lolsparty

East Lansing's uniforms look a lot like Penn State's so I figured this would be less confusing. [via Twitter]

Previously: Last year’s profiles. P Tommy Doman Jr. S Rod Moore. CB Ja’Den McBurrows. LB Jaydon Hood. LB Junior Colson. LB Tyler McLaurin. DE Kechaun Bennett. DE TJ Guy. DE/DT Dominick Giudice. DT George Rooks. DT Rayshaun Benny. NG Ikechukwu Iwunnah. C Greg Crippen. C/G Raheem Anderson. T Giovanni El-Hadi. T Tristan Bounds. TE Louis Hansen. WR Cristian Dixon. WR Xavier Worthy.

 
East Lansing, MI – 6’2”, 185
 



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Uma. [Twitter]

247:

               3.72*
3*, 88, #462 overall

#69 WR, #13 MI
Rivals:

               3.67*
3*, 5.7, NR overall

#76 WR, #16 MI
ESPN:

               3.57*
3*, 77, #86 MW, NR Ovr

#115 WR, #17 MI
Composite:

               3.68*
3*, .8755, #527 overall

#81 WR, #13 MI
Other Suitors MSU, PSU, Minn, IU, NW
YMRMFSPA Roy Roundtree but Tall (and Fast?)
Previously On MGoBlog Hello post by Ace.
Notes Twitter. Early enrollee.

Film:

Junior highlights (senior not posted):

More Film: Highlights vs Portage Central (Sr). Hudl page with another senior game (Waverly). Basketball highlights.

Take the fourth quarter of Braylonfest, add a pinch of a Mike Hart presser, mix in Mo Wagner’s ankle-breaker, and top it with the Charles Matthews photo, let it stew for 100 years of inferiority so deep they’re mad at the very concept of non-alumni fandom, and you have a perfect recipe for Spartan Tears.

But if you don’t want to go through all that prep, you can always drive up to East Lansing and carry out a perfect receiver prospect for MSU. Andrel Anthony comes with all the fixings of an in-state recruiting win: grew up a Michigan fan in East Lansing, a bogus 3-star ranking, Notre Dame recruiters who saw a lack of reciprocal interest as a personality flaw, some late Penn State negative recruiting to dip it in, and of course a heaping side of shoulder chips. While supplies last, you can also get some interest from regional receiver factories like Indiana and Minnesota. We’ll even throw in some homemade “We didn’t need Xavier Worthy anyway” talk from Michigan’s otherwise close-lipped spring sessions.

I could use some of your help though. It’s my first year doing the recruiting writeups so I don’t remember the protocol for announcing the Sleeper of the Class. Do I do it now, at the end of his writeup, or wait until the overview post? Did I just blow the surprise? Whatever—don’t care—because whenever you choose to chuck a deep one in the direction of Andrel Anthony, chances are he’s going to make you look smart for it.

[After THE JUMP: Fighting with a vim.]

Signing Day and the DTs

  • Rayshaun Benny: lolsparty, but even five-star DTs don’t
  • Most DTs play end in high school, Benny played mostly OT
  • Ravens front: take the 5-2 and change the names
  • Sam takes credit for seeing Alan Branch first, playing fullback in New Mexico.
  • What does this mean for Michigan State recruiting? Two highest rated recruits in their class got poached.
  • Scouting OL: the Kalis problem.

Basketball things

  • Michigan State-Iowa had ten guys playing 10 minutes or more. MSU can’t get to the rim.
  • Is Michigan going to suffer from a layoff hangover?
  • The Iowa question: can you be good if you don’t play defense?
  • Brian doesn’t get why we’re opening restaurants for sick people and shutting down health athletic teams: security theater?
  • Seth: Baylor and Gonzaga may be the best teams but Michigan’s schedule is so tough they might deserve the top one seed.

[Hit the JUMP for the player, and video and stuff]

That face when someone's still doubting Nua today. [David Nasternak]

My deepest apologies to Shaun Nua. Within days of Michigan reaffirming their commitment to their oft-maligned defensive line coach, Nua reeled in three of Michigan’s top priorities in the defensive trenches. That includes flipping the one in-state 4-star most critical to establishing credibility in the state of Michigan for Mel Tucker’s Michigan State program.

While Michigan led for most of the cycle, MSU came in with guns blazing, offering to make Benny face of the program, and focusing on the branding potential of being Top Sparty in a world where athletes own their own likeness rights. Benny committed to MSU shortly after they upset the Wolverines last fall.

That commitment however proved as fleeting as Ricky White’s Biletnikoff campaign. Benny did not sign with the other Spartan commits on Early Signing Day in December, maintained he was “excited to sign with Michigan State” right up until yesterday, and announced his commitment to Michigan on Wednesday. Sam Webb said the staff shakeout absolutely affected things:

“Him not singing in December was huge for Michigan. It allowed the coaching situation to work itself out. Michigan, they persisted through his commitment, even through the season. Sherrone Moore and Shaun Nua kept it up. They have a great relationship, they have a great relationship with Rayshaun’s mom. That's number one. Number two, you have to give Shaun Nua a ton of credit. He worked tirelessly on this recruitment….when it became clear that he might not be back, Michigan's pursuit was in jeopardy.

…though this was a long, top-priority recruitment that connected with Benny’s mom, let Benny choose his side of the ball, and retained the coaches (and some of the players) Benny felt most connected to.

Also MSU’s defensive line is probably their most solid part of the depth chart, and unlike other positions of need they actually have recruits there with working circulatory systems and everything.

Just go easy on Scott Tenorman’s tears, is what I’m saying. You don’t want to ruin your dinner.

GURU RATINGS

Rivals ESPN 247 247 Comp
4*, 5.9, #98 OVR,

#9 DT, #5 MI
4*, 80, NR OVR,

#19 DT, #30 MW, #8 MI
4*, 91, #212 OVR, #16 DT, #7 MI 4*, 0.9213, #195 OVR,

#16 DT, #6 MI
4.50* 4.03* 4.14* 4.22*

Bottom row is my conversion of the above to a 5-star scale. Links are to profiles.

On average this is a significant step above Rooks; Benny is ranked about where Mike Martin was, though there are some similarities to how the various sites viewed Alan Branch and Quinton Washington, both of whom were OL/DL prospects that the recruiters preferred on offense. That includes many of the schools talking to Benny a year ago, including Ohio State, Penn State, and Notre Dame, and Rivals. The 24/7 staff seemed to know Benny’s preference for defensive line before some of those schools. Rivals was finally admitting the preference by June, but kept Benny ranked as an offensive tackle through December. They also remain highest on his potential, with ESPN ranking him more of a regular ol’ 4-star and 24/7 splitting the difference. ESPN and Rivals have him at 270, while 24/7 lists his weight at 275.

[After the JUMP: Not just LMFAO gifs]

Like the people in your replies who are like wugga wugga wugga, I don't know what it is.

east lansing high school's very own!

wedging in some bear stuff

*pounding table* BERT BERT BERT BERT BERT 

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME" - guy who is not supposed to be audible 

Pitt apparently had precisely two plays they thought could work on the opponent’s one-yard line. And they didn’t work.

yeah read this Eubanks story 

This is like the Brady-Henson situation except Henson is a potato