brought the Bruins to an 11-2 record. He was ranked the No. 27 ATH in the country by rivals.com.
Adrian High School's Kellen Freeman-Davis was one of the most highly sought-after tight ends in the country, receiving scholarship offers from MSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Indiana, Purdue and Illinois before selecting MSU. He is ranked the No. 7 tight end in the country by rivals100.com and is on the Rivals Midwest list of top 50 players.
Also on the list of Spartan oral commitments is Brian Hoyer. Ranked 14 in the Rivals100 ranking of the top pro-style quarterbacks and 16 in its ranking of Ohio's Top 50 players, he was just the fourth junior ever to start for St. Ignatius.
Exemplary players like these are reflective of Coach Smith's potential, representing the true antithesis of the dismal recruiting season in 2003, when MSU ranked at or near the bottom of the Big Ten.
But even with the strong list of commits, there's no guarantee the fall lineup will remain as strong.
Until a player actually signs a letter of intent - a contractual agreement to play for a specific school - they can visit other schools and commit elsewhere at their choosing. And many players decide to do just that.
In July, Detroit DePorres teammates Eric Hines and Carl Grimes both made oral commitments to play for MSU. Hines is still sticking to his commitment, but Grimes has since committed to Florida State.
Miles Williams, had originally committed to Ohio State when he visited last spring. But after making a trip to East Lansing the weekend of Jan. 16, Williams decided he liked MSU more.
Even players who commit somewhere often visit elsewhere.
Leon Pennington Jr., son of former Florida Gator linebacker Leon Pennington Sr., committed to MSU in November, but has plans to visit other schools, including Florida and Florida State. Although he asserts he's still committed to MSU, the fact he would visit elsewhere shows he wants to keep his options open.
Despite these inherent setbacks, the Spartans are looking strong. A few players who the Spartans are hard at work trying to recruit could make the difference between next season's recruitment class being a good one and a truly great one.
Point in case: Chicago's Roland Martin from William Rainey Harper High School. The 6-foot-4, 320-pound Martin helped his team to an 11-2 record. He can squat more than 600 pounds, runs the 40-yard dash in 5.1 seconds and has weighed as much as 340 pounds. Listed as the No. 40 recruiting prospect and the second-best offensive tackle in the country, Martin would be a huge commit. He visited MSU in December, but plans to hold off on making his decision until the last minute.
Additionally, Florida's Tyrone McKenzie is a highly touted, if relatively unheard of, prospect the Spartans hope to nab. The Riverview High School linebacker dropped below recruiting radar range after missing the near entirety of his junior year due to a broken leg. He is scheduled to visit MSU this weekend.
Regardless of whether we acquire additional prospects such as Martin and McKenzie, there's no denying the strength and potential of next season's lineup. With any luck, John L. Smith and the rest of the crew can land a few more strong recruits, helping to raise the bar higher still for the Spartans.
Evan Rondeau is The State News Sports Administration reporter. He can be reached at rondeau1@msu.edu
