2010 Football Recruits Still on the Radar: Defense

On Wednesday, we looked at the offensive side of the ball. Today we will examine the prospects still on MSU’s radar on the defensive side of the ball.

 

The defensive line is in need of some depth, especially on the interior. The Spartans will most likely only sign 1 more D-Line prospect; however they could go as high as 3 more, if they feel immediate contributions could be made.

Ricky Heimuli (Salt Lake City, Utah) already has the size to be a force on the interior. He is 6’4 and weighs 290, and still has room on his frame to bulk up more. Ricky is very athletic and quick for his size. He has had 40 times clocked in the 4.8’s. He has a quick burst off the line and stays low, which allows him to clog up running lanes and get into the backfield. Ricky has the size and ability to see immediate playing time. The determining factor will be if he can adjust to the speed and toughness of Big Ten football.

Mike Thornton (Stone Mountain, GA) comes in at 6’2 and 275. He has incredible quickness and strength. His 40 times have been in the high 4.7’s to low 4.8’s and he is currently benching 345 pounds. This combination of speed and strength makes him an unstoppable run defender. He could see playing time in the “chaos” formation; however, he still has a lot of room to fill out on his frame and thus would need a year under Coach Mannie before he sees significant playing time.

Bruce Gaston Jr. (Chicago, Illinois) is 6’2 and 300 pounds. He has the size and the strength but will need to work on his conditioning and speed. He lacks the closing speed necessary to chase ball carriers down in the backfield, or get to the quarterback. His size and strength could allow him to play in special situations, such as goal line stands, where he could easily plug up the middle of the line.

Kenneth Kirksey (Daytona Beach, Florida) is 6’1 and 280 pounds. He has incredible quickness and at times is in the backfield before the O-Line is even out of their stance. He explodes off the line quickly and consistently. His quickness will make it very difficult to keep him off the field but a year of strength and conditioning could turn this kid into a big star.

Tra Thomas (Wadesboro, North Carolina) is a bit undersized at 6’1, 270. However he makes up for that in strength. He is already benching close to 400 pounds, which allows him to move much bigger O-lineman out of his way. He is an extremely intelligent player and has a nose for his ball. One concern is that his frame looks like it may already be filled out.

Jayrone Elliot (Cleveland, OH) has been profiled many times on Spartan Nation. The one problem for Jayrone is that MSU already has 3 commits from DE’s. Great kid, good ball player, but there may not be room for him.

Linebacker:

Jewone Snow (Canton, OH) has great size for a LB (6’4, 235). He has the speed (4.7 – 40 time) and strength (350 – bench, 500 – squat) to see some playing time. He plays downhill and shuts down any run coming up the middle. The problem is that MSU has stockpiled LB’s with their last recruiting classes and there are much greater needs in this class.

Defensive Backs:

The defensive backfield is now in need of some serious depth as the Spartans will lose 6 DB’s with game experience.

Christian Bryant (Cleveland, Ohio) has been profiled multiple times here. He is a great player with good speed, great ball skills and plays very physical for a corner. As good of a player as he is, he may be a better person, he has all the traits and the work ethic needed to be very successful.

Dior Mathis (Detroit, Michigan) is another guy you have heard a lot about. He has the speed, body positioning and ball skills to make immediate contributions. The biggest concern with him is his height (5’9) which may make it tough for him to cover some of the taller WR’s.

Latwan Anderson (Cleveland, Ohio) is a phenomenal athlete. He has good size (5’11, 190) and good speed (low 4.4’s). He is also very physical which makes it intimidating for WR’s coming across the middle.

Rashad Knight (Jacksonville, Florida) is 5’10 and 185. His 40 time has been clocked in the upper 4.3’s and he has a vertical jump of 30 inches. He has the ability to play either corner or safety. His current skill set makes it easy for him to dominate the high school game and as a result has led to some poor technique. The bright side is technique is coachable, speed, size and athleticism are not. He has all the tools and is a very coachable player always looking to get better. SEC teams seem to be passing on him because of his raw technique. This will make him a real steal for whoever is lucky enough to land him.

Tejay Johnson (Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey) has great size for a safety (6’2, 195). His 40 time is consistently in the mid 4.4’s. He is very athletic and lines up at WR and RB as well as safety for his high school team. He will need to work on his technique but his athleticism will allow him to make a difference in the defensive backfield as well as on special teams.

Avery Williams (Washington D.C.) comes in at 5’11 and 170 pounds. He plays multiple positions on both sides of the ball but still maintains very good positioning and ball skills in the defensive backfield. His 40 is in the low 4.4’s but has great first step quickness and shows another gear which allows him to run step for step with anyone. He is very instinctive and has great reactions. He could play corner or safety at the next level.

On Monday, Hondo will have a very interesting article looking inside the recruiting numbers and how this class may shake out. Stay tuned for that.