MSU's Elite Camp: Comp's Briefing

The Michigan State practice fields are home to the No Fly Zone during the spring and fall months, but during Saturday’s Elite Camp, the landing strips and air space might be wide open.

A slew of talented wide receivers, many of them underclassmen, will storm the practice fields during Saturday’s camp. Defensive back prospects might see it as an opportunity to earn a name for themselves, but the odds will favor the deep cast of pass catchers.

Among the 2020 rising junior receivers who are expected to camp at Michigan State, Saturday:

* Devell Washington, 6-4, 200, Bay City Central.

Washington is the nephew of former Spartan great Charles Rogers and recently ran a pair of sub-4.5 40-yard-dashes at the University of Cincinnati camp.

* Chris Scott, 6-2, 175, Pickerington (Ohio) Central.

Scott is coming off a strong performance at the Ohio State camp.

* Christian Fitzpatrick, 6-2, 185, West Bloomfield.

He already has offers from Louisville, Oregon, Illinois, Indiana and Boston College. His brother, Dez, is on the verge of becoming a breakthrough WR at the University of Louisville.

* Abdur-Rahmaan Yassen, 6-2, 180, Walled Lake Western.

Showed good top-end speed, a nice catch radius and good ability to come out of his cuts at the Rivals Three Stripe Camp.

* Jalen Williams, 6-4, 180, Belleville.

In other decades, he might be the top WR in the state. But pass catchers are plentiful these days. He has offers from Toledo and Alabama A&M and is a candidate to attract more in the coming weeks and months.

* Kaba Karamba, 5-10, 176, Ann Arbor Pioneer.

Karamba loves Michigan State and has visited several times, including the Green-White Game, but is still awaiting his first scholarship offer.

* Ian Stewart, 6-3, 185, Gibraltar Carlson.

Stewart was a big-framed force at the Best of the Midwest Camp at Grand Valley State.

He has offers from Syracuse, Indiana, Kansas, Boston College and MAC schools, with more sure to come.

“I hope to show off my athleticism, mainly,” Stewart said of the Michigan State camp. “I want to look fast in my routes and just go out and have a good camp.”

Stewart said several coaches were in contact with him after the Grand Valley camp.

“They said they like me because I’m a big, physical receiver,” he said.

Stewart visited Michigan State last year for the Bowling Green game.

* And tight end Theo Johnson, 6-5, 230, of Windsor (Ont.) Holy Names.

Johnson turned heads at the Grand Valley camp. Michigan State coaches didn’t attend that camp and now wants a chance to see him for themselves.

Washington is an intriguing name on the rise for 2019. If he follows up his Cincinnati performance with a strong showing at Michigan State, a scholarship offer could come his way.

“I hear from Michigan State every other week, pretty much,” Washington said. “I’m hearing from Terry Samuel, Jesse Johnson and Butler Benton.

“They like my physicality and the way I play tough in the fourth quarter when games come down to it. They like my versatility.”

Washington grew up a Michigan State fan.

“I grew up watching Charles Rogers’ film and the things he did and I feel like I want to do it too,” he said.

Washington attended a spring practice session at Michigan State.

“It was intense,” he said. “I liked it. I like how they care for their players.”

Detroit King 2020 wide receiver Rashawn Williams already has offers from Michigan State, Michigan and others.

Williams told me in April he planned to camp at Michigan State and Michigan. But this week he said he won’t make to Saturday’s camp due to family issues.

“I still plan on making it to camp at both programs,” he said.

So look for him to work out at Michigan State on one of the off days of June, perhaps when public camp takes place.

Williams attended spring practices at Michigan State, Michigan and Nebraska.

Kentucky was his first offer.

“When I got that offer, I was like, ‘Wow.’ I knew I was headed in the right direction,” he said. “Michigan came first (with an in-state offer) and then Michigan State.

“I went to Michigan for my birthday and they told me I had the offer. It felt like the perfect birthday gift.

“Michigan State offered a few weeks after that. They said they like my ball skills, the way I catch 50/50 balls. Coach Sam (Terry Samuel) said the 50/50 is more like an 80/20 or 90/10 for me.

