Spartans Hoping to Land One of Nation's Premier Punting Prospects

You've got three guesses to name the most important play in football. Ready, go. Touchdown? Interception? First down? Ask Spartan head coach Mark Dantonio, and

You've got three guesses to name the most important play in football. Ready, go. Touchdown? Interception? First down? Ask Spartan head coach Mark Dantonio, and a legion of other coaches, including his mentor Jim Tressel, and they'll tell you it's none of the above. Most important play, they say? The punt.

Now, unpacking that sentiment reveals game changers like blocked punts or returns for touchdowns, but a punter who can pin one deep or neutralize a deadly return man can also be worth his weight in gold.

So when MSU makes an offer to a kid because of his ability to boot a pigskin sky high and over large chunks of field, it's not without careful consideration.

Meet Mike Sadler, of Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern High School, the state of Michigan's golden leg that's being recruited throughout the nation. He has an MSU offer, and the competition is thick. Add SEC powers LSU and Alabama and Big Ten programs such as Northwestern and Purdue to the list of teams extending offers, along with interest from many others, led by the Spartan's bitter rival Wolverines.

With hang times that reach and exceed five seconds and covering distances of over 50 yards, the punting abilities of Sadler have been honed through intensive practice during his high school career. Last season, as a junior, Sadler averaged 38.6 yards per punt.

The 6-foot-1, 185 pound phenom, who has gone on record as liking the Wolverines, can expect more and more attention as his highlight tapes and camp performances circulate the coaching ranks. Sadler is also a whiz in the classroom, with a reported 4.1 grade point average and a score of 32 on the ACT.

What makes landing a punter such as Sadler all the more important for MSU is the opportunity to reload at an important skill position once the Spartans loose the services of upperclassman Aaron Bates, State's Old Faithful leg for the past two years, consistently booting, as a grizzled coach might mumble, the snot out of the football since his freshman season. If Sadler were to join the Spartan program, a redshirt season would be in the works, when he could learn from one of the nation's best as Bates finishes out his Spartan career as a senior.

And with the top defensive lieneman (William Gholston) and linebacker (Max Bullough) in the fold already, not to mention arguably the top quarterback (Joe Boisture) and cornerback (Mylan Hicks), adding the top punter in the state, and perhaps the nation, would only be fitting for a Spartan program fast becoming used to turning heads with big news on the recruiting trail. Time will tell.

In the meantime, watch some training film of Sadler booting the ball on the practice field here: LINK