Reflecting Back On Michigan State Football's Early Signing 2020 Class
With Michigan State set to put the finishing touches on its 2020 recruiting class on Wednesday with the expected signings of three players, the Spartans will have put together a 22 player class that can be described as unspectacular but is jam-packed with players with plenty of upside and potential.
When now-retired Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio spoke with the media after 19 members of the Spartans’ 2019 class signed on Early Signing Day in December, Dantonio described the recruiting class as one that is filled with productive players who made big impacts in their senior seasons of high school.
“The players in this class, I feel like when you look at them, they had extremely productive senior seasons,” he said. “You see Angelo Grose was second in Mr. Ohio. He was the defensive player of the year in the Division III in Ohio. Pietrowski, defensive player of the year. Devin Hightower, Division II defensive player of the year. Kyle King, Mr. Indiana, at his position, defensive end in Indiana. Quite a few of those type of guys. Three Ohio players Division I, II and III, as I said. Impressive group of wideouts, defensive linemen, I feel a lot of multi-sport athletes, seven players actually enrolling early.”
Michigan State’s recruiting class currently ranks as the No. 36 ranked class according to Rivals, although that ranking will likely change on Wednesday as the nation’s top unsigned players sign their respective NLIs.
The members of Michigan State’s 2020 class that signed on Early Signing Day and are currently enrolled at Michigan State are Carrollton (TX) Hebron 3-star safety Darius Snow, Akron (OH) Archbishop Hoban 3-star linebacker Devin Hightower, Mansfield (OH) 3-star defensive back Angelo Grose, New Palestine (IN) 3-star defensive end Kyle King, Catawissa (PA) Southern Columbia 3-star linebacker Cal Haladay, Missassauga (ON) Clarkson Football North 3-star offensive lineman Justin Stevens and Wheaton (IL) Warrenville South 3-star kicker Jack Olsen.
Dantonio told reporters that while he doesn’t specifically target recruits who may enroll early, he did acknowledge that there are benefits to recruits who do enroll early if they can handle taking on that kind of commitment right away.
“I don't really target, we don't target them and say, That's a midyear guy. Obviously I think it can help if they're mature enough to handle the transition. That's an individual decision that everybody and their families need to make. So seven of those guys made that decision. They'll be here. Remember I said the other two guys will now be able to play into that. Really got nine new guys. I know they were here, Jalen (Hunt) and Jayden (Reed), but really they came late. But it is important to lay a foundation, to be able to have those guys on your depth chart, to be able to start to indoctrinate them into things conceptually. It should pay dividends as you go forward.”
The 12 others who signed during the early signing period are Marietta (GA) 4-star receiver Ricky White, Minneapolis (MN) Minnehaha Academy 4-star wide receiver Terry Lockett, Grand Rapids (MI) East Kentwood 3-star offensive lineman Dallas Fincher, Gibraltar (MI) Carlson 3-star wide receiver Ian Stewart, Grovetown (GA) 3-star defensive end Simeon Barrow, Dearborn (MI) 3-star tight end Tommy Guajardo, Cleveland (OH) Shaker Heights 3-star defensive end Avery Dunn, Lakewood (OH) St. Edward wide receiver Montorie Foster, Hilliard (OH) Bradley 3-star defensive end Chris Mayfield, Chantilly (VA) Westfield 3-star quarterback Noah Kim, Lakewood (OH) St. Edward 3-star defensive end Jeff Pietrowski and Hilton Head (SC) 3-star linebacker Cole DeMarzo.
While Michigan State’s recruiting class isn’t one that’s heralded in recruiting rankings and by recruiting experts, Dantonio said that he doesn’t pay attention to those areas when building a recruiting class, but instead focuses on other aspects.
“They win championships,” he said. “Are they winning football teams, team captains, how do they handle themselves around their peers. I think all those things are issues or transitional things as you go forward, can they handle challenges. Do they play other sports? All these guys, when you start looking at guys and say who are the top 300 players in America, there are a lot of good football players in America. You have to anticipate how they're going to develop and you sort of build it from there. That's what we've always done. We see a good football player, I really don't look at the stars, I just don't, we've had guys come here that are four-star players that have never played. Other guys come here, (Darqueze) Dennard, Tulsa dropped him during the recruiting process, one offer, Tulsa dropped him. We swooped in, I think this guy is a very good football player.”
The Spartans are anticipating three more signings on Wednesday, though the news of Mark Dantonio’s retirement could change those plans. Powder Springs (GA) 3-star running back Jordon Simmons, Manvel (TX) 3-star running back Donovan Eaglin and Groveport (OH) Madison 3-star defensive end Jasiyah Robinson are Michigan State’s three remaining unsigned commits.
Below is a transcript of Mark Dantonio’s remarks on each of the players who signed with the Spartans in December:
On East Kentwood 3-star OL Dallas Fincher:
“Highly recruited offensive lineman. Recruited him last spring, he was a three-year starter at East Kentwood. His father Mark played for Coach Perles, he's a legacy type guy. Size, athletic ability. The fact that he can play center sort of distinguishes him a little bit because it's tough playing center. Coached by Tony Kimbrough, but an outstanding young man, about 280 pounds, 6'4" or so. We look for him to get involved early in the process as he moves here.”
