Spartan Signing Day Recap

We all know the narrative. Michigan fans have a permanent obsession when it comes to recruiting rankings while Spartan fans fully expect every 3-star recruit to turn into Darqueze Dennard or LeVeon Bell.  Although rankings don't always correlate with how well a player will perform in their 4 years, it is still necessary to take a strong look at the what type of players you have coming in. Whether it be Michigan State's newly found "street cred" courtesy of Rich Homie Quan or the Spartan's run to a B1G and Rose Bowl championship (We are going to go ahead and assume the latter), Michigan State seems to have their most impressive and deepest class under Mark Dantonio.

Here is the full 2014 class:

Biggest Sign: Malik McDowell, DT

Classic case of a high school kid going against what his parents say and choosing what he wants. Good for him. More importantly, good for Michigan State. McDowell adds the final big piece to this class at DT, where the Spartans lost four guys (Hoover, Reynolds, Drone, and Scarpinato) from a year ago. Malik comes in with big time size and upside. And I'm talking big time size. He's listed at 260 lbs. but after seeing him up close and personal that number has to be much closer to 3-bills. Best part of this sign has to be that he was originally a strong O$U lean and then a U of M lean by late November. Great having a feeling that you stole one from those guys (especially after the Drake Harris debacle).

P.S. McDowell originally attended Detroit Loyola but after seeing yours truly knock down 4 straight threes against them in 2011, he found a new school that wouldn't be embarrassed by un-athletic jump shooters.

Potential Star: Darius Slade, DE

The 3-star recruit DE comes in at 6'5 237 lbs and looks to have Javon Kearse type potential. First reason why it's almost a lock for him to become a stud: His name is Darius Slade. Can't argue with the facts there. Damn near impossible not to be a star with 'Slade' on the back of your jersey. Complement that by choosing a number like 99 and quarterbacks will cringe like Joe Theisman at the thought of Lawrence Taylor. As far as actual football, he will have a lot of work to do once he gets here, but he has all the up side and athleticism to end up being one of the most feared DE in the B1G. I see Slade filling in for deep defensive line sets next year but not much further after that. Worse case scenario for Slade, I see him ending up like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and pursuing an acting career. With a name like that the potential is endless.

Most Overlooked: Gerald Owens, RB/FB

Gerald comes in as the top rated FB in the country. I know what you are thinking, who cares about a fullback? That's exactly why I have him listed here as the most overlooked player in the class. While most powerhouse offensives have practically eliminated the fullback position all together, it remains a vital position for the Spartans. You could actually make the argument that the offensive MVP in the Rose Bowl was fullback Trevon Pendleton. Pendleton will return as a Junior for the Spartans which will give Owens an opportunity to learn under Trevon and fill in without missing a beat when Trevon graduates. Plus if watch his tape, this guy runs extremely well for weighing in at 266 lbs.

Best Chance to Make an Immediate Impact: Vayante Copeland, CB

Vayante comes in as a tremendous athlete with an opportunity to fill in a either cornerback or safety. With the departure of two keys components of the "No Fly Zone" leaving, Darqueze Dennard and Isaiah Lewis, Vayante will have an opportunity to come in and fill in at cornerback if he is able to get a solid grasp on Narduzzi's schemes by late August. Rumors have been swirling about Delton Williams potentially making the transition from running back to safety, which could also have an impact on how much and where Copeland makes an impact.

Most Pressure: Byron Bullough, LB

When your the 6th member in your immediate family to become a Spartan, obviously there is going to be a lot of pressure to live up to high expectations. Especially when your older brother just led the team to it's first Rose Bowl in 25 years (Yes, I understand he was suspended but he was still the heart and soul of that team all year long). Claims have already been made that Byron has the potential to be the best of the Bullough brothers. Pretty hard to comprehend that after the career that Max had, but it certainly does get the imagination going on what's to come. Hopefully Byron is able to have selective hearing throughout his career and is able to grow and become another great chapter of the Bullough legacy.

Glad that's over with and we can all forget about recruiting rankings and go back to results on the field. Everyone knows highly rated recruiting classes don't directly correlate with on field wins (just ask Miami from 2006-2010) but gaining national interest as a place kids want to go has to get Michigan State fans at least a little bit excited.