Recruiting 2013: Dennis Finley

The Spartans now have their 13th verbal commitment in the form of Michigan Offensive Tackle Dennis Finley.

Finley is a 3-star recruit to all but ESPN, which gives him 4 stars. He had a solid list of offers from places like Ohio State, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Cincinnati.

Finley is a huge guy (6' 7" and between 280 to 300 lbs.), but there is little statistical evidence on his athleticism.  So let's turn to his video.

Finley does look massive and strong. He is able to use those assets to stop defensive ends cold in their tracks. He also flashes some mobility in some of the pulling plays.  The one concern is that he does look just a bit slow, and that could be a problem when facing fast defensive ends. We'll have to see if he can improve his technique and mobility in his senior year.

Upshot: This is a huge get for the Spartans, first of all, because Finley is a good prospect. He needs some work, but the Spartans have several guys ahead of him, anyway. So he'll have plenty of time to develop. Of course, the other significant thing about Finley's commitment is that he comes from Cass Tech high school.  As many of you know, Cass Tech cranks out several top-end recruits every year, but most of them end up at UM -- no surprise since their head coach is former UM player Thomas Wilcher. Finley's commitment hopefully represents an inroad for MSU into talent-rich Cass Tech.

Finley may be the only O-lineman the Spartans take in this class, though they would likely still take a guy like Texas guard Caleb Benenoch. They are relatively loaded at O-line and they are probably down to three scholarships, now. So my guess is that they go for a defensive tackle, a safety, and best player available (e.g., Benenoch, Montravius Adams, Robert Foster, or perhaps Ruben Dunbar).

Recruiting 2013: Demetrius Cooper

All caught up with the 2013 commits!

Today, the Spartans received their 12th commitment from Illinois defensive end Demetrius Cooper.

Cooper has been an under-the-radar guy up to this point.  He has only been evaluated by Scout and 247, who give him 3 stars. He didn't get much attention until the Spartans offered him at one of their camps, and then suddenly he received offers from places like Notre Dame and Purdue.

Cooper has great height for a defensive end (6' 5") but he will need to add a lot of weight (he is listed as somewhere between 205 and 225 lbs.) before he sees the field. He is supposed to be extremely athletic, but there is no reported time for his 40. We can't evaluate his athleticism through highlights because none seem to be available at this point.

Upshot: We're going to have to be patient until Cooper's senior year highlights come out, but at least we know that the Spartan coaches wanted him "bad." Word had it that he was unblockable at the Spartan camp he attended. As for the rest of the class, Cooper's commitment could make for some awkwardness. Illinois defensive end Ruben Dunbar was heavily favoring the Spartans and I'm not sure they have room for him anymore. I think they want to take one more defensive tackle, an offensive tackle, and a safety. I don't know, maybe if they can take 16, they'll take Dunbar as well.  We'll have to see how the coaches handle this.

Recruiting 2013: Devyn Salmon

Almost caught up on the 2013 commits.

Back in July, the Spartans received a commitment from their Florida defensive tackle Devyn Salmon. Salmon is considered a 3-star recruit by every site except 247, which gives him 2 stars. His top offers came from Cincinnati and West Virginia.

Salmon is on the short side for a defensive tackle (6' 1"), but he still packs a lot of weight (around 285 lbs.).  Only ESPN reports a 40 time (5.24), which is reasonable for a guy that big. Let's see what his video can tell us:

There's not much in the way of game film, but we can see above that Salmon can dominate, at least against lower level O-line talent. Below we see him struggle against more elite talent:

Upshot: I'll have to wait until senior year highlights come to make a full evaluation, but for now I'd say that Salmon is a good prospect because he has a natural leverage advantage (he's shorter, obviously) and he has excellent athleticism. He will, however, need to improve his technique and get much stronger before he can take on more elite O-linemen. Salmon is likely one of only two defensive tackles the Spartans will take, though they will always make room for a third DT if it is someone like Montravius Adams (the number one DT in the country).

Recruiting 2013: Jay Harris

Back in June the Spartans received a commitment from Pennsylvania wide receiver Jay Harris.

Harris is a considered a 3-star recruit by all the recruiting sites, except Rivals, which gives him 2 stars. His only other scholarship offers came from Old Dominion and Temple.

Harris is a smaller receiver (5' 11" and 175 lbs). Info on his athleticism is limited.  ESPN gives Harris a 40 time of 4.72, while 247 gives him a 4.6. That's a little slow for a small receiver, but perhaps his video tells us something different:

Well, the video seems to confirm Harris' speed; he does not appear to be a 4.4 kind of guy. But he is still an intriguing prospect. He's kind of a wide receiver in a running back's body. He has running back toughness and running back moves, both of which help him get open and allow him to run well, after the catch. He kind of reminds me of Macgarrett Kings, who was listed as a running back by Scout.

