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Dantonio Once Again Looks to the Buckeye State for 2010

Written by: Guest Author on 12th May 2009

Even though the talent in the state of Michigan appears to be abundant for the class of 2010, Ohio will always remain bountifully fertile territory for Michigan State. Of course, head coach Mark Dantonio has deep roots there from his days at Ohio State. But beyond that, this MSU staff has made recruiting its home base — the state of Michigan and the Midwest in particular — job one.

So with the Buckeyes anticipating a smaller class than average, along with its burgeoning reputation as a national recruiter drawing more players from out of state, and thus leaving reams of un-mined talent waiting to be discovered, the fruit is ripe for programs like Michigan State to pick, if I may mix my metaphors.

First, in northern Ohio, one high school holds two promising student athletes with Michigan State offers. Avon Lake, near the shores of Lake Erie, has a bumper crop of football talent for 2010 with the likes of offensive lineman Christian Pace and tight end Dan Schneider.

Pace knocks defenders on their keisters with frightening consistency, an attribute that has garnered him over 20 scholarship offers. And his teammate Schneider combines similar trenching power to go along with a nifty set of hands and a solid frame for quarterbacks to drill passes into.

While Pace already has an MSU offer, Schneider’s stock is rising fast. Both players have visited MSU and both have been impressed with the facilities and coaching staff. Time will tell if the players make one lucky school their mutual home, or if two schools will land prized recruits on Signing Day.

Andrew Donnal is a tall, rangy offensive line prospect from Whitehouse, Ohio, near Toledo. Another O-line keeper from northern Buckeye land, Donnal has an MSU offer as well as experience on the Spartan campus, attending a game last fall. While OSU might not have enough room for Donnal, MSU and most of the rest of the Big Ten would be happy to have a young lineman with mile-long arms and quick feet.

Southern Ohio holds a school in Dayton with another pair of precocious prospects. Terry and Terrance Talbot of Huber Heights Wayne High School are brothers with MSU offers and vastly different body types. Terry lines up in the trenches as a defensive lineman
while Terrence covers the field in the secondary as a corner. Both recent MSU offers, the pair hail from the same high school as burgeoning Spartan defensive lineman Jerel Worthy, so the Spartans have to feel like they’re in good shape to land at least one of these young men.

Cincinnati is always a hotbed for football recruiting. Alex Welch of Elder High School provides some Ohio depth at the tight end position for interested schools such as MSU. Although his recruitment has gone national with squads like Florida State, Boston College and Stanford weighing in, the Buckeyes have held off, so MSU has to be considered in the mix for this impressive young man.

And Jibreel Black of Wyoming High School in Wyoming, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati, is one of the most promising prospects on MSU’s radar. The Wolverines have their sights set on Black as well, so the battle for the young man’s services may feel a little more intense in mid- and southeast Michigan than it might in south Ohio.

Finally, Willie Tatum of Pickerington Central near Columbus in central Ohio attends the same high school as one of MSU’s 2009 commits, Patrick White. Tatum has an MSU offer, and, as an outside linebacker at 6-foot-2 and around 200 pounds, has the kind of frame that could find the field at a number of different positions. Talent and versatility; just the kind of package this Spartan staff looks for.