Detroit Southeastern Coach says MSU was the First Team on the William Gholston Bandwagon
Michigan State just pulled in two recruits from the Detroit Public School League: Mylan Hicks and William Gholston. Hicks, a cornerback, had over a dozen offers, from SEC and Pac-10 schools to the University of Michigan. Gholston, a defensive end,  was even more coveted: UM, Ohio State, LSU, Florida, and even the 800-pound gorilla called USC have extended offers.
So what made MSU the destination for these two fine, young student athletes? One answer to that question revolves around the early dedication of Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio and his staff. Specifically, Dantonio's commitment to recruiting the state of Michigan and the Detroit PSL like perhaps no Spartan coach before him.
It's well known that Dantonio has devoted an enormous amount of time to rebuilding relationships with Michigan coaches, specifically in the southeast, which had been ignored, and some say insulted, under previous East Lansing coaching regimes.
But Dantonio's approach has been markedly different, beginning with a trip to meet with all of the Motor City PSL coaches after beginning his job at MSU. Gholston's Detroit Southeastern head coach, Donshell English, told Spartan Nation the difference between Dantonio and previous Spartan coaches has been night and day. Before Dantonio got to MSU and made numerous trips to see coaches like himself, English said he might have spoken to Spartan coaches, "but I'd never seen them."
And that presence is apparently paying off. When it came to Gholston, the key to success had much to do with Dantonio and staff's early and consistent personal attention.
"Michigan State was the first one to show William Gholston what they call 'love'," English said, an important factor in a town once dominated by a team from Ann Arbor. The Wolverines still carry a tremendous amount of name recognition in and around Detroit, English says, primarily because of their national reputation and exposure. But Michigan State is gaining ground fast by identifying talents such as Gholston first and working hard to make an impression— a complete impression, not just lip service through the mail or over the phone while talented kids from out of state are equally targeted.
"They let him know how important he was," English said about MSU's early recruitment of Gholston, "they got him to think beyond high school and what he's normally seeing every day. And that's a big plus to inner city coaches."
And in case you might be wondering, the changing perception of MSU in Detroit, the state of Michigan, the Midwest and even nationally has as much to do with what people see on the field as well as what recruits like Gholston experience off. A commitment to discipline, hard work and perseverance is apparent at every MSU practice and game. And when it comes to football, those attributes are worth their weight in gold.
"The program promotes toughness," English said. "It's refreshing."
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