Mark Dantonio’s Humble and Talented 2014 CB Vayante Copeland Talks About Being a Spartan

Mark Dantonio’s Humble and Talented 2014 CB Vayante Copeland Talks About Being a Spartan Defensive backs are becoming ever-more critical as the Big Ten

Mark Dantonio’s Humble and Talented 2014 CB Vayante Copeland Talks About Being a Spartan

Defensive backs are becoming ever-more critical as the Big Ten evolves from a run-heavy conference to a more passer-friendly league. Michigan State has boasted its fair share of talented sentinels of the secondary in recent years, sending a number of players to the NFL. MSU recently claimed its second speedy class of 2014 cornerback, Vayante Copeland, who will aspire to ascend to the pros like his predecessors.

Speed is arguably the most important quality for a defensive back to possess. In order to keep up with today’s wideouts, corners and safeties must be able to turn on the jets. But coaches don’t just look at how fast a player can run from Point A to Point B. Quick hips and agility are critical, often overlooked characteristics that make or break a young cornerback entering the Big Ten. Vayante Copeland possesses both qualities.

Many of Copeland’s fellow class of 2014 recruits will have to learn these finer points of the game on the fly at the college level. Copeland’s combination of speed, agility, and great hip movement made him a precious commodity in the recruiting market. Plus, thanks to his time at running back in high school, Copeland possesses great ball skills. Pursued by a host of programs, such as West Virginia, Illinois, Louisville, and Ohio State, Copeland had a wide range of colleges from which to choose. He could have easily picked a school where he’d have started right away. But Copeland decided on Michigan State, a premier defensive program where the talented, 6’0, 175 pound product will be forced to battle for playing time.

The humble youngster with serious skills recently joined Hondo S. Carpenter, Sr. on Spartan Nation Radio to talk about his recruitment and why he wanted to be a Spartan.

Many college counselors will advise high school students with this age-old cliché, “You’ll know as soon as you step on campus if that school is right for you.” Many will attest to the truth with their own success stories. Copeland is one such lucky soul who knew right away that Michigan State was his dream school. His first visit to East Lansing convinced him that MSU would be the perfect fit.

“When I first pulled up I was like, ‘Wow. That’s the stadium? They’ve got a pool in front of their stadium?’...We went to the wrong facility at first, the people told us the facility was down the street. So we went down the street,” Copeland said of his adventure. “As soon as I walked in I saw, wow, all the trophies, all the history, the legacy. From Plaxico Burress, to the Bullough family, the linebackers…From the 30’s to present day. I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s crazy.’ I’ve been to a lot of colleges, I’ve been to Ohio State [which has] Woody Hayes and when I saw [MSU] I was like, wow.”

During his tour, the senior at Thurgood Marshall High School saw Spartan Stadium, the press box, and most of campus. It was love at first sight for Copeland. “This is great. This fits me. I like the people,” he said of his initial impressions. “They were just telling me about Michigan State, how it is, how the people are in East Lansing, everything. So when I visited it was eye opening…That’s kind of what blew me away.”

However, for a high school football recruit, college decisions are not just about the feel of the campus. The people, especially those whom the player will interact with daily, are even more important. Luckily for Copeland, the Michigan State community is a great one to be a part of. “I like the coaching staff. Coach Barnett, I talk to him a lot about the whole process. The relationship I’ve built with Coach Dantonio too, because he was the only head coach that actually came up to my school. I have a lot of respect for him,” an impressed Copeland said. “He took time out of his day to come to my school, to see me in person, and give me the offer. So that means a lot.”

Through defensive backs coach Harlon Barnett, the Ohio native also got in contact with current MSU corner Darqueze Dennard. Copeland learned a lot from the incoming senior starter. “He was just telling me about Michigan State from his perspective. The coaching staff at Michigan State, they don’t try to play somebody in the recruiting process,” Copeland relayed from his conversation with Dennard. “They’re not going to try to suck up or [lie] just to try to get you. They are who they are. I like those coaches… I’ve talked to Coach Dantonio a couple of times before I went to school. Sometimes we talked about football, sometimes we talked about life. I kind of respect that. That’s basically what made me pick…Michigan State.”

