Getting Seriously Difficult to Keep Up

The Spartans received their fourth commitment in four days from Georgia running back Nick Tompkins.  He is considered a 3-star recruit by all the recruiting sites and has a very good list of offers, including: Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Stanford, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.  24/7 calls him a "standout running back" while ESPN calls him "outstanding."  His hight is listed as 5-10 and his weight as 185, which means he will have to add about 15 to 20 pounds to his frame to endure in the Big Ten.  Only Rivals lists his time in the 40, as 4.4, which should mean that he has excellent speed.  His film looks impressive:

He shows great quickness, agility, and game-breaking speed.  Of course, the film also shows that he will need to add some weight before becoming a regular in the backfield for MSU.  Consequently, he seems likely to be used in special situations in his first year, particularly since the Spartans are loaded at the running back position.  I think he looks explosive enough that the coaches may want to find a way to get him on the field early, so he may not get a redshirt year.  After his first year, he looks good enough to contend for major playing time.  I'm impressed with Tompkins, so I think the probabilities that he will excel at MSU are well above 50/50.  Well, there's no denying it now that this class is solidly on its way.

On MSU's Latest Recruit

Well, I didn't have much time the last 24 hours, but here finally is a quick look at Jamal Lyles, the Spartans' latest recruit.  Lyles is considered to be a 3-star recruit by all the recruiting services and he had offers from pretty good programs, including: Cincinatti, Illinois, Iowa, Pittsburgh, and Stanford.  He also appears to have a pretty good frame for the outside linebacker position: Ht: 6-3 Wt: 215.  None of the services have data on his athleticism (no data on speed or vertical leap), so it's hard to say what he brings to the table in that arena.  His highlight film suggests that he is not that fast (but maybe he's one those guys that is deceptively fast): 

I am not a professional scout, but I think the speed thing could mean that he eventually becomes a defensive end.  He seems to have enough mobility to excel at that position, in the long run--though he would need to add about 50 pounds.  Ultimately, Lyles is a difficult recruit to evaluate, in part because there is not enough information.  So I will make a poorly informed assessment and say the probabilities are on his side at defensive end and less so at outside linebacker.

It's Raining Recruits!

The Spartans received verbal commitments from 2 more recruits yesterday.  Here's a quick look at Josiah Price (Greentown, IN), who looks like he could become either a tight end or a defensive end.  He is not the most sought-after player.  All the recruiting services consider him a 3-star prospect, and his best scholarship offers come from the lower tier of the Big Ten: Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue.  He does appear to have good size and athleticism for his intended positions, especially for defensive end: Ht: 6-5 Wt: 235 40: 4.78.  His highlight film looks great.  As a tight end, he looks like he has good hands and can run well after the catch.  As a defensive end, he has good speed and seems like he doesn't give up on a play.  

The probability that Price becomes a good player?  Probably more than 50/50. 

Spartans Get Wide Receiver

The Spartans received a verbal commitment from Coatesville, PA Wide Receiver, Kyle Kerrick.  He does not appear to be highly rated by the recruiting services--Scout and Rivals both give him 3 stars, while ESPN and 24/7 don't have him rated, yet.  On the other hand, ESPN calls him a "prized" wide receiver, and he did have scholarship offers from some decent football programs, including: Cincinatti, Illinois, Pittsburgh, and West Virginia.  He also appears to have the size (6'3, 185 pounds) and athleticism (runs a 4.53 40-yard dash, and has a 30-inch vertical leap) to become a good receiver at the college level.  In his highlight film he appears to put those tools to use.  You can see that he has good hands, that he has a good ability to outjump defensive backs, and that he runs well after the catch.

Prediction.  Hard to say.  In 2008, MSU recruited Fred Smith (4 stars) and Keshawn Martin (2 stars).  The former did not succeed at MSU and is now leaving, while the latter is considered one of the Big Ten's most explosive players.  In any case, based on his physical gifts and his film I'd say the probabilities are on Kerrick's side.  The probabilities that he will become a good wide receiver are above 50-50. 