On Missassauga (CN) Clarkson Football North 3-star OL Justin Stevens:
“A little bit different. Really played defensive line for the most part in his high school career. Went to post high school in Canada. What we saw was a big, athletic guy, 6'5" plus, 290, can really run. His vertical, over 30 inches in our camp. The question was whether we were going to try to transition him to the offensive side of the ball which he played this year. He'll come in mid-season here, he'll be a guy that has an opportunity to lay a foundation for himself here. Tremendous upside in terms of his athletic ability, size and strength. Looking forward to him being here as well.”
On Grovetown (GA) 3-star DE Simeon Barrow Jr.:
“A guy we looked at early in the process last spring, immediately offered him. Watched him practice in the spring, our assistants did. Named regional player of the year. Strong season with eight sacks as a senior. Could play defensive tackle, weighing about 250 now, but may get up to 280 quickly, I don't know. Athletic, can run, a guy that will fit into our defensive system, a guy that I feel is sort of a doer in terms of how he plays. Outstanding athlete, though. A guy we pointed to and felt like we needed to get.”
On Cleveland (OH) Shaker Heights 3-star DE Avery Dunn:
“When you talk to the coaches throughout Ohio, a guy's name kept coming up is Avery. First team all-state in Ohio. Great length, could probably play linebacker, runs effectively. Work him as a defensive end. Reminds me Shilique Calhoun in a lot of ways. Explosive guy, long, athletic. Should be a great player for us here as he moves forward.”
On New Palestine (IN) 3-star DE Kyle King:
“Cleans 380 (pounds), 250 pounds, 6'3" plus, named defensive lineman in the state of Indiana, (won) back-to-back state titles. Kyle Ralph is his coach. Recruited Kyle when I was back here before. Very explosive, tough guy, can run very well, plays tight end as well. I feel like Kyle has a huge upside. He will also start here early in this semester, this next semester.”
On Hilliard (OH) Bradley 3-star DE Chris Mayfield:
“The film you see is from his junior year. Very athletic. Started in basketball. Four years as a ninth grader at Hilliard High School which is a big high school in the Columbus area. Athletic. Another guy that comes in as a defensive end, could grow to be a defensive tackle. 6'3", rated one of the top players in Ohio as well.”
On Lakewood (OH) St. Edward 3-star DE Jeff Pietrowski:
“Ohio Division I defensive player of the year, co-defensive player of the year I guess I would say. Cleveland defensive player of the year. St. Ed's, an institution that plays the same defense that we do. There's a lot of carryover in that respect. Reminds me of Kenny Willekes in the way he plays. Relentless guy, tough, on-the-edge guy. Over 6'1", probably closer to 6'2". Extremely productive player, has been productive for quite a while there. Played MIKE linebacker, has the ability to play up, should be a guy that has an opportunity for immediate contributions as we go.”
On Dearborn (MI) 3-star TE Tommy Guajardo:
“Multi-sport athlete, one of our earliest commitments in the class. Coach John Powell is his coach. Athletic, great hands. Came to camp, demonstrated his ability to run after catch. Wanted to be a Spartan from the get-go. He's been committed for a long time here. Extremely athletic, 6'3", probably going about 235 right now. Should get involved very early in his career as well.”
On Hilton Head (SC) 3-star LB Cole DeMarzo:
“A linebacker with Michigan connections, out of South Carolina, Hilton Head. Rated one of the top linebackers in the state of South Carolina. Multi-sport, multi-position type player. Plays wide receiver, linebacker, he's played safety. We look at him as a star (linebacker position), sort of that hybrid guy that has to go out in space and play over the slot a lot. But we'll see where he plays when he gets here. Came to camp, demonstrated his abilities in camp. 10 foot long jumper. A guy that ran extremely well, ran 4.6, vertical 34 inches. Great hands. A guy we looked at and said he'll find a place. Reminds me of Matt Morrissey in a lot of ways, Grayson Miller type of guy.”
On Catawissa (PA) Southern Columbia 3-star LB Cal Haladay:
“School's all-time leading tackler at his high school. Won three state championships. An early enrollee. A wrestler as well. A guy that's very instinctive, plays downhill, athletic. He has a way of slipping blockers. Reminds me, a big comparison, when I was at Ohio State, as a graduate assistant, Chris Spielman walked in there 205 (pounds), made every play. Very slippery guy that can defeat blocks. Sort of reminds me of him in that respect. Hopefully he gets to the height that Chris did.”
On Akron (OH) Archbishop Hoban 3-star LB Devin Hightower:
“Named Division II player of the year. Great ball skills, eight interceptions as a senior, returned four of them for a touchdown. Tim Terrell is an outstanding high school football coach in Ohio. Won a state championship as a junior, early enrollee. Very athletic, quick twitch. Should be a guy that gets involved very quickly as well. Obviously a lot of these guys have to learn things conceptually, transition to this level of football. I do think that he has a great skill set, outstanding skill set, very good tackler, quick twitch.”
