Wednesday was a big mail day for MSU head football coach Bobby Williams.Nineteen letters reached Williams’ desk signed and sealed, securing MSU’s early signees for the 2002 recruiting class.“I am very, very happy this day has come and it’s come to a close,” Williams said.
Clifton Ryan Arthur Hill High: Saginaw 6-3, 255 pounds Linebacker Ryan continues the long lineage of great athletes coming from the Saginaw Valley Conference.
Kyle Brown West Bloomfield High: West Bloomfield 6-1, 195 pounds Wide receiver Brown verbally committed in late January and said he’s looking forward to teaming up with other fast wide receivers. “It’s gonna be pretty fun,” Brown said. His senior season was cut short by a torn anterior cruciate ligament, but that didn’t stop schools from recruiting him. His junior season he rushed for 1,300 yards and passed for 300.
The departure of senior linebacker Josh Thornhill to the NFL leaves a big hole in the middle of the MSU football team’s defense next season.Enter a hopeful replacement for next fall - Riverside-Brookfield High (Illinois) linebacker Steve Kielp, who will sign a letter of intent to play for head coach Bobby Williams today.“I think Kielp, a top 10 player in the state of Illinois, is very important to Michigan State,” said Bill Kurelic, recruiting analyst for MidwestRecruiting.com.
The key ingredients to a passing attack are a quarterback with a strong arm and wide receivers with speed and height.And the Spartans didn’t have to look far for the speed and height, with three Michigan wide receivers among MSU football’s 2002 recruiting class.The 6-foot-7 Matt Trannon joins Kyle Brown and Agim Shabaj, who have both been clocked 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash.Brown and Trannon are ready to sign Wednesday, but Shabaj is having second thoughts.
A roll of thunder and a jolt of lightning may be just what the Spartan running attack needs to fill the void left by junior running back T.J.
Kyle Brown, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound senior wide receiver from West Bloomfield High, said Monday that MSU would be his college of choice.Brown said he called MSU head football coach Bobby Williams Sunday to officially announce his decision.“(MSU) was the school that really fit me,” he said.
With more than 20 football scholarship offers thrown his way, Joe Karaska had a tough decision at hand.On Sunday, the 6-foot-5, 325-pound offensive lineman picked the green and white, becoming the Spartans’ 15th commitment for the 2002 season.“It was kind of both me and my mom’s decision,” Karaska said.
Junior tailback T.J. Duckett is bolting from East Lansing - and a local favorite sandwich will probably be close behind. As the news of Duckett’s formal senior-year-skipping announcement bounced around town Thursday afternoon, fans had varying reactions.
The Spartan football team will have to switch to unleaded next season, as “Diesel” will no longer be available. A sense of satisfaction and relief beamed from T.J.
T.J. Duckett told The Associated Press he hasn’t made his decision on whether to forgo his senior season to enter the NFL Draft.The Spartan star running back will announce his decision at 4 p.m.
Trust me, this is not a plea for T.J. Duckett to return next fall. Actually, I have no clue if the big guy will depart the banks of the Red Cedar for the NFL’s big bucks, but speculation has the 3,379-yard career-rusher fleeing MSU in a limo after his 4 p.m.
The possible departure of junior running back T.J. Duckett would be a “disaster” for the Spartan football team, one top college football analyst said.ESPN college football expert Beano Cook said if Duckett takes his game to the NFL, MSU would struggle to compete in the Big Ten conference.“It’s a disaster for them - you can count on two more losses (for the Spartans),” he said.
The chant “T.J. Duckett, T.J. Duckett” has roared within Spartan Stadium countless times.
Spartan junior running back T.J. Duckett will be rushing out of Spartan Stadium for the 2002 NFL Draft, a person close to the MSU standout told The State News on Tuesday. And, if Duckett announces that decision as he’s expected 4 p.m.
Joe Namath he’s not, but that didn’t stop Charles Rogersfrom making a bold prediction after a 44-35 victory over Fresno State in the Silicon Valley Football Classic.
The new year brings new honors for two Michigan State freshmen. After being selected as second-team Freshman All-Americans by The Sporting News last month, offensive guard William Whitticker and linebacker Ronald Stanley made the Football News Freshman All-America teams. Whitticker received first-team honors after starting 11 of 12 games this season.
With an offensive attack never seen before in MSU football history, the Spartans rolled to a 44-35 victory over Fresno State in the Silicon Valley Football Classic. The Spartans set MSU bowl game records with 44 points, 586 total net yards, 376 net yards passing and 210 net yards rushing. “We had a great game plan going into the game,” said sophomore quarterback Jeff Smoker, who threw for an MSU bowl record 376 yards.
San Jose, Calif. - An old-fashioned Western shootout was expected and that’s just what MSU got in a 44-35 victory Monday over No.
MSU’s top athletics official said Friday that a raise and contract extension given to head football coach Bobby Williams this week should help lead to a better Spartan season next fall.Athletics director Clarence Underwood said the deal, which includes a $50,000 raise and “roll-over” clause, should help Williams recruit top-notch players for his team.