Dantonio introduces new, highly ranked class
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Mark Dantonio
For MSU head football coach Mark Dantonio, becoming a consistent team in the Big Ten means adding top-tier talent throughout the course of several seasons.
Dantonio introduced his second straight top-30 recruiting class Wednesday at National Signing Day and was excited about the potential of the 21 incoming players.
“What we’ve done is taken the class of 22 players last year and stacked (this one) right on top of it,” Dantonio said. “This is another highly acclaimed and highly ranked class, and it shows great versatility with the players that we have.”
Wednesday was the first day high school seniors officially could sign a national letter of intent to universities.
The Spartans’ class, ranked No. 29 nationally according to the recruiting Web site Rivals.com, features four players considered to have at least four-star talent, as well as a steady distribution of players at each position. Headlined by Detroit Southwestern’s William Gholston — the only five-star recruit, according to Rivals.com, to sign with a Big Ten school — the Spartans’ class of 2010 includes five of the state’s top nine players and two four-star players from out of state.
Quarterback Joe Boisture of Goodrich, Mich., linebacker Max Bullough of Traverse City and running back Nick Hill of Chelsea, Mich., highlight the Spartans’ in-state recruits. All three, along with running back Le’Veon Bell (Reynoldsburg, Ohio), have enrolled early at MSU.
“I wanted to get ahead academically,” Hill said of enrolling early. “I wanted to get a jump start on the football program and play in the spring, and I felt that by me doing that gave me a good opportunity to showcase my skills early on instead of waiting until the fall. I thought academically, this would be an opportunity.”
MSU’s class is considered by Rivals.com to be among the top in the Big Ten in recruiting, behind Penn State, Michigan and Ohio State. After bringing in a class ranked by some in the top 15 a year ago, the Spartans have succeeded in keeping several of the top players in the state from heading elsewhere.
“A lot of the top kids in the Midwest are leaving the Midwest,” Rivals.com recruiting analyst Greg Ladky said. “This is another solid class that did well in the state.”
All 21 Spartans honored their verbal commitments and signed with the Spartans. As Gholston’s play this season helped improve his stock, some media outlets reported that the standout defensive end/linebacker was visiting other schools, but Dantonio said Gholston’s decision to be a Spartan also impacted other players’ decisions to play for MSU.
Dantonio said time will tell how good this class turns out on the field, but added that it has the ability to help continue mold the program into a perennial Big Ten threat.
“You won’t be able to evaluate us until after spring practice,” Dantonio said. “When you try to evaluate your recruiting class, you look at how many players start for you over a period of time, so we’ll continue to evaluate that, but we feel very good about our class defensively as well as offensively.”
Commentary
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excited
(02/04/10 8:44am)Report
is it autumn yet?
Anon
(02/04/10 8:54am)Report
Good to see the future names of ingham county jail’s finest.
It would be nice to see some discipline to go along with the talent.
m
(02/04/10 9:57am)Report
Good, a new crop of Thugs.
^U of M fans
(02/04/10 10:04am)Report
Nice try
PhillySparty
(02/04/10 10:25am)Report
Alright, some of these comments are getting a little tiring. Quit complaining just for the sake of complaining. Most of these guys aren’t even enrolled in the school, yet. What basis do you have for calling them thugs? Yeah, the Rather Hall incident tarnished our image, but quit dwelling on it. Get some new material.
Walmart Wolverines love Bin Laden
(02/04/10 10:50am)Report
You know what else tarnishes an image?
Not beating Sparty in football or basketball since Mike Hart’s “little brother” comments.
Anon
(02/04/10 11:10am)Report
I was just saying, MD has some problems when it come sto discipline. Player talent doesn’t matter if they’re not allowed to play.
Not that I’m a UM fan at all but if it makes you feel any better, UM just picked up a player charged (not convincted) of two felonies.
anon = tool bag
(02/04/10 12:55pm)Report
The fight was bad, but it’s hardly a situation you can apply to MD’s entire tenure at MSU. So to state he has “had some problems” as if it’s an ongoing theme is ignorant.
Anon
(02/04/10 1:21pm)Report
You do realize he gave one of the people invovled in the fight, two other “get out of jail free passes”, no pun intended. This isn’t a single ancedotal example.
We have players who have CONFESSED GUILTY in court to assault and they’re still on the team. Hell they played in the bowl game too.
So yes, I will apply it to his entire (short) tenture at MSU. You make it sound like he has been here for twenty years and “only” this one discipline problem.
jbru
(02/04/10 2:27pm)Report
The attitude needs to change here fellas. This is great news, grow up and be a fan. These are the same guys who don’t use all of their season tickets. You guys all suck at being fans. I love this class and I love msu football and coach D. I don’t care if everyone on the team commits a felony and is still in the team. They are a spartan and so am I. I can’t wait for Saturday, the rest of hoops season and opening day at Spartan stadium! I am a fan and nothing will change that. Great class D, I’m excited to be a witness of this program under your leadership. Go green, go white, fight fight fight!
Jon
(02/04/10 2:45pm)Report
What a joke of a school…long live moo U
Re:jbru
(02/04/10 3:34pm)Report
“I don’t care if everyone on the team commits a felony and is still in the team”
you have to be the worse fan MSU has
Anon
(02/04/10 3:39pm)Report
“I don’t care if everyone on the team commits a felony and is still in the team. They are a spartan and so am I”
Nevermind, I see why my argument didn’t get through. Obviously I’m the tool bag…
Ingham County Jail
(02/04/10 3:41pm)Report
Good job MD. Top 30 class for football and #1 in recruiting for the penal system two years running.
jbru
(02/04/10 7:37pm)Report
No, I am the best fan, teammate, supporter, and Spartan. I didn’t hide my pride when this whole story came out. I sport my football gear every week, keep my flag flying in my office, attend games, donate money to the athletic fund and support the leaders of this program. If you do not, maybe you are not the Spartan you think you are. Do not turn your back on this program if you are a true Spartan, do not talk trash about the past but look forward to what this team will be. Dissect this recruiting class and predict what three star recruit coach D will turn into the next Greg Jones. (also a three star) Stop living in the past, when bones break they grow back stronger. Fate is with this team (spartan nation) and victory will be ours. This is when we need to unite, come together and support out team. I once read in the best book: “and he said to them, ‘why are you afraid, you of little faith?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm.” -Matthew 8:26
jbru
(02/04/10 7:37pm)Report
No, I am the best fan, teammate, supporter, and Spartan. I didn’t hide my pride when this whole story came out. I sport my football gear every week, keep my flag flying in my office, attend games, donate money to the athletic fund and support the leaders of this program. If you do not, maybe you are not the Spartan you think you are. Do not turn your back on this program if you are a true Spartan, do not talk trash about the past but look forward to what this team will be. Dissect this recruiting class and predict what three star recruit coach D will turn into the next Greg Jones. (also a three star) Stop living in the past, when bones break they grow back stronger. Fate is with this team (spartan nation) and victory will be ours. This is when we need to unite, come together and support out team. I once read in the best book: “and he said to them, ‘why are you afraid, you of little faith?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm.” -Matthew 8:26
scUM Ahoy
(02/04/10 9:07pm)Report
Get used to the basement, Jon Boy. But then you’re used to your mom’s basement aren’t you?