Michigan State 2012 Recruiting

Michigan State Spartans 2012 ... Head Coach: Mark Dantonio

Michigan State Spartans

2011 Record: 11-3

Sep. 3 Youngstown St W 28-6
Sep. 10 Florida Atlantic W 44-0
Sep. 17 at Notre Dame L 31-13
Sep. 24 Central Michigan W 45-7
Oct. 1 at Ohio State W 10-7
Oct. 8 OPEN DATE
Oct. 15 Michigan W 28-14
Oct. 22 Wisconsin W 37-31
Oct. 29 at Nebraska L 24-3
Nov. 5 Minnesota W 31-24
Nov. 12 at Iowa W 37-21
Nov. 19 Indiana W 55-3
Nov. 26 at Northwestern W 31-17
Big Ten Championship
Dec. 3 Wisconsin L 42-39
Capital One Bowl
Jan. 2 Georgia W 33-30 3OT

2010 CFN Prediction: 9-3
2010 Record: 11-2

Sept. 4 Western Mich W 38-14
Sept. 11 Fla Atl.(in Det.) W 30-17
Sept. 18 Notre Dame W 34-31 OT
Sept. 25 No. Colorado W 45-7
Oct. 2 Wisconsin W 34-24
Oct. 9 at Michigan W 34-17
Oct. 16 Illinois W 26-6
Oct. 23 at Northwestern W 35-27
Oct. 30 at Iowa L 37-6
Nov. 6 Minnesota W 31-8
Nov. 13 OPEN DATE
Nov. 20 Purdue W 35-31
Nov. 27 at Penn State W 28-22
Capital One Bowl
Jan. 1 Alabama L 49-7
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The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Michigan State Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. WR Aaron Burbridge
6-1, 180, Scout.com 9th ranked, four-star receiver. Has great skills for the position. Route running, ability to separate and ball tracking skills are elite. Explosive more than straight line fast, he has a good understanding of how to get open. He's a solid sized kid, not super big, but plays bigger because he has such good ball skills and ability to go up and win in jump ball situations. Great awareness around the sidelines. Has to get stronger and more physical as a blocker.

2. S Demetrius Cox
6-1, 185, Scout.com 8th ranked, four-star safety. Cox is not a player who is going to light up stopwatches, but he is very instinctive and he closes quickly. You will always see him around the ball and he gets there in a hurry. He is a very sure tackler in the open field and his ability as an offensive player adds to his talents on defense. He sees the whole field and makes plays sideline-to-sideline. He is also very good in coverage.

3. WR Monty Madaris
6-2, 190, Scout.com 26th ranked, four-star wide receiver. Madaris has good size and great quickness at the receiver position. He gets good separation because of his quickness. Once he has the ball in his hands, he is a threat to make a man miss or pull through the tackle of a smaller defensive back. He doesn't have blazing speed, but his short bursts of quickness serve him well getting open, and could make him a weapon as a punt returner. Not afraid to take a hit or throw a block.

4. QB Tyler O’Connor
6-3, 208, Scout.com 23rd ranked, three-star quarterback. O’Connor finished his junior season with 2,516 yards passing with 27 touchdowns. He also rushed for 470 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. He says he can bench 245-pounds, squat 440 and has a 28-inch vertical jump.

5. LB Riley Bullough
6-2, 195, Scout.com 43rd ranked, three-star outside linebacker. Smart, heady player who is moving to linebacker, but does a good job of reading plays and finding the football. Aggressive in pursuit, he runs sideline to sideline and takes good angles to the ball. A former safety, he has shown the speed and ball skills to be effective as a coverage linebacker. He has gotten bigger, but will still have to add more size and strength, as well as learn to take on bigger, stronger blockers in college.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... Skill players. The Spartans have mostly gone after defensive prospects over the last few years, and it shows with few defensive linemen coming in this season. There’s a little something for all the skill spots with the emphasis on receiver, and head coach Mark Dantonio is bringing in some strong tight ends to play around with the offense. There aren’t any superstar prospects compared to what Michigan is getting, but it’ll be a good class full of variety.

