Michigan State Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio.
One of the best all-around football players in the Midwest for the class of 2017 is Scott Nelson of U-D Jesuit. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound prospect was in East Lansing on Thursday and received good news while on campus.
“Coach Dantonio offered me and I got to talk to him in his office,” Nelson said. “They like my ball skills at DB and my ability to tackle. I really liked being able to tour the facilities. I got to talk to some of the coaches and current players.”
Extremely blessed to say that I have received my 6th offer from Michigan State University🔋‼️💚 #SpartanDawgs #GoGreen https://t.co/aB1FogkU53
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Scotty Nelson1⃣0⃣ (@_scottnelson) February 11, 2016Nelson excelled on both sides of the ball for U-D Jesuit this past fall while leading his team into the playoffs. He accounted for 1,955 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns while playing quarterback and wide receiver on offense for the Cubs (6-4). On defense, he totaled 55 tackles and intercepted five passes, returning two of them for touchdowns. The Spartans see Nelson as a ball-hawking safety that can also come up and support the run.
In addition to Michigan State, Nelson also holds scholarship offers from Michigan, Northwestern, Boston College, Iowa State and Miami (Ohio).
Recruiting: MSU trying to procure more from Cass Tech
While his football recruitment is heating up, Nelson is still very much focused on the hardwood. His U-D Jesuit team is 15-0 and ranked #1 in the state of Michigan. Tonight, the Cubs will look to finish conference play undefeated as the take on De La Salle. Nelson’s teammate at U-D Jesuit is Spartan basketball commitment Cassius Winston.
Nelson is currently listed as an unranked recruit by Rivals.com, but that will certainly change when the spring rankings are released. I put Nelson in my early season top 10 in-state player list that was provided to Spartan Magazine last month. I fully expect his offer list to continue to expand over the coming weeks.
Spartans offer Berrien Spring OL/DL Paea
On Thursday, MSU extended a scholarship offer to Phil Paea of Berrien Spring High School. Shortly after his offer from the Spartans, Oregon followed suit and offered the 6-foot-4, 260-pound prospect a scholarship. Brigham Young has also offered.
Paea will be recruited for MSU by offensive line coach Mark Staten. Staten is very familiar with Berrien Springs High School having recruited Spartan offense lineman Nick Padla in 2014.
The offer to Paea shows just how deep and talented the state of Michigan is for the class of 2017. Though these players are still in their junior year, close to 20 prospects already hold an offer from a BCS school.
Matt Dorsey is a recruiting analyst for Spartanmag.com and Rivals.com