Well, the excitement of Hicks' commitment lasted all of a few hours before news came that William Gholston had committed, and pushed the excitement to EXCITCON 1 (it's like DEFCON, except with Mardi Gras beads instead of nukes - EXCITCON 5 is an 8 AM Qualitative Analysis lecture, EXCITCON 1 is Carneval in Rio) . However, that's not to say Hicks' commitment isn't as good, he just had the misfortune of getting his thunder stolen. Let's take a look at the recruiting rankings:
- 3*, #19 CB in the nation by Scout
- 3*, #31 CB in the nation by Rivals, #10 overall in Michigan by SpartanMag
- Grade of 78 by Scouts, Inc.
The recruiting services seem to have reached a consensus, that being Hicks is a solid prospect. I'm not sure what the deal is with the differences between Scout and Rivals' CB ratings, but I feel that the distinction isn't a great one. As for the measurables:
- 5'11", 179 lbs.
- 4.49 40 time
- 9'4" broad jump
None of those numbers are world-killers, but they're definitely what a cornerback in the Big Ten needs to have. 40 speed has always been a deceptive number anyway: If a corner can't move his hips, he's going to burned no matter how far below 4.5 he can run.
Why is this commitment so big? I' have four reasons - Ross Weaver, Ashton Henderson, Jeremy Ware, and Danny Fortener. All of these players are currently starters or backups (Ware wasn't listed as such on the Spring depth chart, but in all likelihood he will be in the Fall) in the secondary, and they'll all be gone by the time Hicks arrives on campus. Using just an ounce of cunning, it's easy to see the opportunities to jump in the secondary's two deep in 2010 . Pair that with the fact that Dantonio was trying '09 recruits Patrick White and Donald Spencer at corner and safety respectively in the Spring (both were originally receivers), and any Spartan fan sees the need to replenish those positions.
All in all, a very, very good pick-up for MSU who shouldn't be lost in the hubbub of the Gholston commitment.