With the Green-White Spring Game coming up this Saturday (1 p.m., BTN), the focus won't just be on the upcoming season. Spring games are an opportunity for schools to bring in a lot of recruits at one time. Players frequently pledge to schools at or shortly after spring games, and MSU will be no different in hoping to get some this weekend. Who are some players MSU is closing in on?
Williams updates interest in MSU (Scout) - When MSU got Pennsylvania quarterback Damion Terry to commit to MSU last week, the attention turned to his high school teammate, safety/athlete Delton Williams. The two have said they'd like to play at the same school, but Williams was starting to get more interest from schools like Penn State and Nebraska. Scout caught up with Williams, who said there is an "80 percent chance" of him ending up at MSU.
"I told Damion if I commit to Michigan State it would be before my senior year," said Williams. "That way we can have some fun with some Spartan gear and show everybody how much we really love Michigan State and how we're going to help take them to a National Championship."
Hicks enjoys Spartan visit (Rivals) - Three-star Ohio cornerback Darian Hicks visited MSU on Tuesday and came away impressed with MSU. Hicks has offeres from Penn State, Iowa, West Virginia and Pitt, among others and is one of the top prospects on MSU's board. A high school teammate of Hicks, receiver Tres Barksdale, will enroll at MSU as a preferred walk-on this fall. Hicks won't be at MSU this weekend because he has a track meet, but he spoke with Johnny Adams a bit during his visit.
"He just told me to make sure I consider Michigan State and to make sure it is what I want," Hicks said. "I like Michigan State a lot, they are really high on my list."
Another Barksdale looking at MSU (Scout) - Speaking of Tres Barksdale, his brother, unranked athlete Drew, is getting some interest from MSU, although the Spartans haven't offered. The Barksdales will be at the Spring Game this weekend.
Hot List: Defensive Side (Rivals) - Rivals lists five defensive players MSU is strongly going after, including Williams and Hicks. Other than those two, MSU is going hard after three-star Wisconsin defensive end Alec James. It looked like James' recruitment would come down to MSU and Wisconsin, but Notre Dame offered James at their Spring Game last week and it's now a three-team race. MSU will miss out this weekend, as James is attending the spring game for the home-state Badgers.
Three-star Maryland defensive end Kevin Robbins Jr. visited NC State last weekend and will be at MSU's Spring Game. Robbins is the son of former Spartan and NFL offensive lineman Kevin Robbins Sr. The prospect has several offers from Big East and ACC schools, along with Iowa. The fifth player on the list is four-star Indiana safety Antonio Allen, who visited Iowa this weekend. The hard-hitting Allen told 24/7 he plans to graduate in December so he can be an early-enrollee next season. (That link has some comments from Allen about MSU). (Update: Allen has committed to Ole Miss. That's a tough loss for MSU).
Banks watches and learns (24/7) - Three-star Illinois safety Jalen Banks will be at the Spring Game. Banks said he likes MSU's style of play and has offers from Iowa, Ole Miss and Illinois. And don't say apparel doesn't matter to players.
"Just watching them play is what got my attention about Michigan State. They also have Nike and all the good stuff like that."
MSU 'A place I would like to play' (24/7) - MSU might only want one more defensive back for the 2013 class. While MSU is at the top of the list of some other guys, three-star Ohio safety Solomon Warfield is still getting a lot of interest from MSU. Warfield holds offers from MSU, Iowa, Arizona and some MAC schools, but said last week he didn't think he'd be able to get up to MSU's Spring Game.
2014 WR to visit Spartans (Scout) - Looking ahead to 2014, Ohio wide receiver Thaddeus Snodgrass tells Scout that Harlon Barnett invited him to the Spring Game this weekend. Snodgrass currently hold an offer from Toledo.
Khoury planning to visit MSU (Scout) - 2014 Traverse City defensive lineman Jake Khoury also plans on being in East Lansing this weekend. Khoury said he also has interest from Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Michigan, Tennessee and Ole Miss. MSU has had a good history with St. Francis high school, with Max Bullough and redshirt freshman center Kyle Lints currently on the roster.
"I really like Michigan State and the area around it and definitely like the coaching staff they have. I also know some of the players they already have on the team.”