Spartan Star Recruit William Gholston Addresses Rumors About His Committment to the Spartan Nation: “You let all of the Spartan Nation know I am a Spartan and I am coming to State.”

MSU landed a star when recruit William Gholston committed. Tonight reports surfaced that Gholston was not solid on his commitment to Mark Dantonio and the Spartans and was planning to make other visits.

 

My phone and email inbox went crazy as the word spread like wildfire of the report, which I admit I haven’t had time to read. I simply called Gholston and spoke to him moments ago.

 

I asked him about alleged reports and pointedly asked him if his commitment to MSU had wavered or if there was a chance he was considering decommitting. “No way man. I heard that also. You know what I said to you and I stand by that. I am a Spartan. I am going to be a Spartan. I am not wavering and I am not going to attend another school.”

 

Hondo Spoke to William at His Home in June, Soon After He Committed to the Spartan Nation!

Gholston had made strong comments to me when we went to his home about people who decommit and he reminded me of those comments emphatically. So I asked him about comments that he was planning on taking other visits to other schools. Most notably, I had been told Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida. “No. I was asked if I had visits left and I do. I didn’t take all my visits. I told them that those schools had wanted me, but I didn’t say I was taking other visits.” 

 

In fact, Gholston informed me when I called that he had been trying to reach other recruits that MSU has targeted for the 2010 class and he said he was spending the evening, “Calling other guys to come help me win big at MSU.” Gholston is a star recruit and many schools have continued to attempt to recruit him since he gave his pledge to MSU.

 

The pressure on a recruit like Gholston is immense, so I simply asked what he and I have discussed many times before. Is there any doubt in his mind that MSU is his destination? “No way. I am a Spartan. Write it down.” Gholston’s words were emphatic and I asked if I could quote him to the Spartan Nation. “You let all of the Spartan Nation know I am a Spartan and I am coming to State.”

 

People have been hounding Gholston about playing DE. Last season the Spartans did some 3-4 alignments using then DE Brandon Long standing up as an OLB. They plan to do more this season with Trevor Anderson, and next season complete that transition of their defense and use him in that 3-4 defense. He would be on the outside standing up as an outside LB. It will be the defense his cousin Vernon participated in at Ohio State. It may be called a DE now as a point of reference, but it will be an OLB in 2010. Gholston is excited about that and it is exactly what he was referencing when he was quoted as saying he didn’t want to play a traditional hand on the ground DE spot. MSU had made this clear to him that the transition started last season, will continue this season, and be in place when he arrives in East Lansing. “I like how they plan to use me. I have no issues with our plan at MSU at all.”

 

I spoke to him and it certainly didn’t sound like a young man that was wavering. Gholston sounded like he always had to me; a committed young man on a mission. A mission he was working on tonight calling top notch recruits trying to get them to join him in East Lansing, not Tuscaloosa or Gainesville.