So, uh, about that Michigan State decline ...
You might remember some of the Chicken Littles who were dumping on the Spartans earlier this offseason. The arrival of Jim Harbaugh at Michigan and Ohio State's continuing dominance were about to squeeze Dantonio's program back to mediocrity, they squawked.
Well, that message doesn't seem to be jibing with reality -- or recruits.
Michigan State scored another big recruiting win on Sunday, when ESPN 300 defensive end Auston Robertson committed to the Spartans after hearing Mark Dantonio talk at a camp. ESPN ranks Robertson as the No. 18 defensive end in the 2016 class and the No. 2 player in the state of Indiana. Dantonio's staff picked up another ESPN 300 defensive end on Friday when Josh King of Illinois gave his verbal pledge. Also over the weekend, Spartans quarterback commitment Messiah deWeaver made the finals of the prestigious Elite 11 quarterback competition.
Our Tom VanHaaren reports that two more highly-regarded prospects, Chicago defensive lineman Naquan Jones and Illinois defensive tackle Mike Panasiuk, could choose the Spartans when they announce on Monday. Dantonio already has four ESPN 300 commitments in the fold, the highest number he's had during his tenure in East Lansing.
Future gets brighter at The Summit @AWPSPORTS. #Fearsome4Some#2 #V4MSU
— Mark Dantonio (@DantonioMark) June 7, 2015So much for slowing down, huh? Dantonio and his staff have a richly deserved reputation for spotting overlooked players and developing talent, but sometimes that gets overblown to suggest that Michigan State hasn't brought in highly ranked recruits. The Spartans certainly have done so, but they haven't boasted many elite-level classes.
But that's changing. Last year's class was ranked 29th by ESPN.com, which was the best in Dantonio's seven years. This year's could end up cracking the Top 25. The thought of Dantonio's staff working with more diamonds and less rough must be a thrilling prospect for Spartans fans.
It makes perfect sense why Michigan State is finding even more success with blue-chippers on the recruiting trail. The program has won 11 or more games in four of the past five years and has finished in the top five the past two seasons following victories in the Rose and Cotton bowls. That kind of recent achievement resonates with today's high schoolers, especially when compared to Michigan, which -- other than the 2011 Sugar Bowl -- hasn't really done much since current top prospects were in middle school. And of course, the Spartans have owned the Wolverines in head-to-head meetings of late, winning six of the past seven.
History might work for the parents, but teenagers care only about what happened the past couple of years. That's why Michigan State remains in great shape, even with the arrival of Harbaugh and his hyper-aggressive (sometimes shirtless) recruiting methods.
Michigan will still do just fine, and procuring talent hasn't really been the issue in Ann Arbor anyway. The Spartans, though, are showing that they're going to be staunch competitors for elite Midwest prospects.
(As a side note, the recent wave of commitments shows just how hard it is for schools such as Purdue, Indiana and Illinois. The top three players in the Hoosier State as ranked by ESPN.com are now committed to Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State; if Jones commits to the Spartans, they will have three of the top 15 players in the state of Illinois, or two more than the Illini.)
It should be said that these are just verbal commitments and things can and often do change before signing day. Dantonio must make sure his program continues its momentum this fall, and beating Michigan again would prove helpful. Yet those alarmist predictions of a forthcoming back slide for the Spartans sure seem to lack any foundation in current reality.