Team Concerns For 2012: The passing game loses QB Kirk Cousins and receivers B.J. Cunningham, Keith Nichol, and Keshawn Martin. It’s going to take some rebuilding, and a heavy reliance on the running game, but the early loss of RB Edwin Baker won’t help the depth. The defense lost anchor Jerel Worthy in the middle and free safety Trenton Robinson, but all the other key parts are back.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: Quarterback Kirk Cousins needs to be replaced and running back Edwin Baker curiously left early for the next-level. Making matters worse for the offense is the loss of receivers B.J. Cunningham, Keshawn Martin, Keith Nichol, and both starting tight ends have to be replaced. On the plus side, four starters are back on the offensive line to pave the way for bruising running back Le’Veon Bell and protect likely new starting QB Andrew Maxwell.

It might take a while for the offense to come around, but the defense should be the best in the Mark Danotonio era. Anchor Jerel Worthy is gone from the defensive line, but William Gholston and Marcus Rush should form one of the Big Ten’s best pass rushing tandems. The secondary is loaded with ball-hawkers SS Isaiah Lewis and corners Darqueze Dennard and Johnny Adams, and Chris Norman and Max Bullough headline a terrific-looking linebacking corps.

The 2011 Class Was Heavy On … Defensive end. The Spartans didn’t exactly capitalize on its breakthrough co-Big Ten championship season – the overall class is mediocre - but they loaded up on the the defensive line with some nice-looking tackles and three phenomenal end prospects. Lawrence Thomas is a potential pass rushing terror on the outside and is the crown jewel of this class, while Joel Heath is a big, talented option. The young running backs corps got even stronger with Onaje Miller, a speedster who could add another element to the offense this year.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 29. That Class Was Heavy On ... Diversity. The Spartans got a little of everything with a strength-in -numbers class. The best prospects are OT Skyler Schofner, a big athlete who'll get a chance to be the anchor up front soon, and DE William Gholson, a big, fast, dream of a 3-4 end when he grows into his 6-6 frame. Max Bullough will get a yet to work behind Greg Jones, and next year he could be the starting middle linebacker. Corner Mylan Hicks is a lockdown coverman with the athleticism and potential to erase just about any Big Ten team's No. 1

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 35. That Class Was Heavy On ... linebackers and running backs. MSU’s early success under Mark Dantonio has come from a strong running game and athletic linebackers, and this class reflects that. Edwin Baker and Larry Caper are in to help try to replace Javon Ringer in the backfield, while Chris Norman and Tyquan Hammock are linebackers who can move. Norman, especially, was a coup for the program with the athleticism and toughness to be a star early on.

Outback Bowl
Michigan State 33 … Georgia 30 3OT
- CFN Thoughts on the Outback

Michigan State: The Spartans held Georgia to 51 yards. … Kirk Cousins completed 27-of-50 passes for 300 yards and a score with three picks. … Le’Veon Bell ran 17 times for 48 yards and two scores. … Brian Linthicum caught seven passes for 115 yards … P Mike Sadler averaged 50.1 yards per kick on eight kicks putting four inside of the 20. … William Gholston made seven tackles, two sacks, five tackles for loss, recovered a fumble, and broke up a pass. … Darqueze Dennard made four tackles with two picks.

Georgia: The Bulldogs forced three picks. … Aaron Murray completed 20-of-32 passes for 288 yards and two scores with two picks. … Ken Malcome ran 12 times for 51 yards. … Malcolm Mitchell caught seven apsses for 51 yards, and Tavarres King caught six passes for 205 yards and a score. … Brandon Boykin returnd a punt 92 yards for a score and four kickoffs for 70 yards. … Alec Ogletree made 13 tackles with a sack and two tackles for loss with two broken up passes.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Kirk Cousins gave Michigan State a parting gift - its first bowl win in more than a decade.

Cousins threw for 300 yards and led a late rally to tie it, then Dan Conroy kicked a 28-yard field goal in the third overtime that lifted the 12th-ranked Spartans over No. 18 Georgia 33-30 Monday in the Outback Bowl.

Georgia's Blair Walsh became the Southeastern Conference's career scoring leader with a field goal in the second extra period. But he missed a 42-yarder in the first overtime after conservative play-calling and had a 47-yard attempt blocked on the final play of the game.