Upshot: I'm looking forward to seeing how Harris progresses in his senior year. If I recall correctly, Kings ended up being much faster in his senior highlights than in his junior highlights, and I wouldn't be surprised if the same happens with Harris. Otherwise, the Spartans should be finished taking wide receivers in this class, unless a guy like Robert Foster (the number 2 receiver in the nation) decides to commit.

What Outback Bowl Might Tell Us About MSU This Year

Just re-watched the Outback Bowl (here) because I'm starved for football and because I wanted to see if that game would yield any insights about this season.  Here are a few thoughts I came away with:

The offense struggled most of the game
- The O-line really struggled, and that really hurt the running game.
- The O-line's struggles also meant the passing game struggled.  Cousins was pressured a lot, which disrupted his timing most of the game. The receivers also struggled to get open for most of the game.
- The offense was very dependent on big plays from its playmakers. Three guys stepped up big, in my mind: LeVeon Bell (dragged tacklers when there wasn't much running room), Brian Linthicum (made several tough catches), and Keith Nichol (made a few tough catches in the fourth quarter).

The Spartan defense kept them in the game
- They allowed only 18 points in regular time, and 11 of those points were the result of the bad field position handed them by the offense and special teams.  They also scored a touchdown on Darqueze Dennard's interception and gave the offense excellent field position on a few occasions.
- The front seven played very well. MSU stuffed Georgia's running game most of the day and they put quite a bit of pressure on Georgia's quarterback (Aaron Murray).
- The defense did give up some big plays, however. Georgia burned the Spartan secondary on some long passes. The Spartan secondary (including Johnny Adams and Trenton Robinson) struggled against Georgia's top receiver (Tavarres King).  The Spartan defense and special teams struggled against Georgia's playmaker Brandon Boykin.

Insights into this season
- If Maxwell and the passing game struggle this season, then the Outback Bowl is a good indicator of what this season will be like. The offense will sputter against good defenses, and the Spartan defense will have to keep games close.  But I actually think the MSU offense will be better this year for three reasons. First, the O-line will be considerably better than last year.  That will improve the running and passing game. Second, the offense will be in its second year under offensive coordinator Dan Roushar. Both the players and Roushar should be more comfortable.  I also think that Roushar will have more players that fit better with some of the things he likes to do (like running outside the tackles). Third, MSU could have more explosive playmakers this year than it had last year.  I'm particularly hopeful about Dion Sims and Bennie Fowler.
- The Outback Bowl raised one concern for me about the Spartan defense going into this year: they do struggle against elite players (who doesn't? I suppose), especially the secondary. I do think that the Spartan secondary will be better this year than last year, and thus, should match up better against elite receivers. Johnny Adams will be better than ever, and the Outback Bowl has me believing that Darqueze Dennard will be a superstar.  Mark my words, if Dennard stays healthy, people will be talking about him as a possible first round draft pick by the end of this season. The Spartans may end up losing their top 3 cornerbacks at the end of this year.

Recruiting 2013: Trey Kilgore

Back in June the Spartans received a verbal commitment from Ohio wide receiver Trey Kilgore.  Kilgore is a consensus 3-star recruit, with offers from places like Boston College, Cincinnati, and Iowa.

Kilgore has good size (6' 2" and 180 lbs.), but there's little info on his athleticism.  So let's turn to his video:

First of all, his video says he runs the 40 in 4.5 seconds. And his performance suggests that's pretty accurate. Kilgore is a very good athlete, often the best on the field. He ran the ball quite a bit as a quarterback, which shows he'll know what to do after the catch. There's not a lot of video of him catching the ball, but the few plays you see show that he runs some good routes and that he can catch the ball.

Upshot: Kilgore could become a more athletic version of Cunningham -- same size, but faster. It remains to be seen if he can develop the same receiving skills as Cunningham (the hands, the route running, the ability to win the ball in the air).  But the tools are there.

Recruiting 2013: Dylan Chmura

Back in June the Spartans received a commitment from Wisconsin tight end Dylan Chmura -- the son of Mark Chmura, the former Green Bay Packer.

There is not much info on Chmura at this point.  No site had him rated at the time of his commitment, and currently he is only rated by Scout and 247, which give him 2 stars.

Chmura has good height (6' 5") for the position -- same height as his father, apparently.  But other than that, there is no info on his athleticism.  So let's turn to his video . . . well, there is no video, except his dad talking about him:

According to his dad, Dylan was a major contributor to his high school team (which won the state championship, apparently) as a sophomore and he is further along in his development than his dad at the same age.  Other than that, the only other indicator that Dylan is a good recruit is the fact that he impressed the coaches at an MSU camp.

Upshot: It's hard to say much about Chmura at this point.  This is certainly one of those occasions where you have to wait until he plays his senior year to find out more about him.  At least he comes from NFL stock, and at least the MSU coaches seemed impressed by him.  We'll have to be satisfied with that for now.