DANTONIO SIGNS “IMMEDIATE CONTRIBUTORS”

East Lansing, Mich. – Wednesday when Mark Dantonio announced Michigan State’s 2012 football recruiting class of 17 players he said many of the players have the talent and potential to be, “Immediate contributors.”  

In contrast to last year’s class which was heavy on linemen and linebackers, this year’s class features ten skill position players. LB Taiwan Jones was the only scholarship freshman recruit from last year’s class who played last season, every other freshman scholarship recruit including heralded LB Lawrence Thomas red-shirted.

Losing B.J. Cunningham, Keyshawn Martin, Keith Nichol, Brian Linthicum, and Trenton Robinson to graduation the Spartans will need skill position replacements and Dantonio feels several of this year’s recruits can contend for playing time and become, “Immediate contributors.”  

High on that list is WR Aaron Burbridge from Farmington Hills Harrison HS who is the top ranked player in Michigan. For three years in a row Dantonio has signed the top rated player in the state of Michigan in Burbridge, Thomas, and DE William Gholston. Dantonio said, “Burbridge has everything you want in a receiver and he can go the distance any time he touches the ball.”

"We have not signed a big class since we have been here," Dantonio said. "We have had a lack of attrition. That's a good thing. We don't have a lot of people coming into our program and leaving."
Michigan State's four defensive back recruits are the cornerstone of the class.  "I'm a defensive backs coach by trade," Dantonio said, "…and really, since I've been here in '95 and since going to Ohio State and going to Cincinnati and coming back here for five years, I cannot think of a secondary that has more promise than this secondary coming into Michigan State at this point in time."

The last player to verbally commit to MSU for 2012, safety Demetrious Cox (from the same Pennsylvania high school as Terrell Pryor) was also mentioned as a player who can contribute at a number of positions including as a punt/kick returner.  Dantonio said Cox who will wear #7 at MSU can bench 365 lbs and already has a body that looks like an NFL player.  Cox played QB in high school and could become a two-way player and be looked at behind center in the wildcat similar to Keyshawn Martin.  

Big 6-3 WR Kyle Kerrick from Pennsylvania is already enrolled at MSU and will participate in spring ball giving him a head start to seeing the field this season.  6-6 TE Evan Jones, DB’s Jermaine Edmondson and Ezra Robinson, speedy RB Nick Tompkins from Georgia who averaged 6.1 yards/carry and WR MacGarrett “Touchdown” Kings from Florida were also mentioned as potential “immediate contributors.”

6-0 DB Mark Meyers from Toledo also received praise from Dantonio. "We made a decision to offer him later in the process but only because we didn't know him quite as well as a person as we moved through the process. There was no question in terms of his athletic ability and his hitting ability. The more film we saw of him the more we saw these things."

The only defensive line recruit signed was David Fennell a DT from Canada who played one year of high school football in Portland, Oregon. Fennell’s father “Doctor Death” played pro football winning six Grey Cups for the MSU Edmonton Eskimos and was elected to the CFL Hall of Fame in 1990.  

MSU signed four offensive line recruits in guards Zach Higgins and Benny McGowan, tackle Kodi Kieler, and TE/H-Back Josiah Price from Indiana.

Riley Bullough the younger brother of starting MLB Max Bullough has been a player that Dantonio has watched over the past five years. Bullough from Traverse City was the first player in the class to commit and will continue the family’s three generations of Spartan football excellence. 

Highly recruited 6-3, 230 LB Jamal Lyles from Detroit has a body like Taiwan Jones and Dantonio said he could contribute at LB, TE, or even bulk up to play the defensive line. 

MSU signed one signal caller in 6-3 Elite 11 QB Tyler O’Conner from Lima, Ohio. O’Conner has been to the MSU Football Camp and Dantonio said, “He has great mechanics and throws the ball on a rope!” O’Conner who passed for 45 touchdowns the past two seasons for one of Ohio’s top teams will become the third QB behind Andrew Maxwell, and red-shirt freshman Connor Cook.

Transfer DeAnthony Arnett from Saginaw appeared at the press conference and mentioned that he has been in touch with MSU QB Andrew Maxwell since they played against each other in high school. Arnett’s father went on dialysis last fall and he is hoping to receive a waiver from the NCAA that will allow him to play this season. Arnett had 24 catches this past season for Tennessee, the second most for a freshman in school history. Dantonio said Arnett can also contribute as a returner and will participate in spring ball.

  2012 MSU RECRUITING CLASS

Name                 Pos.  Ht. Wt.     Hometown (High School)

Riley Bullough            LB    6-2  220     Traverse City, Mich. (St. Francis)

Aaron Burbridge        WR   6-1  190      Farmington Hills, Mich. (Harrison)

Demetrious Cox         DB    6-1  192     Jeannette, Pa. (Jeannette)

Jermaine Edmondson DB    6-1  170      Canton, Ohio (McKinley Senior)

David Fennell             DT    6-3   274    Portland, Ore. (Sunset)

Zach Higgins              OL    6-5  305    Alliance, Ohio (Marlington)

Evan Jones                TE     6-6  240   West Lafayette, Ohio (Ridgewood)

Kyle Kerrick               WR    6-3   183    Coatesville, Pa. (Coatesville Area)

Kodi Kieler                  OL    6-6   305    Rockwood, Mich. (Carlson)

Macgarrett Kings Jr.  WR   5-11  178  Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (University School)

Jamal Lyles                LB      6-3  215   Southfield, Mich. (Southfield-Lathrup)

Benny McGowan        OL     6-4  290   ��Centerville, Ohio (Centerville)

Mark Meyers               DB    6-0  180     Toledo, Ohio (Whitmer)

Tyler O’Connor           QB    6-3  202     Lima, Ohio (Lima Central Catholic)

Josiah Price                TE     6-5  239    Greentown, Ind. (Eastern)

Ezra Robinson            DB    6-0 174     Sarasota, Fla. (Booker)

Nick Tompkins            RB   5-10  185    Snellville, Ga. (Brookwood)

Transfer            Pos.  Ht.  Wt.  Hometown (Previous School)

DeAnthony Arnett      WR    6-0  170 Saginaw, Mich. (University of Tennessee)