Trieu: Ohio lineman Carrick fits Spartan template
The members of Michigan State’s starting offensive line last season all hailed from the Midwest and all, in addition to be football standouts in high school, participated in several other sports. Jack Conklin played basketball, Donavon Clark participated in track, Kodi Kieler played basketball, baseball and wrestled, and the Allen brothers, Jack and Brian, were both outstanding wrestlers with Brian also bringing home a state title in the shot put.
Considering that, the Spartans’ recent offer to Massillon (Ohio) Perry’s Matt Carrick is very fitting. As a two-way player on the football team, Carrick (6-4, 295 pounds) helped his team reach the state title game last season while earning All-Ohio and All-District honors. He is also an outstanding wrestler and throws shot put and discus on the track and field squad.
Scout’s Bill Greene calls Carrick “one of the top prospects in Ohio” and says he could play either side of the ball at the Division-I level, but most schools are recruiting him on offense. After receiving several MAC offers early, Iowa State became his first Power Five offer. The Spartans, who have been in contact with him since the fall, offered when he made it to campus last Friday.
“I was offered by Coach Dantonio after (practice),” Carrick said. “He said he really liked my film and he really likes my toughness on the field.”
Because of that style of play, Carrick can see himself as fitting into to the Spartans’ approach.
“Coach Dantonio is great and they have really impressed me with their style of play,” he said. “I like how their program is all about hard work. I was definitely hoping to land this offer and it means a lot to me.”
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Next on the docket for Carrick is a visit to Iowa State this weekend.
He potentially will return to East Lansing for the Spartans’ April 23 spring game.
Spartans hope to land Illinois DE
Michigan State signed three defensive linemen from the state of Illinois last year and they are looking there again for more prospects on the front line in the 2017 class, as they have already offered defensive end Jacub Panasiuk, younger brother of 2016 signee Mike Panasiuk, and then offered Bolingbrook’s Izayah Green-May when he visited campus on Wednesday.
Green-May is a tall, lean edge rusher at 6-foot-6, 210 pounds. He now has 13 offers, including Illinois, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Syracuse, Virginia and Wisconsin; he visited the Badgers on Thursday.
He might return to MSU for the spring game as well.
Several major prospects visit
On Thursday, Michigan State hosted North Gwinnett (Ga.) defensive end Drew Jordan, Kennesaw (Ga.) North Cobb linebacker Chandler Wooten and Detroit King cornerback Ambry Thomas, all prospects with Spartan offers and all prospects with many accolades and high national rankings on recruiting sites. Spartan commit Cody White also visited.
On Friday, St. Joseph (Mich.) defensive end Corey Malone-Hatcher will be on campus. The Spartans are battling Alabama, Michigan and Notre Dame for the four-star prospect.
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Allen Trieu began covering the state of Michigan for Scout.com in 2005 and began managing the entire Midwest in 2009. He has been featured on the Big Ten Network on its annual Signing Day Show. His Michigan and Michigan State recruiting columns appear weekly at detroitnews.com.