On Wheaton (IL) Warrenville South 3-star K Jack Olsen:
“Ranked as one of the top five kickers in the country. Selected to the All-American Bowl in San Antonio. Had opportunities to be the kicker in the two other All-Star games as well. Has made eight field goals in one game, from what I understand, as a junior. Watched him kick when I was at a camp. He's got great productivity. He's got great range in that he's able to kick the ball in the end zone consistently. He'll compete for playing opportunities immediately. Should be our kicker here for the next three years for sure, after this year, possibly maybe the next three years, but he'll compete this year.”
On Chantilly (VA) Westfield 3-star QB Noah Kim:
“Noah Kim is an interesting guy in the fact that we had watched him really camp here as a 10th grader. We've watched him for a very long time. A little slight - in fact, he's about 180 pounds, 6'2". Elusive, quick, quick twitch guy, great arm, makes great decisions. I think he had one interception last year, this year I think he had three. But he’s a proven winner, 41-2 as a starting quarterback. One of those was a game where he fractured his femur, I believe, when he was a junior. So they lost that particular football game. From Virginia, makes all the throws. As I said, I've watched about 150 passes, creativity, things of that nature. I think he'll doing an outstanding job here. He is a black belt in Karate. Hopefully doesn't get too much criticism.”
On Lakewood (OH) St. Edward 3-star WR Montorie Foster:
“Had not played football since the seventh grade. Walked in and decided to play his senior year. 6'2", 175 pounds, outstanding basketball player. First heard about him from Will, Andrew, David and Michael's father, that he was coming out. Huge ceiling for what he's going to be able to accomplish. Great jumping ability, great hand-eye coordination. Watched him on the basketball court a couple weeks ago. Outstanding basketball player. Thought he made all the catches. Thing that really was not amazing but very interesting to watch was his toughness out on the football field, toughness in terms of blocking, things of that nature. I think he can be an outstanding football player. Very excited about his potential as well.”
On Minneapolis (MN) Minnehaha 4-star WR Terry Lockett:
“Terry Lockett made the commitment here this past weekend. He's a guy that we recruited really throughout the entire year, offered him early in the process. Again, another excellent basketball player, very fluid, makes all the catches. Polished receiver. Great hand-eye coordination. Had more than a thousand yards receiving, all-state player up in Minnesota. Outstanding player. Has the possibility of also playing corner if we decide to do that. We'll take him basically as an athlete. He'll start on the wide receiver side of the ball, but he may find himself playing a little defense.”
On Gibraltar (MI) Carlson 3-star WR Ian Stewart:
“Finalist for Mr. Football in the state here. Multi-dimensional athlete. Was quarterback in high school. So you didn't see him playing wide receiver in high school too much, but you saw him in camp, 6'4", 196 pounds, plays on defense, can run you down as a safety or linebacker. Very excited to watch him progress in the fact that what he did in camp that really earned him his opportunities for a scholarship, then team leader in terms of what he did at Carlson in terms of quarterbacking their football team. While you didn't see him catching the football, he did it enough in camp that we thought he could be very, very special.”
On Marietta (GA) 4-star WR Ricky White:
“Transferred from Wheeler High School. Had 97 catches for 1300 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior, helping Marietta to the 7A, which is the largest division in Georgia, state title. Incredible play-maker, makes people miss all over the field. Watched him practice for the state game last week, extremely impressed. Very impressed. Great hand-eye coordination, run after catch. Again, a guy that can compete immediately.”
On Mansfield (OH) 3-star DB Angelo Grose:
“In the secondary, Angelo Grose, Ohio, Mr. Football runner-up, defensive player of the year. Led Mansfield to the state championship game. Obviously first team all-state, played all over the place, running back, wide receiver, punt returner, kick returner, corner, safety. He reminds me in materials of how he handles things of Josiah Scott in terms of way he comes to play. Tough guy, very competitive guy. He's another guy that will come at mid-year as well.”
On Carrollton (TX) Hebron 3-star S Darius Snow:
Finally, Darius Snow, ranked as one of the top safeties in America. Got his weight down. He was about 215 or 16, got his weight down to 196 right now. Has been one of the leaders in this recruiting class. Guy that committed pretty early in the process, in the fall. His father played here, Eric, then (uncle) Percy was a two time All-American linebacker, in the College Football Hall of Fame as well. Early enrollee. As you sit and talk to him, his football knowledge, striking ability, great ball skills. Again, another guy who camped with us and demonstrated his abilities camp. When you see him play, watch our guys play in camp, you have an instant opportunity to compare them to players near us in our program. I think that he'll have an opportunity to get on the field very early, should build that foundation this spring, be a factor here coming into fall camp.
Want the latest breaking MSU news delivered straight to your email for FREE? Sign up for the DAILY Spartan Nation newsletter when you CLICK THE MAGAZINE ICON at the top left of the page or the FOLLOW button back on the main page. Don’t miss any of the latest up to the second updates on Michigan State Sports when you follow on Twitter @HondoCarpenter & @JDeuceDullack
