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What espn says about BT recruiting:

ESPN - Class of 2008 Big Ten recruiting overview, part two - Insider

And what they say about MSU's class, specifically... I don't know how you can talk about our class and not mention Ingram. I've also never heard of a couple of the guys they say we're looking at:

Michigan State

Signing Day Storylines: With one full year under his belt head coach Mark Dantonio is looking to sign his first true class at Michigan State come February 6th. For the first time in a while Michigan State heads into signing day with a little positive momentum. Yes it lost its bowl game to Boston College, but it was a small victory getting to a bowl after a three-year absence.

Also Dantonio was able to avoid yet another late season Michigan State collapse. The Spartans tried hard to fall apart again, losing three straight games in the second half of the season, but Dantonio was able to steer his Spartans to two wins over the final two weeks and into the Champs Sports Bowl.


Much work is still needed in East Lansing, but at least the new coach can sell some shown improvement and continue to preach the Spartans are headed for brighter days. His current class does not compare to in-state rivals Michigan or with Big Ten power Ohio State but does have some positives. There are also some possible late grabs out there if they can catch some breaks. While both are long shots, cornerback Neiko Lipscomb (Tucker, Ga.) and defensive end Nick Perry (Detroit/Mackenzie) give Spartan fans something to keep an eye on. Also underrated linebacker Steve Gardiner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin-Coffman ) and defensive tackle Dawan Whitner (Cleveland/Glenville) present some possible interesting late additions.


Top Prospect: The top prospect in the Spartans' class is a not only a good addition, but a needed addition. With the graduation of Terry Love, the defection of Devin Thomas to the NFL and Deon Curry entering his senior year, the Spartans can use some help at wide receiver, which was not a strong position to begin with. That help is coming in the form of in-state Fred Smith (Detroit/Southeastern), a big, physical, strong receiver. He is able to combine his size with good speed and could be a matchup problem in the red-zone. He needs to become better at the technique of the position like running better routes and being quicker out of his breaks, but he has the potential to develop into a big-play receiver. The Spartans have had some good receivers come through East Lansing in the past and Smith has the tools to be another good one for the green and white.


Class Highlights: The Spartans have verbal commitments from a trio of talented athlete prospects. All three could play on offense or defense. Charles Burrell (Detroit/Southeastern) and Johnny Adams (Akron, Ohio/Buchtel) could both help fill needs at wide receiver. With some youth needed at safety though, we would not be surprised to see Burrell, a teammate of Smith's, moved there. The third athlete of the group is Glenn Winston (Detroit/Denby), a physical player on defense and a slashing, power running back on offense. All three give the Spartan coaches some good options.

Michigan State had a good ground attack in 2007, but Jehuu Caulcrick was a senior and Javon Ringer is heading into his senior year. The time to start looking for future Spartan backs is now, and they have added one in Caulton Ray (Bloomfield, Mich./Brother Rice). Ray is a thickly-built runner with good vision and balance. The incoming freshman may remind Spartan fans some of their current star running back Ringer.


Again, youth is needed at safety, and while Burrell could be an option, they have also landed top-50 safety Brynden Trawick (Marietta, Ga./Sprayberry). He is a good-sized, physical player who could develop into an outside linebacker.
This Michigan State class is heavy with in-state prospects as 12 commitments hail from Michigan. The Spartans have shown an effort to recruit their own turf hard. Another interesting aspect of this class is no junior college additions. Michigan State has relied on the JUCOs in the past, but Dantonio seems to be taking a bigger picture route with his recruiting and working to build with prep players.


Could See the Field in 2008: WR Smith, athlete prospects Burrell, Adams and Winston.