Recruiting Roundup: New Faces, Fading Names

Having Seantral Henderson look with interest at your football program is like getting a wink from the most beautiful girl in the room. The 2010 offensive

Having Seantral Henderson look with interest at your football program is like getting a wink from the most beautiful girl in the room.

The 2010 offensive tackle, from Saint Paul, Minnesota, is widely considered the top line prospect of next year's class and has the attention to prove it: offers from Ohio State, USC, Florida, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and so many others. MSU is on that list, and, apparently, Henderson has Green & White on the mind as well.

Time will tell whether Henderson is simply sending out feelers, but the grapevine is humming with whispers of serious Spartan interest from Mr. Henderson. And the game against Notre Dame in two weeks will have that much more importance with the eyes of a program-making offensive tackle from Minnesota on the contest

Another bit of information for the recruiting savvy, courtesy of the inestimable Hondo Carpenter, concerns a well known defensive end a little closer to home: Hondo was asked recently if he thought the Spartans would land CJO. His answer was blunt, "C.J. in my opinion will not be a Spartan."  The Spartans have been fouling off a few throughout the intense recruiting of one of the State’s best prospects, and appeared to have made some inroads, but Olaniyan won’t be wearing a Spartan on his helmet in college according to Carpenter.

Another defensive prospect, though, making blips on the MSU radar hails from South Carolina, the state where Mark Dantonio got his first taste of collegiate ball, lettering for the Gamecocks. Kegan Funderburk, a complete package D-end from Pageland, is interested in MSU and could be a name Spartan fans hear much more of in the coming weeks and months. Somewhat under the radar up here in the north, Funderburk is just one of a couple prospects from S.C. hearing from MSU.

At wide receiver, the Spartans are still courting Torian Richardson, a speedster from Duncan, South Carolina. After working the talent of the Palmetto State the last couple years, Richardson might become the first prospect from the sunny southeastern shore of the Atlantic to pull the trigger for MSU. Richardson speaks highly of the Spartans and MSU coaching staff and should get a fulfilling experience out of his official visit, scheduled for the final game of the season against Penn State, a game that could have Big Ten title implications — for both schools.

Another talented skill position player, in the defensive secondary, is Kurtis Drummond, the long-recruited safety from Hubbard, Ohio. Drummond has been high on MSU for some time, and with little moving in the realm of 2010 commitments, Drummond could be the one to revive the momentum MSU established by landing a bevy of talented 2010 prospects through the summer.

Finally, while we’re talking about prospects who may make the plunge soon, there’s the massive O-tackle prospect from central Ohio, Skyler Schofner. Schofner took what he described as a fantastic trip up to East Lansing last week to watch the Spartans trounce an overmatched Montana State squad. Schofner toured, cheered and genuinely enjoyed his trip to Spartan Stadium and its surrounding environs. Photos with Sparty, meet and greets with coaches and commits such as William Gholston and Joe Boisture, and a more intimate look at what it means to be a Spartan — including a trip into the locker room after the Saturday afternoon beat down — made a big impact on the young man from Big Walnut. Schofner is going to continue to get interest from big time programs, but it wouldn’t surprise close observers to see the pancake-throwing machine make a decision sooner rather than later.