Trieu: Future Spartan White improving, recruiting
The Michigan State coaching staff has covered a lot of ground already this camp season.
On Wednesday, head coach Mark Dantonio attended three camps, one at Lake Park in Illinois, then the Midwest Gridrion Showcase in Southwest Ohio before heading up to Cleveland for Raw Talent’s Showcase.
On Friday, Dantonio and the entire Spartan staff were at Wayne State for the Sound Mind Sound Body Academy, the third stop on that camp’s summer tour. The Spartans were represented at the first two camps in Atlanta and Houston.
Many prospects with Spartan offers were in Detroit with current Spartan players who are alumni of the camp – Malik McDowell, Messiah DeWeaver, Donnie Corley, Dennis Finley, Jamal Lyles and others – also stopping in during the day.
Current Spartan commit Cody White, a wide receiver from Walled Lake Western, was one of the top performers at wide receiver. Committed players do not always have much motivation to attend camps like this one, but White says his relatively early commitment has allowed him to focus on improvement, and this camp was ideal for that.
“(I came) just to compete and have fun,” White says, “working on getting better, working on craft and improving.”
Trieu: Porcher’s son says Michigan offer is ‘big time’
He also says he wanted to do some recruiting on the Spartans’ behalf. While White declined to name names, it is almost certain Detroit King’s Ambry Thomas was on his radar. One of the top prospects in the state and entire country, the Spartans remain one of his top contenders and he showed why he was a top target at Sound Mind Sound Body, blanketing wide receivers as a cornerback, then moving over to receiver and showing his considerable skills there.
“Michigan State, that’s like home to me,” Thomas said. “I feel like I have a whole bunch of family up there, the coaching staff, they’re a part of my family. I just love it.”
The Spartan prospects were not limited to just the 2017 class, as Fairfield (Ohio) defensive end Malik Vann, a class of 2018 member who already has a Michigan State offer, also made the trip up to Detroit, and he has MSU high on his list.
“Michigan State, Notre Dame and Kentucky are sticking out right now,” Vann said. “Michigan State because I feel comfortable up there. I did my overnight up there and I loved it.”
The Spartan staff is in Florida for Tampa’s Sound Mind Sound Body on Saturday and Sunday and will return to East Lansing for MSU’s Big Man Camp and 7-on-7 on Wednesday.
They will also be in Los Angeles on June 16 and 17 and Washington D.C. on June 23 and 24 for the final two stops of Sound Mind Sound Body.
New offer to 2018 four-star
St. Louis Christian Brothers College wide receiver Kamryn Babb saw his most recent scholarship offer come from Michigan State. The Spartans join Iowa, Iowa State, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin on his offer list. He caught 39 passes for 832 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior and also intercepted five passes on defense.
In-state 2018 QB catching Spartans’ attention
Rockford (Mich.) quarterback Jason Whittaker already holds scholarship offers from Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan, and he says Michigan State has been showing increased attention of late.
The Spartans stopped at Rockford to see him in the spring, and after a performance at Sound Mind Sound Body in Detroit, where he was one of the top passers on the day, Whittaker says MSU was among the schools that took notice.
Whittaker has prototypical size (6-5, 195 pounds) and started for the Rams as a sophomore last season, helping them earn a playoff spot.
He will attend a camp at Michigan State next weekend, where the staff will have a greater opportunity to work with and evaluate him.
More information
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.