Michigan State (11-3) ended a five-game bowl losing streak with its first postseason win since beating Fresno State in the 2001 Silicon Valley Bowl. The Spartans overcame a 16-0 halftime deficit and scored the tying touchdown with 14 seconds left in regulation.

The Spartans handed the Big Ten its lone win in three bowl matchups Monday against SEC opponents - Florida beat Ohio State and South Carolina stopped Nebraska.

Georgia (10-4) finished on a two-game losing streak, including a lopsided loss to top-ranked LSU in the SEC championship game.

Cousins led a 10-play, 85-yard drive without the aid of any timeouts to wipe out a 27-20 deficit on Le'Veon Bell's second touchdown of the game in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter. Cousins threw a 7-yard TD pass to Keith Nichol midway through the period and finished the day as Michigan State's career passing and total offense leader.

Cousins was intercepted in the first overtime, giving the ball to Georgia. After the Bulldogs had a short run on their first play in overtime, coach Mark Richt elected to simply center the ball for a field goal try on third down, and Walsh's kick was wide.

The Spartans' comeback overshadowed a standout performance by Georgia's Mr. Everything, Brandon Boykin. The Bulldogs cornerback scored a safety, returned a punt 92 yards for a touchdown and caught a 13-yard TD pass that helped the Bulldogs take a late lead that one of the nation's stingiest defense couldn't protect down the stretch.

Aaron Murray threw for 288 yards and one touchdown for Georgia. He threw an 80-yard scoring pass to Tavarres King, who had six receptions for 205 yards.

Both teams entered the game coming off losses in their conference championship games.

The Bulldogs began their year with losses to Boise State and South Carolina before rebounding to win the final 10 games of the regular season. Georgia led top-ranked LSU early in the SEC title game before being dominated over the last three quarters to lose a shot at a spot in a Bowl Championship Series game.

Michigan State was impressive, too, in recovering from an early-season loss to Notre Dame to finish with at least 10 wins in consecutive seasons for the first time in the program's 115-year history. Cousins leaves as the winningest quarterback in school history with 27, and 37 wins for the Spartans' outgoing senior class is a school record, too.

Boykin tackled Keshawn Martin in the end zone for a safety on Michigan State's first offensive play, converging on the receiver at almost the same time as Cousins' side screen. The 2-0 lead stood for Georgia until Murray made his long TD throw to King, who settled under the perfectly thrown pass at the Spartans 25 and never broke stride to get into the end zone.

Less than two minutes later, Boykin brought Georgia fans to their feet when he settled under Mike Sadler's punt at his own 8-yard line and retreated to the 5 before cutting back toward the middle of the field, finding his way through a maze of defenders and outrunning the pursuit to score on the longest punt return in Outback Bowl history.

Boykin's second TD, finishing a five-play, 81-yard drive fueled by Murray's 53-yard completion to King, put Georgia up 25-20. Murray's 2-point conversion pass to Malcolm Mitchell gave the Bulldogs a 7-point advantage before Cousins went to work and revived Michigan State's hopes.

The Spartans were limited to two first downs and just 72 yards total offense to trail 16-0 at the half. Cousins finally got them on track after the first of Darqueze Dennard's two interceptions set up a nine-play, 48-yard drive that Bell finished with an 8-yard touchdown run.

Dennard's 38-yard interception return for a touchdown threw Michigan State within 16-14, and Cousins' TD pass to Nichol gave the Spartans a short-lived 20-19 lead.

Dec. 3 Wisconsin 42 … Michigan State 39  
CFN Analysis: How do you go for the punt block? Mark Dantonio explained his decision after the fact, but MSU could’ve had the ball in a good position to go for the game-tying field goal. … Kirk Cousins was too hot to not give one final shot. He finished completing 22-of-30 passes for 281 yards and three scores and a pick. … Le’Veon Bell needed to be used more. He ran for an effective 106 yards and a score on 18 carries. … Jerel Worthy was a monster. He only made two tackles, but he collapsed the pocket time and again and blocked a two-point conversion attempt. 

