Will the Spartan Nation Get Their First Ohio Commit for 2010 at DB?

Will the Spartan Nation Get Their First Ohio Commit for 2010 at DB? Â Speed kills and one thing Mark Dantonio was emphatic about when he took the MSU job was

Will the Spartan Nation Get Their First Ohio Commit for 2010 at DB?

 

Speed kills and one thing Mark Dantonio was emphatic about when he took the MSU job was that they had to address “team speed.” On July 11th a defensive back with speed to burn is on his way to camp at MSU and with teams like Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, and even Florida actively recruiting him, he looks for that Spartan offer.

 

I spoke to DB Seth Cunningham and his father Bill last night from their home in Medina, Ohio. We talked about MSU and the recruiting process. Seth is a speedster who told me, “I have been clocked faster, but I can run a 4.35 all the time.” That speed surely could be used wearing the green and white, but when added to the other part of his game it is even more impressive.

 

Cunningham is fast, but he loves to hit and while playing in one of the most respected high school programs in the nation (St. Edwards), he has got a reputation for being a hard hitter. At 6’ tall and 180 pounds, he has the size to do it. “I love the physical side of the game. I have the speed and the coverage skills to go one on one or press, but I love to come up and lay the hit,” was how Cunningham described his game to me.

 

He certainly knows how to do both. The DB has garnered a lot of attention from high profile programs around the country, but the Spartans are special to him and have been since he was little. “I always liked the name Spartan. It just sounded tough and strong and I always wanted to play football there because of that.” 

 

Cunningham follows the mold of the player Dantonio loves. He has a passion for the game of football and a passion for the classroom. “Seth plans to major in criminology and plans to be an US Marshall when his football days are over,” was how his father Bill described his son’s career path.

 

With a father originally from Michigan, but being raised in the land of the Buckeyes, you can imagine that with the attention from Michigan and Ohio State, that this kid shocked some folks when Ohio State asked him to come to camp as they continue their recruiting process. “I told them that I appreciated that they wanted me to come, but I am working the whole time on trying to put on a show when I come to MSU on July 11th,” was how Seth said he chose to come to MSU in July. So I asked him what OSU said when he told them no thanks for a visit? “They were disappointed, but they have a lot of respect for Coach Dantonio and told me that if it didn’t fit or work out to please call them.”

 

“I always wanted to be a Spartan since I was a young boy and I am just so excited to come up there,” was Seth’s words. Seth met Defensive Coordinator Pat Narduzzi at his school and he hopes to leave MSU on July 11th with an offer in hand.

 

Seth is a natural leader who comes from a great family. There are many Wolverine fans in his family who live in Southeast Michigan who want him to go to UM, but his dad says they’ll understand. “They were all excited with Coach Rodriguez and UM talking to him, but they all know and are waiting for that MSU offer. They will change colors.”

Seth has a minor speech impediment in which he stutters, but he hasn’t let that stop him. “I have got teased a lot, people call me Waterboy and stuff, but that is OK. I just try to let my play talk for me. I was playing in an all-star game against the kids from Pennsylvania. They had a wide receiver that is supposed to be one of the best in the country, and to his credit he is a real beast. He liked to really talk and he heard me stutter and was all over me about it. The next play I dropped him on his head and he said nothing else the rest of the game.”

 

One member of the staff at St. Edwards explained his stuttering this way, “Seth is a natural leader. He hasn’t let that (stuttering) stop him. He is vocal and I bet not one kid at our school even recognizes it anymore. He has earned the kids’ respect with how he lives and acts. They love him.”

 

Seth has had a lot of attention, but what he craves is that MSU offer. On July 11th if he impresses the staff and gets that coveted offer, look for Cunningham to fulfill his dream and become the next Spartan to follow the green and white road from the land of the Buckeyes.