Michigan State Football has been in the news a lot the past couple days for reasons both jubilant and scary; luckily this reason can be filed under "jubilant". Defensive back Roger Williamson from Dunbar High School in Dayton, Ohio committed to Michigan State today, making him the 16th player to join the 2011 class. The 6'1", 180 lb. athlete chose the Spartans from more than 20 FBS offers, including Wisconsin, Stanford, West Virginia, and Cincinnati. Here's his rankings:
RIVALS: #59 WR, #33 in Ohio, 5.6 Rivals Rating (3 stars)
SCOUT: #30 CB, 3 Stars
ESPN: #45 Athlete, Grade of 78 (3 stars)
Williamson runs a reported 4.4 forty, but his track times for the 100 meter dash are all around the 11.1-11.4 range. Usually 4.4 speed in the forty projects to a 100 time under 11 seconds, so there's two possibilities here - the 40 time is less than accurate (the lack of a hundredths place in the 40 time leads me to believe it was hand-timed), or Williamson can't maintain his speed throughout 100 meters.
However, one look at Williamson's recruiting video should quell any complaints about his speed. Williamson's highlight reel has multiple clips of him outrunning the opponent's secondary, His aptitude for the defensive backfield is also shown in the video, with a couple of impressive interceptions. From all reports, it sounds like Williamson will play either cornerback or safety. It's feasable that he could play wide receiver, but someone transferring from defensive back to wideout would be a first at MSU.
With Williamson's commitment, the Spartans now have four defensive back recruits for 2011. In a positive development, three of these four recruits are six feet or taller, which will give the Spartans some much needed size at corner and safety in the near future. There's at least one more spot for a corner or safety in this recruiting class. It's Dorian Grant's, Ohio's top-rated recruit by Rivals, if he wants it. If he commits somewhere else though, it won't be a huge loss given the depth that MSU has built up with the previous two classes and the current one.