“I think it’s a class that represents our needs,” Dantonio said. “It represents great football players and great people. We have guys that have won state championships, we have very high academic oriented guys, we have guys with extreme athletic ability and explosiveness and guys that play multiple positions. I think that's key, as well. ”

Throughout Dantonio’s press conference Wednesday, he constantly spoke of his appreciation of the recruits that stood strong to their verbal commitment, and did not waver to the possibility of attending another school, while also making numerous comparisons of successful former Spartans to this year’s recruiting class.

“I appreciate all of our guys,  as they went through this process, their commitment lasted,” Dantonio said. “They didn’t waiver. They didn’t go back and forth. There was never a situation where we had to come back in and re-recruit a guy. They stayed the course, and that’s been a fixture for most of our classes since we’ve been here, almost all of them."

Among those players who didn’t deviate from their initial verbal commitment was defensive end Lashawn Paulino-Bell of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“(Paulino-Bell is) another guy that committed early in the process, and stayed true to this commitment throughout,” Dantonio said of the 6-foot-3 defensive end. “When you go to St. Thomas Aquinas, it’s daily that you’ve got college coaches walking in there — head coaches and college coaches. And when you see that big body guy with big hands like (Paulino-Bell), you can’t not help but be attracted and say ‘Who’s that? Who’s that guy?’”

When briefly describing wide receiver Laress Nelson, Dantonio compared the 5-foot-10 receiver from American Heritage High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. to former MSU receiver Macgarrett Kings Jr.

“He’s a smaller guy, very quick-body guy, very electric guy … reminds me a lot of Macgarrett Kings in terms of how he plays in his abilities,” Dantonio said of Nelson. “Has a great ability to catch the football, great hand-eye coordination, and we look forward to seeing him play many different positions whether it’s jet sweeps, or bubble screens, or down the field routes or punt returns.”

Nelson helped American Heritage win three Florida 5A state titles in four years, winning 28 of 29 games and being ranked No. 11 in the nation by MaxPreps.

Dantonio later referenced former MSU running back and current Chicago Bear Jeremy Langford when discussing Copley High School running back Weston Bridges.

“(Bridges) reminds you a little bit of a Jeremy Langford type guy, the way he runs behind his pads,” Dantonio said. “We’re very, very excited about getting him as a Spartan.”

The No. 32 running back in the 2017 class by 247sports rushed for 3,583 yards and 60 touchdowns on 474 carries in his 29-game high school career, but suffered a torn ACL late in his senior season.

Other signees from the 2017 class that were contrasted to a former MSU player by Dantonio on Wednesday include cornerback and early enrollee Josiah Scott and safety Dominique Long.

“Josiah really reminds you a lot of Darqueze Dennard in a lot of ways,” Dantonio said. “The way he goes about his business, his change of direction, his ability to move vertical … He comes to work every day. He’s got a sense of toughness about him. He’s got outstanding ball skills from film and from watching him in person playing in games.”

The 5-foot-10 cornerback from Fairfield High School in Hamilton, Ohio enrolled at MSU on Jan. 9 and will participate in spring practice.

Ranked the No. 42 cornerback in the nation by Scout.com, Scott logged 48 tackles, 10 pass break-ups, five interceptions, four tackles for losses, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble as a senior.

Dantonio subsequently referred to Long as an athlete similar to former MSU safety Montae Nicholson.

“(Long is) just, I think, a tremendous athlete with a big upside,” he said. “Reminds of Montae Nicholson in terms of his athletic makeup and his athletic ability. And I look for him, the way he tackles and his ball skills, for him to have an opportunity to get on the field pretty quickly for us this year.”

The safety from Westerville South High School in Westerville, Ohio played defensive back as well as wide receiver in high school. He accumulated numerous accolades including being chosen to USA TODAY’s All-USA Ohio Second Team and he was ranked the No. 15 best player in Ohio by 247sports.

Among the 27 players who signed to MSU Wednesday, four players joined as preferred walk-ons: offensive lineman Blake Bueter, safety Jack Mandryk, linebacker Brent Mossburg and fullback Max Rosenthal.

Linebacker Noah Harvey is also a walk-on, but is taking a grayshirt, which allows him to receive a scholarship next year.