Michigan Football Recruiting: MSU Elite Camp - Names To Watch
Since Michigan decided to close camps to the media, checking out prospects in enemy territory is going to be more common moving forward. On Saturday, Michigan State held it's annual Spartan Elite camp and several intriguing prospects from the 2020 and even the 2021 classes made their way to East Lansing. None of them have an offer from Michigan at this time but definitely could in the future. Here's a look at who stuck out in a crowd of hundreds of high school prospects.
Names To Watch
Offer List: None
Performance: Barron is put together as a rising junior athlete. He worked out mostly at wide receiver during Michigan State's camp but is being viewed by a lot of schools as a potential tight end, safety and perhaps even linebacker should he continue to grow. During drills and one-on-ones he showed off his good hands and used his length well.
Potential Michigan Involvement: Being from New England means he's on Don brown's radar. Michigan's defensive coordinator personally invited Barron to their camp later today and plans to keep a close eye on the versatile athlete.
Offer List: Boston College, Central Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Louisville, Oregon, Syracuse
Performance: Christian is the younger brother of former Michigan wide receiver target and current Louisville Cardinal Desmond Fitzpatrick making him a bit of a known commodity on name alone. On ability alone, he can play. He's bigger than Dez was at this stage in his high school career and really uses that size well. Fitzpatrick has good range, strong hands and runs routes pretty well for a bigger receiver.
Potential Michigan Involvement: There hasn't been much interaction between he and Michigan yet but being an in-state kid with some familiarity because of his older brother's recruitment makes him a name to at least pay attention to.
Offer List: Toledo
Performance: At 6-5, 230 pounds, Keys really looks the part with long arms and a solid build. He was immediately noticed by the Michigan State coaches and was watched closely. He's a little stiff, and didn't blow anyone away in the 40-yard dash, but he's well put together, long and pretty athletic.
Potential Michigan Involvement: Things haven't really taken off for Keys just yet and that includes with Michigan. He passes the eyeball test and Toledo has already offered so more offers are likely on the way. Will he be a Big Ten-level recruit? Time will tell.
Offer List: Iowa, Iowa State
Performance: At 6-2, 185 pounds, McDonald is built in the mold that Don Brown and Mike Zordich like. He's got long arms and is quite jacked for a rising junior defensive back. He's quick in and out of his backpedal and appears to have solid ball skills.
Potential Michigan Involvement: Michigan doesn't recruit the state of Minnesota a lot but may want to at Minnehaha Academy. Four-star rising juniors Jalen Suggs, Kaden Johnson and Terry Lockett make up a very talented trio and McDonald is a three-star prospect in his own right. Several Big Ten programs have been spending time around the program to put eyes on all four prospects and Michigan could eventually be added to that list.
Offer List: Akron, Ball State, Boston College, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Indiana, Kansas, N.C. State, Northern Illinois, Syracuse, Toledo, Western Michigan
Performance: At 6-3, 185 pounds, Stewart looks great. He's long limbed and can really make an impact on the game from several positions, hence his athlete label. He worked out at wide receiver at the Michigan State camp but excels at safety in high school as well. He could be a linebacker at the next level but for now, he's a threat on the outside on offense and roams the secondary as a jumbo safety.
Potential Michigan Involvement: Stewart has been to Michigan in the past and is definitely on the radar. The top Big Ten programs haven't got involved with him yet but it's likely coming. A big junior season and more fall visits, potentially to Ann Arbor, could see his recruiting profile grow a lot.
Offer List: None
Performance: Don't let the baby face fool you, Terrell looks the part as a rising sophomore wide receiver. He's almost certainly bigger than his listed 6-1, 174 pounds and is extremely fluid as a route runner. He caught the ball well and looks like he'll grow even more before schools start getting involved.
Potential Michigan Involvement: It's too early to tell if Michigan is going to be involved with Terrell but he'll be picking up offers before too long. Expect MAC programs to break the ice first while Big Ten programs keep an eye on him. The coaches at Michigan State have already checked him out at his school and in-state programs like Indiana and Purdue also know who he is.
Offer List: Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Eastern Michigan, Toledo, Western Michigan
Performance: Washington is the most physically impressive prospect on this list. At 6-4, 205 pounds, he looks like a monster at wide receiver. Throw in the fact that he routinely rips off sub-4.5 40-yard dashes and it's easy to see why he's picking up steam on the recruiting trail.
Potential Michigan Involvement: The Michigan coaches noticed Washington at the Grand Valley State University camp a few weeks back and will definitely be keeping an eye on him moving forward. His offer list is modest right now but it's sure to expand after a strong offseason leading into his junior season.
Offer List: Ball State, Boston College, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Northern Illinois, Rutgers, Toledo, Western Michigan
Performance: Yaseen isn't going to wow anyone with his speed but he is a route-running master and always gets open. He also has phenomenal hands and makes really tough catches look easy. He's grown a lot over the past year and a half and is starting to look more and more like a very trusty target who could play at just about any school in the country.
Potential Michigan Involvement: He's been to Michigan in the past and will likely be back in the future. He also likes Michigan State and Notre Dame and is hoping to break through to that next level within the Big Ten.
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