Spartans Pick Up Big Time Recruit

MSU just received a commitment from Ohio defensive end, Se'Von Pittman.  This is a huge get for the Spartans, on par with the acquisitions of William Golston and Lawrence Thomas.  Pittman is rated as a four star recruit by all the recruiting services, and his national position rank ranges from top 14 (by ESPN) all the way to top 3 (by 24/7).  His highlight film looks pretty good; he looks explosive and fast.  He does look like he needs to add a lot of weight and he sometimes doesn't separate well from blockers.  But overall, this is a spectacular recruit for Dantonio and the Spartans.  As I said a few weeks ago, I am not worried about MSU's recruiting falling behind Michigan's.  There is so much talent in the Midwest this year and Ohio State is falling apart (indeed, Pittman may be one of those players MSU was able to get because Ohio State is in trouble).  The Spartans will get their guys this year.  No need to worry about that.

Spartans Getting National Attention

Here is a nice article on Spartan football that just recently appeared in Sports Illustrated.  The article pretty much makes the same points we're all familiar with: Cousins is a good quarterback, the running backs are great, the offensive line is the biggest question mark, etc.  But the important thing is that the Spartans are finally starting to get attention from national media sources. 
       My favorites part of the article is this: "Cousins' experience should prove invaluable in a youthful conference. In matchups against Ricky Stanzi-less Iowa, Scott Tolzien-less Wisconsin and Terrelle Pryor-less Ohio State, Cousins should give Michigan State an edge in season-defining games."  Indeed.  That's not to say that these won't be tough games--they sure will be--but perhaps they shouldn't be as tough as they were last year (though MSU did not play OSU last year).  This part of the article reminds me that the toughest games on the schedule look to be against Notre Dame and Nebraska, and even those appear to me to be winnable. 

MSU's Talent Development Prowess

This is why there is no need to worry about MSU's recruiting.  You can see that Spartan Offensive Guard, Joel Foreman, is ranked 76th on Rivals' 2011 Top 100 Players Countdown.  According to Rival's, "He's a powerful road-grader and coaches are counting on him to be an anchor for a rebuilt line..."  His ranking is all the more impressive when you consider that Foreman was once a two-star recruit.  So this is a great result for Foreman (congratulations Joel), but perhaps more importantly, this result also tells us that MSU is very good at developing talent.  Of course, this is just one case, but just wait until Rivals reveals the rest of its top 100. The Spartans should have other once-low-starred recruits (e.g., Kirk Cousins and Jerel Worthy) making an appearance. 

Spartans Get Commitment From Tyler O’Connor

       The Spartans have received their fifth commitment for the class of 2012.  Quarterback Tyler O'Connor, a three-star quaterback, chose the Spartans over the likes of Northwestern, Bowling Green, Indiana, Louisville, Miami (Ohio), Toledo, Vanderbilt, and West Virginia.  According to Scout, O'Connor is the 38th ranked quarterback in the country, he is about 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, and runs the 40 in 4.75.  He self-reports a 245-pounds bench, a 440-pound squat, and a 28-inch vertical jump.  In his junior season, O'Connor threw for 2,516 yards and 27 touchdowns. He also rushed for 470 yards and 13 touchdowns.  He also appears to have performed well at the recent Nike Camp, in Columbus.
       O'Connor appears to be in the same mold as previous quarterbacks recruited by MSU.  He's not particularly highly ranked, but he also seems to be considered solid.  His size reminds me of Kirk Cousins, and in fact, so does his status as a three-star recruit.  He is more highly ranked than last year's quarterback-commit, Connor Cook (2-star), though he appears to be less athletic.  

      His highlights look impressive.  He shows good athleticism and a strong arm.  I have to say, his highlights look more impressive than 3 stars, but I suppose that's why they call them highlights.  In any case, he shouldn't get much playing time for his first 2 years, because Andrew Maxwell will be taking over for Kirk Cousins.  But in the long run, he seems to have the potential to become a starter, perhaps for as many as 3 years--especially if the Spartans don't eventually land a 5-star recruit.  The upshot is that the quarterback position seems to be solid shape for the next several years.