MSU Gets Cornerback

The Spartans picked up a verbal commitment from Ohio cornerback, Jermain Edmondson.  He is considered a 3-star prospect by most of the recruiting sites and he had some solid offers: Illinois, Nebraska, Purdue.  He has great size for a conerback (6'1") and according to Rivals he has good speed (4.4 in the 40) and a good vertical (33 inches).  His film shows that he has some playmaking ability, but also that he is not as explosive as the 4.4 speed would suggest:

He shows some good instincts for the ball and that he is able to compete for the ball against tall receivers.  He also appears to have some decent hands.  But the few times he gets the ball he doesn't show elite speed.  Thus, it's hard to predict Edmondson's future.  He may not be athletic enough to excel at corner, but his athleticism may work very well at safety.  If he switches to safetey, though, he will need to grow a bit and get stronger.  So we'll have to see.

Spartans Get Top Receiver

The Spartans received a verbal commitment from the top wide receiver in Michigan, Aaron Burbridge.  He is considered a 4-star receiver by all the recruiting sites and he looks to be the best recruit MSU has picked up in this class.  He has all the physical tools: good size (6'1"), good speed (4.4 in the 40), and a good vertical (30 inches).  His highlight film also shows that he is quite the playmaker:

You can see that he is athleticallly dominant.  But he also has excellent hands and great body control.  To my eyes, he looks like a potential star, the kind of receiver that could play as soon as his freshmen year.  He even looks like the kind of recruit that could end up holding a fair share of MSU receiving records by the time he finishes at MSU.  If he stays healthy and out of trouble, it looks like the sky is the limit.  What a great get for the Spartans!

Another RB for the Spartans?

The Spartans received a commitment yesterday from Florida running back, MacGarrett Kings.  Not sure what to make of this one.  The comments from the recruiting sites make it seem that they think highly of him (Scout calls him "talented" and ESPN calls him "highly-recruited") but then he is only rated as a 3-star prospect.  Maybe the ambiguity stems from his versatility.  It appears that he can play both running back and wide receiver.  I don't know.  Anyway, there isn't much data available for him.  He is 5'10" and about 175 lbs, nobody has any info on his speed in the 40.  So we'll have to base our evalauations mainly on his highlight video:

 

My impression of his highlights is that he is not a particularly explosive player.  He does not appear to be all that quick and he does not appear to have break away speed.  He is shifty, but he seems to get caught relatively quickly--when he plays the running back position.  To me he looks more dangerous as a receiver, where he seems to be quite the playmaker.  He makes some amazing catches and shows great hands and body control.  At 5'10", he will need to separate from defenders to be an effective receiver.  But since he doesn't seem to have that much speed, he will have to rely on something else to separate.  What could that be?  Well, this next video may provide the answer:

He seems able to separate by using his shiftiness.  By the way, this video also reveals some of his stats on various events: 4.84 in the 40; 27.5 vertical jump.  So, as feared, he does not appear to be all that explosive.  My guess, therefore, is that he will end up as a slot receiver, where he can rely more on that shiftiness.  And he will also have to rely on his playmaking ability to see time on the field.  Sometimes, the best athletes don't make the plays, and sometimes, lesser athletes show the fearlessness it takes to make plays when it counts.  I guess we'll just have to see if his playmaking ability can overcome his lack of athleticism.  I have a hunch that he has enough playmaking ability to help the Spartans in the long run.  Probability of becoming a starter by his junior year: 50/50.