College football

Michigan State challenging Michigan, Ohio St.

Spartans already have received commitments from 8 four-star players

/ Rivals.com

Quarterback Andrew Maxwell is someone Michigan State can build a solid team around, says Rivals.com analyst Barry Every.

RECRUITING NOTEBOOK

updated 11:55 p.m. ET July 30, 2008

There’s another recruiting beast brewing in the Big Ten.

Sure, traditional powers like Ohio State and Michigan are still going to get their share of blue-chip players and end up near the top of the team recruiting rankings come signing day. But the recruiting job Mark Dantonio is doing at Michigan State is impressive.

The Spartans have 14 commitments at this point, rank in the top 10 nationally in the Rivals.com team recruiting rankings and have eight four-star pledges. Two of those four-star commitments — running back Edwin Baker of Oak Park, Mich., and quarterback Andrew Maxwell of Midland, Mich. — recently impressed at the Football University Top Gun Camp and the EA Sports Elite 11.

Baker was one of the most complete players at the three-day Top Gun camp. Baker arrived at meetings early and asked coaches several questions, showing he's a real student of the game. He's quick and built like a body-builder. He should be a great every-down back for Michigan State.

Maxwell definitely caught the eye of Rivals.com recruiting analyst Barry Every with his strong week of work at the Elite 11.

“He is someone Michigan State can build a solid team around,” Every said. “I think he could be the top quarterback in the Big Ten territory.”

Michigan State got more good news Monday when four-star offensive lineman David Barrent revealed he was switching his commitment from Iowa to the Spartans. The top-ranked player in Iowa and the nation’s No. 2 pass blocker, Barrent was a huge addition for the Spartans.

"After I committed, about a month or so ago, I started to have some reservations," Barrent said. "Then I opened up to my parents that I was thinking about changing my mind. After lots of talking and thinking, I just decided Michigan State was the better fit for me in the long run.

"I just remember when I went up there on my visit after the Rivals.com Five-Star academy, that I really liked everything about the school. The campus, the engineering school, the coaches, the players were all great.

"I think the recruiting class they have coming in played a little factor. It's a lot more secure to know when you have guys that are really talented on track to go there. But for me it was just having a good feeling about Michigan State and how I would fit in there in the long run."

The change of heart was well-received in East Lansing, but in Iowa the pain of losing an in-state star — and a player that grew up loving the Hawkeyes — was like a punch to the gut.
“Obviously, it stings,” Tom Kakert, publisher of HawkeyeReport.com, said. “They’re graduating several linemen and it was a focus of a smaller class. When you lose the top-ranked lineman in the state to a Big Ten rival, it’s going to hurt. Absolutely, this was a shock to people in Iowa.”

Blue Devils making waves
Usually when you see a four-star player committing to Duke, it’s in basketball. But with new coach David Cutcliffe in charge, Duke has landed two four-star players.

The headliner has to be four-star running back Desmond Scott, the nation’s No. 4 all-purpose back out of Durham (N.C.) Hillside. He turned down scholarship offers from many of the nation’s top teams, and he had made a commitment to Rutgers. But he had a change of heart and is instead staying closer to home.

“Since I committed to Rutgers the distance has been in the back of my mind," Scott said. "I live 10 minutes from Duke and 8 hours from Rutgers. I realized I'd be a long way from family and friends, and that started to wear on me a little bit.

"Duke never gave up on me after I committed to Rutgers. I respect Coach Cutcliffe. He's got a good offensive mind. I think they'll use me the same way at Duke as they would at Rutgers. They'll let me run the ball and touch the ball a lot. I think I can be on the field all the time.”

Throw in commitments from three three-star recruits and several 5.4-ranked prospects, and it’s the best start at Duke in a long, long time.

Notes

It looks like Central Michigan is doing its best to put a stranglehold on the top spot in the MAC before the summer is out. The Chippewas already have 18 commitments, including pledges from two three-star players. Linebacker Adam Fenton is a three-star linebacker who is one of the Midwest’s biggest sleepers. He has enough talent to play in the Big Ten. Credit Central Michigan for getting in on him early.
Four-star offensive lineman Michael Philipp from San Bernardino (Calif.) Arroyo Valley has offers from every school in the Pac 10 except USC. He said he’s not in a rush to make a final decision. "I don't have any favorite schools at this time," Philipp said. "I'm thinking about narrowing things down. I think about it every day and I am doing research. I'm talking to my family members and coaches, so I'm still working on it."

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