Mark Dantonio confirmed Dennard’s statement soon after. The veteran head coach showed his integrity when Copeland called to commit. “When I told him I wanted to commit he…was like, ‘Are you sure? Is this going benefit your family? You’re going to get a great education.’ So like I said, I have respect for that,” Copeland recalled. “Some coaches, if I said: ‘Yeah I want to be here,’ then they would have been like, ‘Great, we need you.’ But I believe [coaches at] Michigan State would actually say, ‘Are you sure?’ That kind of shocked me.”

Filled with upstanding, moral men, the Spartan coaching staff is one of the best. Not only did Dantonio and Barnett impress Copeland, but defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi also wowed the young recruit. “He said he likes me…he said, ‘You have a knack for the ball. You open your hips very good.’ When I talked to Coach Narduzzi, he said [I’m] either…corner or safety. We haven’t evaluated you because we don’t know how big you’re going to get. My relationship with Coach Narduzzi is good,” Copeland stated. “When I told him I committed...Coach Narduzzi was fired up. They’re ready to get me. I was number one on their defense chart. When they got me, he was excited. He gave me a hug…I can’t wait to get up there with Coach Narduzzi. I like him.”

With Copeland’s positive attitude and great skills, it is no wonder he has already become a favorite of the MSU coaching staff. Copeland’s work ethic certainly doesn’t hurt, either. The young corner spends a lot of time on the finer points of his game. “I work on flipping my hips a lot. Our DB coach [at Thurgood Marshall] says if you want to be a great DB you have to have fast, quick hips...If you have great hips you can open up faster. If you’ve got bad hips you’re going to get beat a lot,” Copeland said.

The cornerback with boundless potential also elaborated on his gift for snagging the ball high in the air. “It may be God-given, but in my younger days and in high school now we do a lot of jump ball drills…Our head coach, Coach White, says if you want to be a great corner you have to pinpoint the ball at its highest point,” the youngster said. “You don’t know: are you going to be guarding a tall receiver or are you going to be guarding a short receiver? So if you know you’re guarding a tall receiver you can’t let the ball come down to you. You have to pinpoint it at the highest point. Like I said, I have a knack for the ball. I want the ball at its highest point. Wherever I can get it, I like to get [it].”

Not just a hard worker, Copeland has a level head and doesn’t allow his accomplishments to cloud his vision. Despite all the attention, Copeland manages to stay humble, in part thanks to his mom. “I get a lot of being humble from my mom. She teaches…be humble, don’t be selfish, always try to give back. A lot of the time I go to my [old] peewee team, help other players and everything like that. It’s not all about me sometimes…You’ve got to be thankful for what you get,” the new Spartan said. “I’ll always want to give back. You have to be humble. There’s people who are less fortunate than you. Whatever you can do, try to give back. That’s kind of [what] my mentality is.”

Copeland continued, “I’ll talk to young kids a lot. Our school’s not in the nicest neighborhood. Some kids actually come up from inner city elementary, middle schools. Our head coach tells me to kind of talk to them and everything. I talk to them and tell them what path they need to take in life…Try to get them on the right track and get their families back together. So you have to be humble.”

Commit number 11 of the 2014 MSU football recruiting class, Vayante Copeland brings a ton of talent to an already loaded Spartan secondary. Featuring an ability to flip his hips like a pro and leap up to snatch passes out of the air, Copeland has the potential to become the next great Michigan State defensive back to leave a significant impact on the program. To top it all off, Copeland is the complete package: a young man with a terrific head on his shoulders and a need to give back. The Spartan Nation is lucky to bring such a gifted and well-rounded young man into the family.