Spartans Trying To Add Gholston as Key Building Block with Bullough for 2010 Football Recruiting Class

Spartans trying to get “Jiggy With It” and land “Big Willie” Gholston  Pardon the Will Smith reference but this truly is a big deal.  Over the last

Spartans trying to get “Jiggy With It” and land “Big Willie” Gholston

 

Pardon the Will Smith reference but this truly is a big deal.

 

Over the last few years (JLS years) Michigan State University had been perennially dismissed when it came to the recruitment of a top-flight in state player. In 2010 things could change big time as they did last year. The Spartans are hot on the trail of Detroit Southeastern DE William Gholston and this year they won’t be written off.

 

You may recognize the last name and deservedly so. William’s cousin, Vernon Gholston, was a tremendous player in his time at Ohio State, and was selected Sixth overall by the New York Jets in the 2008 NFL Draft. William has the chance to make the family name even more respected as he has the chance to play just about anywhere in the college football universe.

 

Gholston’s list of offers is almost as impressive as his chiseled 6’7” 237-pound frame. The list includes two schools from the sunshine state (Miami (FL) and Reigning National Champion Florida) most of the Big 10 (Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin and lists Ohio State as a favorite despite not having an offer), Notre Dame and MSU. While the competition is fierce Gholston does have a sweet spot for the Green and White that he put on display at the MSU-Kansas Basketball game earlier this season when he stood up during halftime, at the behest of the Izzone, and showed off a bicep that may even make his cousin a little jealous.

 

Outside of his physical gifts, Gholston also boasts impressive speed off the edge as a pass rusher and has played Linebacker in the past as well. Its no secret that MSU is looking for defensive ends in the 2010 class after landing only three natural DE’s in ’09 (Dan France, Denzel Drone and Corey Freeman who will sit out until Spring 2010 as an enrolled non-qualifier). That along with Trevor Anderson entering his senior year in 09 and the graduation of Brandon Long and Dwayne Holmes this spring makes Gholston one of the most sought after prospects in the Mark Dantonio era. Gholston would bring both experience and versatility to an already promising young defensive corps.

 

It also helps the Spartan cause that Gholston attends Detroit Southeastern High School, the same school that gave the Spartans current WR Fred Smith. A commit from Gholston would not only help the Spartans on the field, but it would keep open the ever-growing Detroit PSL pipeline this staff has built.

 

Gholston is a no-doubt the type of player that would be a highlight for any class, regardless of the school. For MSU in particular, it would help lay another major building block for the 2010 class, the first being MLB Max Bullough who committed to play at MSU this past fall. A class with Bullough and Gholston at its core would surely draw in great recruits the way the early commitment of Chris Norman did for this past year’s class. Getting a player of Gholston’s caliber would give MSU class with two top 10 in-state recruits in the 2010 class before the 2009 season even kicks off.

 

Although it is still early in his recruitment Gholston has garnered plenty of attention and it will be a hard fought battle for his services over the next year. But the members of Spartan Nation can trust that Coach Dantonio’s staff will be doing their best to get this Gholston to sport Spartan Green instead of the Scarlet and Gray.