Football 'Crootin Roundup is getting a second chance

Note: The big news of the week was 2014 four-star Cass Tech linebacker Deon Drake's commitment to MSU. I still haven't gotten to a 'Welcome Aboard' post yet because of all the stuff that came with the redesign. I'm planning on getting that up next week. Below is the non-Drake news.

Two weeks ago, the biggest recruiting weekend in years finished with a wimper in a tough defeat to the Irish. Some big recruits are again coming this weekend for the Ohio State game, and having College Gameday in town won't hurt.

Key recruiting weekend for Spartans (247) - A look at some of the high-priority recruits visiting this weekend, including Pennsylvania athlete Delton Williams, who possibly could commit.

Peko: It was awesome (247) - California junior college defensive tackle Kyle Peko visited East Lansing for the Eastern Michigan game. He says MSU helped its stock at the top of his list, and he doesn't have any other officials scheduled, but he wants to get to Nebraska, Boise State and Utah.

"Michigan State is at the top of my list still," Peko said. "After my trip they improved their stock even more. I still want take my other visits and see what other program have to offer and how they compare to this visit."

You know what a Peko mention means...

Kilgore set to return (247) - 2013 wide receiver commit Trey Kilgore broke a bone in his foot the week before his team's opener, but he's set to return this weekend. He's trying to make it up for the Ohio State game.

Arnold beginning to plan visits (Scout) - Three-star California safety Brandon Arnold is doing what the headline says, and one of those visits is MSU. He's been really high on MSU and the cold weather, but if Delton Williams commits soon, there might not be room for Arnold.

"The thing I like about Michigan State is that they have a football history. I like the area; it gets cold up there and I like playing in cold weather. The atmosphere is good, they have great fans. All around, the football team is cool," he said.

Spartans after JUCO wide receiver? (247) - Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College receiver Martell Clark has five offers and says MSU is showing interest. Clark is sitting out this season due to a torn hamstring, but is close friends with Branden Dawson.

'I was the world's happiest kid' (247) - 2014 Tampa athleteT.J. Harrell has an offer from MSU. The cousin of Jeremy Ware loves how the school got Ware into the NFL. Harrell says MSU is looking at him as a linebacker/safety hybrid. He also has offers from Florida, Georgia, Purdue and others.

Plan A linebacker target to visit (247) - 2014 four-star Illinois linebacker Clifton Garrett is the No. 2 outside linebacker in the country and will be making his second trip to East Lansing. He has offers from Ohio State, Notre Dame, Illinois and others. MSU already has Drake and Byron Bullough for that class, but they want to bring in a big linebacker class.

Wolf talks Spartans visit (Scout) - 2014 Ohio tight end Ethan Wolf talks about his visit during the Notre Dame game. He currently has offers from MAC schools and Illinois. He provided a glimpse into the experience.

"When we got there they had us over in the athletic facility for dinner," said Wolf. "Then they allowed us to roam a little bit and showed us the weight room, indoor practice facility and players lounge. The players' lounge is only a couple of years old and that was pretty neat. We then watched a video before they took us over to the field to get our tickets."

Doles looking for good one Saturday (247) - 2014 Grand Rapids four-star linebacker Tommy Doles will be in town for this weekend's game. The teammate of Drake Harris hasn't gotten an offer from MSU yet, but he does have one from Michigan.