Recruiting 2013: Darian Hicks

Back in June, the Spartans received a commitment from Ohio cornerback Darian Hicks.  Scout, Rivals, and ESPN consider Hicks a 3-star recruit, while 247 gives him 4 stars.  His offer list (which includes Boston College, Cincinnati, Illinois, Iowa, Penn State, Pitt, and West Virginia) suggests that he's probably closer to the 4-star rating.

Hicks seems to fit the mold of a Dantonio cornerback: 6 feet tall, 175 lbs (though ESPN and 247 list as 5' 10".  ESPN is the only one reporting a time for him in the 40, giving him 4.71.  That would be slow for a cornerback.  Let's see if his video suggest something different:

Well, he doesn't look as explosive as some other guys, but you can tell that Hicks is a pretty good athlete.  He plays several positions, including kick returner, where he is able to outrun guys a few times.  On the other hand, you can also see him get caught from behind on the interception return.  I'm going to say that he's probably faster than 4.71 in the 40, but he's probably not a 4.4 guy.

I think it's difficult to evaluate cornberbacks in highlight videos because half the time they're not even in the video until the last second when they make a play.  So you can't see how they cover guys, or how they position themselves.  The main thing you can, though, is that Hicks has good hands (he makes interceptions and plays receiver) and that he is a solid tackler.

Upshot: Hicks looks like a really good pickup. According to rumors, the coaches wanted him pretty badly, and it's nice to see that they were able to get him, considering all the good offers he had.  My guess is that he will be a good cornerback for MSU, which is good since Hicks will likely be the only cornerback taken in this class.