Nov. 26 Michigan State 31 … at Northwestern 17
CFN Analysis: Michigan State tried, even though this game really didn’t matter. The team gave the full effort and energy from the start, even with next week’s date in Indianapolis looming, but even so, it still took the Keshawn Martin 57-yard punt return for a score to take control. … Le’Veon Bell isn’t being used as a workhorse with Edwin Baker able to take away some of the workload, but he’s effective averaging 5.4 yards per carry running 16 times for 86 yards. … The defense never let the Northwestern running game get going. There were almost no big, important dashes. … Even at 10-2, the Spartans have to win the Big Ten championship to go to a BCS game – the Rose Bowl – otherwise it’ll probably be the Outback.  

Nov. 19 at Michigan State 55 … Indiana 3
CFN Analysis: Thanks to Michigan’s win over Nebraska, Michigan State has won the Legends division and is off to play for the Big Ten title against either Wisconsin or Penn State. … MSU has been phenomenal at home against mediocre teams, and it, and this was a crisp, dominant performance with Kirk Cousins and B.J. Cunningham hooking up six times for 132 yards and two scores, while Le’Veon Bell. … The defensive front was terrific at getting into the Indiana backfield, never letting the Hoosier skill players get any room to breathe. Jerel Worthy gummed things up on the inside, and everything else worked from there. … How do you handle the Northwestern game? The Spartans aren’t going to get an at-large BCS bid if it loses to Wisconsin, so it’s Rose Bowl or bust, so do you take a chance on anyone getting hurt and do you rest all the key players? If not, there might be a Nebraska-like performance on the way. 

Nov. 12 Michigan State 37 … at Iowa 21
CFN Analysis: Enough of that. After a few sluggish performances, Michigan State came out roaring and playing like the team that roared over the first part of the season. Kirk Cousins was sharp again, completing 18-of-31 passes for 260 yards and three scores, and Le’Vion Bell ran for 112 yards and a touchdown. The game was over at halftime. … B.J. Cunningham only caught four passes for 46 yards, but he continues to make his case to be the Big Ten’s best receiver this year with two early touchdown passes. … The defense let down late, but it was over. The Spartans took their foot off the gas up 34-7. … The Leaders title is MSU’s with wins over Indiana and Northwestern.  

Nov. 5 at Michigan State 31 ... Minnesota 24
CFN Analysis: Minnesota might have beaten Iowa last week, but this was a second straight clunker of a game for the Spartans. If they were really back to form after the emotional wins over Michigan and Wisconsin, they would’ve beaten this bad team in a walk. Instead, the Gophers outgained the Spartans on the ground - 120 yards to 106 – and Kirk Cousins was off again. He threw for 296 yards and two scores, hardly an awful day, but he wasn’t as settled as he needed to be at times and he failed to connect on a few makeable plays. The tackling was mediocre, the pass rush wasn’t as aggressive as it should’ve been, and it was way too close a call. Even so, with Nebraska’s loss to Northwestern, MSU controls its own destiny for the Big Ten title with at Iowa, Indiana, and at Northwestern to close. 10-2 is a must. 

Oct. 29 at Nebraska 24 … Michigan State 3
CFN Analysis: The Spartans looked dead. After the emotional games against Michigan and Wisconsin, MSU didn’t have the same bounce and it wasn’t nearly effective enough on either side of the ball. The defense only gave up 270 yards, but the offense couldn’t get anything going. Kirk Cousins was under pressure the entire game against a Nebraska defensive front that hadn’t done anything all year to get to the quarterback. B.J. Cunningham didn’t catch a pass, and the ground game only finished with 101 yards. Call this an aberration – the team is much better than this – and getting Minnesota next week at home should ease the pain before a huge game at Iowa.  

Oct. 22 at Michigan State 37, Wisconsin 31
CFN Analysis: Obviously, this game will be remembered for the Keith Nichol catch, but there’s so much more to that for the Spartans. The defense came up with a terrific performance in the middle part, after getting flattened over early and before having problems late, and Kirk Cousins came up with key throw after key throw until he made the throw. After the Michigan game, it’s amazing that MSU didn’t commit any penalties and was able to convert on big third downs time and again. Credit Cousins for having the right frame of mind like only a senior leader can after such a wild finish. This was great, but it won’t matter if the Spartans don’t win a possible rematch in Indianapolis. With this win, though, they’re almost assured now of being in the inaugural Big Ten Championship. 

