Mark Dantonio & His Staff Are Taking a Long Look at Massive 2014 OT Recruit Andrew Mike from Arizona!

In football, size matters. One characteristic of a football player that coaches universally crave is ideal size for the position. Offensive lineman prospect

In football, size matters. One characteristic of a football player that coaches universally crave is ideal size for the position. Offensive lineman prospect Andrew Mike certainly possesses that quality.

Standing at 6’7, 280 pounds, Mike has outstanding size for the offensive tackle position. The class of 2014 recruit has garnered interest from schools from sea to shining sea. But his size is not his only attractive quality to big-time programs: Mike is a well-rounded young man with a good head on his shoulders.

This young man is from the state of Arizona and recently joined Hondo S. Carpenter, Sr. on Spartan Nation Radio.

Mike’s football potential was revealed early on. The idea that the sport might be in his future became clear even before high school. “In eighth grade I definitely started changing: I was able to beat just about anyone in town,” Mike said. “After my freshman year, it was really shown to me that I could go further.” So the offensive tackle worked hard to become an even better football player. The work has paid large dividends for the young man, as colleges have come to his door in droves.

Mike has received twelve scholarship offers thus far. The list of institutions includes well-known programs such as Cal, Penn State, and Arizona State. Plus, a number of other prominent schools have shown interest. Mike has drawn attention from Florida State, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Michigan, Stanford, and Michigan State, among others. Coaches have particularly talked to Mike about his God-given gifts. “They definitely love that with my size, I’m limber as I am, I can move, but also that I’m aggressive with it,” the offensive tackle said.

Some despise the recruiting process: all the attention, craziness, and hype. But Mike is enjoying every minute. “I’m definitely loving it: it’s a once in a lifetime experience.” Despite it all, though, Mike has had no problem staying humble: he has no time to be otherwise. Not only does he devote countless hours to football, he finds time to compete in two other sports (basketball and shotput/discus in track) and volunteer in his hometown -- Tucson, Arizona. Plus, Mike takes three Advanced Placement (AP) classes while maintaining a 3.8 GPA. Though his parents had to push him early on in his schooling, now “I definitely love to push myself, on and off the field,” Mike explained. “So that once my football career ends, I’ll have something I love to do.”

With so many fine academic institutions to choose from, this recruit’s decision will not be an easy one. But he has his criteria set in mind. “Definitely a football program that I’d be proud to play for and compete for a National Championship or a Rose Bowl,” Mike said of his ideal school. “And academics- who’s going to get me to that job that I want and I’m going to love when my football career is over.” As for a preferred location of a school, Mike does admit that it would be appealing to stay close to home, but “[my parents] definitely want me to venture out and be able to experience things I wouldn’t be able to experience if I was staying at home.”

Michigan State has found its way into the mix for the young man. Recruited by Brad Salem, Mike is a significant target for the Spartan coaching staff. “I hope to get in there sometime in May, but I haven’t made any solid schedules yet,” Mike said of a potential visit to East Lansing. He does have family in Michigan, plus his father, grandfather and grandmother were all born in the state. When Mike visits MSU, there is a major possibility that head coach Mark Dantonio and his coaching staff will extend a scholarship offer to the young man.

For the promising player with special size and great talent, the future is bright. Mike has numerous scholarship offers and unlimited potential. The well-rounded recruit is in no hurry to decide on a school, as “there’s definitely no timeframe yet, [I’m] just feeling out what really fits me best,” he told Spartan Nation Radio. Regardless of where he ends up, Mike will be an invaluable asset at offensive tackle, and Spartan Nation wishes him the best.