Hicks Update: Commit's Perspective on MSU Recruiting, Season so Far

In two weeks, when the Michigan Wolverines roll into town looking to take advantage of a wounded Spartan team, recruits from around the state and region will be

In two weeks, when the Michigan Wolverines roll into town looking to take advantage of a wounded Spartan team, recruits from around the state and region will be watching the game. At Spartan Stadium, prospects will be shown the facilities, and they'll watch what is sure to be an intense game. All the while, the MSU program will have an extra set of recruiters in the stands with verbal commits like Mylan Hicks talking up the Green and White.

"Pretty much with the recruiting process, I know what I went through and I how I would like to be recruited, so I'll just tell guys why I picked MSU, why it was a good choice for me," Hicks told Spartan Nation. "I went up to State because of the family atmosphere, so that's what I'll tell them. But also, I don’t want to pressure them into a decision, because I know I didn't like to be pressured."

Like all Spartan fans, Hicks has been paying close attention to MSU's season. The two losses are disappointing, Hicks said, but really wouldn’t have much of an impact had he not been committed already. Hicks says he doesn’t really think a team's record or opponents determine where most prospects decide they want to go to college, and he's just glad MSU fought hard in losses to Central Michigan and Notre Dame.

"When it got down late in the game, the ball just didn't roll their way," Hicks said. "The loss to Central Michigan, nobody could have expected that to happen. And the loss to Notre Dame, you know, if the quarterback had that ball back, he'd do something else with it."

Hicks sees the rough road MSU has travelled so far this season through mature eyes. "You know, them type of things happen in football," he said. "I don’t really pay attention to who a team should or shouldn’t lose to, because at the end of the day … you have to put teams away and you have to execute. You can't take a team lightly because they might not be on the same level as you. If you let a team hang around, one thing might go their way, and then there's an upset."

As for his own Detroit Renaissance (1-3, 1-1) team, the season isn't going as smoothly as Hicks may have wanted, but there's still lots to play for. "We started off a little rough," he said. "But we still have a shot at our division. Everyone can’t win every game, so the team that handles adversity is the best team, to me personally."

For the Phoenix, Hicks roams the defensive backfield as a lockdown corner, but the ball is rarely thrown his way. While that can be frustrating, and a bit boring at times, Hicks said it's vital to stay locked into each play, because you never know when the opposing QB is going to test your side of the field.

Hicks also pulls double duty as a running back. In fact, running back is where Hicks feels most natural as it's the position he's played the longest throughout his prep career. Before he began shutting down receivers in the secondary, Hicks imagined a college scholarship would come through the cutting, hopping and sprinting skills he displays as a running back.

"It's a very instinctive position for me," Hicks says of running the ball. "It's natural." And he's working to make his position in the secondary at cornerback just as natural. "You know, I'm working on technique," he said. "We play a lot of man coverage, so just techniques with my running and chasing the ball down. There's a lot of stuff you can still work on even though the ball might not be coming my way."