On today's show, one of the callers put Michigan State football "In the Box" in our weekly segment of "Three Stars and Three in the Box" for their struggles in recruiting. The caller's point was that after beating Michigan for four straight years, the Spartans should be doing a better job of beating out their rival for highly-touted recruits. However, that has never been Michigan State's method to recruiting.
Michigan State's M.O. of finding recruits is quite simple. Firstly, they target players who fit their scheme (pocket quarterbacks, sure-tackling linebackers, and linemen that can play on both sides of the ball). They do not go out and try to be something they are not. Secondly, they trust their coaching staff to develop their recruits. For example, in 2007 Kirk Cousins, Greg Jones and B.J. Cunningham were all three star recruits. To compare, Ryan Mallett (five star), Austin Panter (four star) and Toney Clemons (four star) were Michgan's top recruits at those three positions. The three MSU recruits were from Michigan, Ohio and Ohio, respectively. Meanwhile, Michigan's recruits were from Texas, Pennsylvania and Kansas.
People wonder why Mark Dantonio and his staff continually stay within the Midwest to go after the majority of their recruits. The answer is simple: they do not need to leave it. Every school will get a kid or two from Texas and California, but Michigan State has been getting the same talent, if not better, as Michigan primarily from the Midwest states. Just a word of thought, stars do not always translate to the gridiron, although they certainly can help.