Oct. 15 at Michigan State 28 … Michigan 14
CFN Analysis: The Spartans were cheap, they were dirty, and they committed 13 penalties for 124 yards, but they also beat up the Wolverines, did almost everything right when timing the blitzes, and they came up with yet another win over their hated rivals to take control of the Legends division. With the wind a problem for the passing game, this was a bit of a throwback game to early last year with the running game taking control of the offense, led by Edwin Baker’s 167 yards on 26 carries, while Kirk Cousins had an effective enough day to get by, considering he only threw for 120 yards. But the day belonged to the defense that kept Denard Robinson under wraps and held firm when it had to. Isaiah Lewis might have come up with the signature pick six to seal it, but this was a total team effort. This was big for the team’s rivalry, but beating Wisconsin next week would do more for the national profile.  

Oct. 1 Michigan State 10 … at Ohio State 7
CFN Analysis: There’s the Spartan defensive line that was supposed to beat up Notre Dame a few weeks ago. MSU destroyed the Ohio State offensive line with nine sacks and a breakthrough game from William Gholston, who came up with five tackles with a sack and three tackles for loss, while Max Bullough was excellent with nine tackles and a sack. The running game still isn’t working, and Kirk Cousins was a bit shaky completing 20-of-32 passes for 250 yards and a score with two picks, but this was a better win than the 10-7 final score might indicate, and this was the official announcement that MSU deserves to be talked about along with Wisconsin among Big Ten favorites.  

Sept. 24 at Michigan State 45 … Central Michigan 7
CFN Analysis: Now that’s the Michigan State that was supposed to come out roaring against Notre Dame. Of course, Central Michigan isn’t Notre Dame, but this Spartan team was confident, physical, and punishing, with the ground game working again after not doing anything last week, and with the defense dialed in and not allowing a thing. The Spartans only came up with one sack, but they swarmed all over everything the Chippewas wanted to do and never let it be a ball game. Now, can MSU bring the same fire and the same punch it shows this week and against Florida Atlantic to Ohio State in the Big Ten opener? If the defense is as dialed in against the run as it was this week, MSU has a chance to win and win without a problem.  

Sept. 17 at Notre Dame 31 ... Michigan State 13
CFN Analysis: The Spartans got beaten up, outclassed, and badly outplayed. Kirk Cousins didn’t get time, and even though he threw for 329 yards and a touchdown, it took 53 attempts to get there. There’s no excuse whatsoever for a team with the lines that MSU has to come up with just 29 yards on the ground, but that was hardly the team’s only problem. With 12 penalties, two key turnovers, and special teams breakdowns, MSU has to put this in the rearview mirror as soon as possible. Beating Central Michigan shouldn’t be a problem, and all of a sudden, going to Ohio State to start the Big Ten season doesn’t seem so bad. The running game has to get back to form in a hurry, though. 

Sept. 10 Michigan State 44 ... Florida Atlantic 0
CFN Analysis: The Michigan State defense was dialed in. No. Florida Atlantic isn’t anything special, but to only allow 48 yards of total offense and one first down is the stuff of legend. The offense put the game away with one drive, and it showed a smart, balanced attack that appeared to be almost perfectly tuned up and ready for the showdown against Notre Dame. Kirk Cousins was sharp, and his receivers are doing a great job with B.J. Cunningham coming up with a great start to the season and Keshawn Martin coming up with a good game with seven catches for 72 yards. This was as good an effort as any Big Ten team has come up with so far. 

Sept. 1 Michigan State 28 … Youngstown State 6
CFN Analysis: Don’t get caught up in the box score or the 28-6 final; Michigan State controlled this game with a true preseason mindset. There wasn’t anything flashy, outside of a few nice plays by B.J. Cunningham, but it was an easy, work-the-kinks-out performance with Kirk Cousins playing extremely efficiently and effectively completing 18-of-22 passes. He got time to work, and the offensive front did a nice job of powering away for a running game that couldn’t break off many big runs, but was physical. With Florida Atlantic up next before Notre Dame, don’t expect anything other than a truly vanilla gameplan; the Spartans aren’t going to show off much of anything. These first few games will get everyone’s feet wet on the lines that need a little time, especially on the offensive side, and for this game, it was mission accomplished.

