Answering Your Michigan State Football Questions and Emails...

Answering your Michigan State Football Questions… Hondo, Will Bennie Fowler be 100 percent by the time practice begins toward the end of summer? And do you

Answering your Michigan State Football Questions…

Hondo, Will Bennie Fowler be 100 percent by the time practice begins toward the end of summer? And do you see him starting game 1 against Boise? I think he is the x factor in having a successful offense to begin the year. Rob Lee

Yes and yes! I don’t think he is the hinge that a successful season rests on. MSU will have a ton of talent, albeit inexperienced in 2012.
Bennie is a very good WR and a better young man. Can’t wait to see him healthy and on the field again.

Where was Lawrence Thomas this spring & (B) where can we expect to see him this fall? The beast has to be on the field. Denny Ferguson

He was in a yellow jersey injured over the spring. Ultimately I expect to see him with his hand in the dirt getting reps at DE in 2012. In the future he could move to LB, but as of now DE looks awful good for him.

Hondo, I was thinking how to make the running game improved and have a thought. How about using all 4 of the OT's (Conway, Burkland, Fonoti, and France) at the same time. One of the extra replacing the TE and the other the H-back. Also, could use Wildcat Formation and have another big lineman. Would MSU do anything this radical? Ray

Would they? I can’t think of anything within the rules that they haven’t looked at to win. All in all I expect a much better run game in 2012 even without having major changes. As a man who love the OL and DL I like your thinking.Â

 

Hi Hondo, Recruiting process question for you. Can you explain MSU's process for offering scholarships? Must Coach Dantonio meet the recruit in person before a scholarship in person? Is a recruit required to camp at MSU if they want an offer? Keep up the great work! GO GREEN!!!

Great questions Kevin. I have seen a lot of comments from people about MSU recruiting that are not correct. First Coach Dantonio DOES NOT recquire an in person meeting before extending a scholarship. A recruit IS NOT recquired to camp at MSU to get an offer. All you have to do is look at 2013 OL Caleb Benenoch from Texas who is already committed for 2012. Would they like to have both? Sure, but it is FAR from a certainty. There are well over 20 players in the nation with offers from MSU right now that have not camped at MSU or met Dantonio.

 

Hi Hondo, My question is with respect to donors and our football program. Why don't (Our more famous) former alumni contribute to MSU? Contributions from a Steve Smith and the Scandalaris family are great, but it simply isn't enough. We need much more. Do we have the appropriate staff at MSU reaching out to the likes of a Tom Gores, etc for more contributions? Also, is there a chance that some of these contributions are private? Tony Schneider

Tony I would respectfully suggest that you not assume people have not given because you have not seen it. I will say that what a person does with their money is their business.  

I can tell you in the past it was the fault of the University that many did not. MSU acted with a sense of entitlement and turned off MANY famous Spartans. Mark Hollis has done an exceptional job of repairing many of those relationships.Â

I think SOME in the MSU community who solicit donations are TERRIBLE at what they do. The majority of the lower level workers are awesome. The majority of complaints are about the leadership. I know of one Spartan who is probably considered the Babe Ruth of his field (not sports) who is not wealthy, he would be considered MEGA wealthy. Nine digits in net worth. He made an appointment to go in and meet with people in the Spartan fund and they passed him on to a subordinate and that person was 45 minutes late for the appointment. It was a nightmare. Sadly that is not the only story like that.Â

Fund raising is not easy, but at times I hear from many donors there are those at MSU who act entitled to the money and I know of several turned off by that. Sadly Hollis has to oversee so many departments, but he can’t run them all or do everything in those offices. Many do give, but remember that some don’t want it revealed and some who have big businesses are also struggling in this economy. I can tell you that I have heard NO negative comments about Hollis and fundraising.

There you go everyone. Another week of your MSU Football Q and A in the books. Make sure to send in your questions for next week. Simply email them to SpartanNationMail@yahoo.com and put weekly Q and AFootball in the subject line.