Hampton Fay, Texas QB in '21 Class, Recaps Michigan State Offer, Visit

21 Texas quarterback Hampton Fay recaps his visit and offer from Michigan State Spartan football and Coach Mel Tucker.

As Michigan State has picked up its recruiting under new head coach Mel Tucker, a prime target in the 2021 class has emerged for the Spartans in Fort Worth (TX) All Saints Episcopal 2021 3-star quarterback Hampton Fay.

A 6-foot-5, 210-pound pro-style signal-caller, Fay was one of the first recruits to be offered by Michigan State under Tucker and the interest appears to be mutual after Fay was on campus last week for a visit.

Spartan Nation recently caught up with Fay to discuss his offer and visit to Michigan State, along with his relationship with the coaching staff, who he has been in contact with since Tucker was in Colorado.

“They came into contact with me while they were at Colorado in February and I just got to talking with coach Johnson and started forming a relationship with him and he offered me, so I got a chance to talk with coach Tucker over the phone and later on they came to my school and visited me. It was really cool to see that they came to see me,” he said. “When they switched over to Michigan State, they kept talking to me and once they were settled in there, they got back on the phone with me and offered me, so that was really cool.”

When it comes to his relationship with Tucker and offensive coordinator Jay Johnson, who he was also in contact with then Johnson was at Colorado, Fay described it as one that’s strong and goes beyond talking about just football.

Big Time thanks to the Michigan State football staff for the unbelievable visit!! @JayJohnsonFB @PeaglerWilliam @Coach_mtucker @MSU_Football #gogreen pic.twitter.com/Ms8AqrdjbC

— Hamp Fay (@HampFay12) March 13, 2020

“I would say it’s really good, by that, I mean it’s not just a relationship that revolves around football, it’s more of a friendship,” he said. “We talk and see how we’re doing and everything, I ask questions all of the time and we talk ball a lot here there and we talk about all of the stuff that’s going on in our lives. I think that’s what’s unique about our relationship.”

In his discussions with Tucker and the Spartan coaching staff, Fay said that he feels the potential fit for him in East Lansing would be a good one and believes in what Tucker is building at Michigan State.

“I think it would be really good,” he said. “While I was visiting Michigan State, I had a chance to sit down with coach Tucker and he was able to give me a big spill of his background and he’s been there and done that. He knows his system and he’s a person that wouldn’t lie to you and he knows what it is. He’s coached and won a national championship, so he knows what it takes and for him to say that they could potentially build something special in East Lansing, I truly believe him. I hear from schools all the time and that’s what everybody’s goal is, but he’s serious about that stuff and he knows how to get it done. So I believe in him.”

Along with Tucker and Johnson, Fay said he’s also been in contact with running backs coach Will Peagler, who he also heard from when Peagler was an offensive assistant at Colorado.

Shortly before the NCAA imposed a recruiting dead period in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Fay was on campus in East Lansing for a visit, one that he came away impressed with as the Spartan coaching staff pulled out all the stops for his visit.

“It was really cool from the moment I walked in the door,” Fay told Spartan Nation. “I wasn’t expecting a standing ovation walking in with all of the coaches clapping and hollering, but it was pretty neat walking into there and getting to meet all of them. That was a great start to the day. After that, I went and did the photoshoot, which is always really cool and I was able to sit down with coach Johnson and just talk about how his system operates and what he likes to see in his quarterbacks and how he works with and communicates with them. I was able to get on the board with him and talk some ball, which was pretty cool. Then we were able to go tour around the campus and see everything and we were able to get on the field, which was really cool, it’s a big stadium. It was really, really cool to just stand on the grass out there and kind of imagining what it would be like. It was really cool, I like how the campus is big. The tour guide was telling us - he went to school there - he really enjoyed how his classes were scattered around and that really lets you take in the campus.”

Fay, who was joined on his visit by his sister and mom, said that he also had the opportunity to talk with new Michigan State strength coach Jason Novak and see how the Spartans went through workouts and team meetings.

“I met with the strength coach, coach Novak and he really knows his stuff and it was really cool to see how he operates and how he works things in the weight room. He’s got a reason for everything and he’s got science to prove it. It was really cool to sit down and talk with him. I was able to watch the guys work out a little bit and see the indoor (facility) and watch them practice and go through team meetings.”

Along with his offer from Michigan State, Fay holds offers from Indiana, Illinois, Houston, Colorado, Houston, Liberty, Louisiana, and Pittsburgh.

Despite being limited to just three games in his junior season due to a shoulder injury, Fay has continued to receive plenty of interest from several Division 1 programs, which has led to a busy spring on the recruiting trail for the 3-star quarterback.

“The recruiting process has been pretty busy, a lot more than I expected this spring,” he said. “Last season, I didn’t get as many games as I wanted to, but to know that there’s a lot of schools that are after me and want me, it’s really cool to see that.”

Fay told Spartan Nation that the rehab from his shoulder injury is going well and he’s back to throwing and working out.

While he would like to commit before the start of his senior season, the 6-foot-5 standout quarterback admitted that the COVID-19 outbreak may affect his timeline as he intends on visiting other schools, including Pittsburgh, and wants to take his time to find the best fit for him.

Stay tuned to Spartan Nation for all of the latest news on Fay and the Spartans!

Tell us what you think in the comment section below.

Want the latest breaking MSU news delivered straight to your email for FREE? Sign up for the DAILY Spartan Nation newsletter when you CLICK THE MAGAZINE ICON at the top left of the page or the FOLLOW button back on the main page. Don’t miss any of the latest up to the second updates on Michigan State Sports when you follow on Twitter @HondoCarpenter & @JDeuceDullack