Football Class of 2011 Update: Who Will be the First to Commit?

Who will be the first to commit?

 

Mark Dantonio patiently awaits commit number one for the 2011 class. Photo courtesy of Mark Boomgaard.

In this day and age it seems as if all the high profile athletes enjoy dragging the recruiting process on and making their announcement in front of a national stage. Michigan State has been able to get some of their best recruits to commit before the start of practice for their senior season. Will that happen again this year, and if so who will it be?

There are four extremely talented recruits who are currently holding Michigan State at the top of their list and who could be the highest rated recruits at their position by next year. Anyone of them could be the first to pull the trigger. (listed in alphabetical order)

DeAnthony Arnett – WR – Saginaw, MI – 6’0, 170lbs - Arnett reminds a lot of people of a former Spartan great from Saginaw, Charles Rogers. Arnett is a little undersized at 6’0 and only 170 but displays good strength when battling for a jump ball and breaking away from tackles. Arnett has very good, strong hands and great leaping ability which makes every ball thrown in his direction catchable. Arnett has outstanding speed which he combines with his smooth route running ability and field awareness to consistently find himself creating separation from the defenders and making big plays.

Justice Hayes RB Grand Blanc, MI -5'10" 175lbs - Hayes has great speed (4.4 forty), great hands, and is very elusive. He will need to work on his pass blocking to see any playing time, as well as increase his strength to be able to power through tacklers. I expect him to improve in both areas and to be competing with Hill and Langford for that third spot.

Andre Sturdivant LB Cleveland, OH -6'3" 225lbs – Sturdivant could be up to 250lbs by the time he steps on a college campus, however he is very athletic and has good quickness for a linebacker, even at that weight. His biggest asset is the power he brings to every play, whether he is throwing blockers around or stuffing running backs at the line, it is very difficult not to be blown away when you watch him. He will be competing with fellow Spartan offer and junior Lawrence Thomas for the right to be the highest rated LB in the country.

Lawrence Thomas – MLB – Detroit, MI – 6’4, 230lbs - Thomas could be the best player out of the long line of D-1 prospects that have come from Renaissance in recent years. Thomas already has the size to play LB in the Big 10. He is an extremely instinctive player and is always around the ball. He is extremely athletic for his size, running low 4.6 40’s and having a vertical leap of 36 inches. He is very intelligent both on and off the field. On the field he is always in the right spot and has a great understanding of the game of football. If he were to come to MSU, he would have the chance at immediate playing time, due to Greg Jones vacating the MLB position. Thomas would be the perfect fit to fill that void. It is still early to say that he would make as big of an impact as Jones has in his career, but he has the potential to do that and more.

Out of these four players I expect the first commit to be Justice Hayes. However, do not be surprised if it is Lawrence Thomas. My question with Thomas is not “IF” he commits but “WHEN” will he commit to the Spartans. I expect Sturdivant and Arnett to take a little bit longer in their decision process but could very possibly pull the trigger at MSU’s camp this summer. These may for now be considered the BIG FOUR, but there are several new offers to go along with the 14 previously reported and any of them could be the first to pull the trigger.

Who else has recieved offers?

 Later this evening we will have a complete update on the 2011 offer list. It has grown significantly since our last update so check back later tonight for that.