Recruiting: Ohio DL Hudson a top Spartan target
One of the top players on the recruiting board for Michigan State is back on the market after re-opening his recruitment. Rivals.com 4-star defensive end prospect James Hudson of Toledo Central Catholic High School posted the following via Twitter yesterday afternoon.
“After meeting multiple times with my family and my coaches, I am rescinding my commitments to the University of Kentucky. I would like to thank the University of Kentucky coaching staff for what they have done. They will not be out of the picture for my choices, they definitely will be high on my list still. I would just like to enjoy my recruiting process. This is a once in a lifetime experience.”
Hudson made an early commitment to Kentucky, but that was prior to many powerhouse programs like Michigan State and Alabama extending him a scholarship. Rivals.com ranks the 6-foot-5, 271-pound Hudson the No. 7 player in the nation at his position and the No. 7 player in Ohio for the class of 2017.
Kentucky has been very aggressive the past few years in Ohio working hard to get players to give them early commitments. Prior to Hudson’s de-commitment, the Wildcats had 12 early commitments, with half of them coming from the Buckeye State. Kentucky coach Mark Stoops is under a lot of pressure to produce in Lexington after compiling a 4-20 record in the SEC and having not been able to get Kentucky bowl-eligible in his first 3 seasons.
Michigan State is one of the teams that has been very active in Hudson's recruitment since early in the process. He has visited East Lansing multiple times and is developing a solid relationship with defensive line coach Ron Burton. The Spartans are hoping to have Hudson back on campus this June so he can build additional rapport with the staff as well as some current players and commitments.
Spartans continue to extend scholarships
The Michigan State staff has been very aggressive this spring when it comes to extending scholarships to top recruits for the class of 2017. One of the more intriguing offers is to offensive tackle Bill Ross of Huntington High School in West Virginia.
The 6-foot-5, 295-pound Ross is presently rated the No. 37 offensive tackle recruit in the nation for the class of 2017. That ranking could adjust when you consider that in addition to Michigan State, Ross also holds scholarship offers from programs such as Florida, State, Oregon, Nebraska and West Virginia.
Huntington is not a typical recruiting area for Michigan State, but that staff obviously feels that Ross is someone they are hoping to get to know better and host on a visit in some capacity. Huntington sits directly across the Ohio River and is actually closer to Ohio State than it is West Virginia.
Ross plans on taking several recruiting trips during the month of June. The Spartans will look to have him stop into East Lansing on a Midwest/Big Ten swing.
Matt Dorsey is a recruiting analyst for SpartanMag.com and Rivals.com
Recruiting: Michigan State watching trio of 2018 out-of-towners