Five Michigan State Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. LB Lawrence Thomas
6-4, 230, Scout.com’s 7th ranked defensive end. A jumbo linebacker that may be better served putting his hand down at defensive end one day, but he shows the agility to stick at linebacker despite his size. Has an excellent first few steps to burst to the ball carrier and uses his hands well to fight off blocks. Rarely does a ball carrier pull away from Thomas as he's got a strong upper body. Will need to keep his weight down and maintain his agility to stay at LB.

2. RB Onaje Miller
5-10, 180, Scout.com’s 27th ranked running back. Has great elusiveness and natural ability to make people miss. Good overall combination of size and speed. Is not super tall, but is compact and has a good frame. Good receiver and route runner as well as return man. Runs with a lot of wiggle, but tends to do a lot of dancing, and at the next level, will need to do a better job of getting square and going north-south. Is a stronger kid, but prefers to elude rather than run through defenders.

3. OT Fou Fonoti
6-5, 295, three-star JUCO transfer. Named first team National Division Northern Conference in 2010 for his work at offensive tackle, as Cerritos came within one game of playing for the state championship. In 2009, named 2nd Team All- Northern Division Central Conference, starting in 10 games and playing in all 11. As a senior at Mayfair High in Lakewood, Calif., he was named the Suburban League Offensive Lineman of the Year, 2nd Team All-State, All-CIF and 1st Team all-league. Selected to the Press Telegram Dream Team and voted into the Lakewood Youth Hall of Fame. Full first name is Fouimalo, goes by Fou.

4. C Jack Allen
6-2, 275, Scout.com’s 7th ranked center. Has excellent fundamentals. Plays with good leverage and has good footwork. Great drive blocker who gets into his man and finishes blocks strong. Shows the athleticism to pull and play in the second level. Has good balance and coordination in space. Is light right now and needs to add weight before he can play at the college level, but has the potential to be a long term starter in college.

5. OG Donavon Clark
6-4, 300, Scout.com’s 13th ranked guard. Clark is explosive and quick off the ball. He fires out low and gets into his man quickly. He shows good lower body strength and the ability to drive defenders downfield. He plays hard and mean and does a good job of finishing. He is raw in pass protection and needs work with his feet and hand placement. He has a good initial punch though, and has all the tools to become a good college guard once he improves his fundamentals.

2011 Entire Recruiting Class
Jack Allen C 6-2 262 Hinsdale, Ill. (Hinsdale Central)
Juwan Caesar WR 6-4 205 Miami, Fla. (Miami Coral Park Senior)
Shilique Calhoun DE 6-5 225 Middletown, N.J. (Middletown North)
Donavon Clark OL 6-4 305 Cincinnati, Ohio (Finneytown)
Brandon Clemons DL 6-4 265 Milford, Pa. (Delaware Valley)
Arjen Colquhoun DB 6-1 180 Windsor, Ontario (W.F. Herman Secondary School)
Connor Cook QB 6-3 197 Hinckley, Ohio (Walsh Jesuit)
Ed Davis LB 6-3 215 Detroit, Mich. (Southeastern)
Fou Fonoti OL 6-5 295 Lakewood, Calif. (Cerritos College)
Darien Harris LB 6-1 215 Silver Spring, Md. (DeMatha Catholic)
Joel Heath DE 6-6 250 Cincinnati, Ohio (Mount Healthy)
Taiwan Jones LB 6-3 220 New Baltimore, Mich. (Anchor Bay)
Damon Knox DE 6-5 265 Muskegon, Mich. (Muskegon)
Paul Lang TE 6-5 235 Pittsburgh, Pa. (Mount Lebanon)
Kyle Lints OG 6-3 275 Traverse City, Mich. (St. Francis)
Onaje Miller ATH 5-10 180 Lansing, Mich. (J.W. Sexton)
Matt Ramondo DT 6-4 285 Las Cruces, N.M. (Mayfield)
Mark Scarpinato DT 6-3 270 Milwaukee, Wis. (Marquette University)
Andre Sims Jr. WR 5-9 170 Snellville, Ga. (Brookwood)
Lawrence Thomas LB 6-4 245 Detroit, Mich. (Renaissance)
Trae Waynes DB 6-0 165 Kenosha, Wis. (Bradford)
RJ Williamson DB 6-1 190 Middletown, Ohio (Dunbar)