“I’ve been to Michigan State probably seven or eight times. I like the intensity that comes with it. It’s like a family atmosphere, but the intensity is always hype.

“At Michigan, it’s like a controlled practice, but they still get at it. And I see some of the players that came from the same program that I’m at that are at Michigan now, and I see how they move and how they went from high school to college and it’s the same.”

Ohio State has been working to stay strong with Williams. But an Michigan State vs. Michigan battle seems to be shaping up for his services.

“I will probably be committed by this time next year,” he said.

* Michigan State has been watching Oak Park wide receiver Maliq Carr closely. The 6-foot-6 monster pass catcher is the cousin of Michigan State associate head basketball coach Dwayne Stephens. Carr is being recruited in both sports.

Carr won’t be at MSU’s camp, but he was outstanding at the Grand Valley camp.

Michigan State has a commitment from 2019 WR Jase Bowen of Toledo Central Catholic. Bowen won’t be at MSU’s camp because he is playing in a high-level baseball tournament. He committed to Michigan State to play both sports.

Michigan State has only one public scholarship offer on the table for an uncommitted 2019 wide receiver in the Big Ten region, and that’s West Bloomfield’s Tre Mosley.

Mosley isn’t expected to be at MSU’s camp. He visited last week, and then took an official visit to Missouri.

* With a strong cast of 2020 receivers expected on campus, do the DBs stand a chance?

Well some of them are sure to have their moments. Four-star CB Jaden Davis (5-11, 165) of Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas is expected to be on campus for an official visit. It’s unclear whether he will, or can, participate in camp while at Michigan State.

Davis’s father has a previous relationship with Mark Dantonio, which explains how Michigan State got in with this Sunshine State blue chipper.

Michigan State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Miami, Clemson and Kentucky are in the lead lap for Davis, although the Florida Gators have been strong with him in the past and could make a comeback. Florida was regarded as his leader prior to the firing of Jim McElwain.

* 2020 cornerback Miquan Grace (5-9, 165) of Cincinnati Winton Woods.

Grace has offers from Kentucky and Cincinnati. Kentucky is regularly the first major-conference team to offer recruits in the upper Midwest these days. They don’t have the slots to honor all of those commitments, but they score a lot of early points with the hearts of these prospects, and Grace is no different.

* Three-star Detroit King defensive back Kyron McKinnie-Harper is planning to attend.

“Me and my dad decided that we are going to go to the camp,” McKinnie told me last week. “Me and my dad are getting together and narrowing down who is talking to us, who is showing the most interest.”

McKinnie-Harper is ranked No. 33 in the state by Rivals.com, with offers from Syracuse, Cincinnati and MAC schools.

“Michigan State has been talking to me a lot,” said McKinnie-Harper. “I talk with Coach Benton. He calls me up every so often. I don’t know how close I am to getting an offer but I feel like one could come any day.

“I just want to perform my talents and show everybody what I can do. I was a receiver at first and I switched to DB. I want to show everybody that I can play both sides, I’m an athlete.”

* Three-star defensive back Marlin "MJ" Devonshire of Aliquippa, Pa., told me in April that he planned to camp at Michigan State. Michigan State offered a scholarship during the winter. But Devonshire told me this week he hasn’t heard from Michigan State in a long time. He recently visited Pitt.

* Four-star defensive tackle Denver Warren (6-3, 300, West Aurora, Ill.) is expected to be on campus for an unofficial visit. Warren is hoping to participate in camp, too, but it’s unclear whether he will.

Warren has offers from Michigan State, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa and others.

* There undoubtedly will be some DB prospects who plan to camp at Michigan State but have not released info to media. But will there be enough quality DBs to match the wave of WR talent that will be present, rep after rep? That’ll be a tough task.

So who is going to be delivering the football to these underclass receivers?

Michigan State commitment Dwan Mathis will likely be on display, as is customary with committed QBs.

With Michigan State having a commitment in hand with Mathis, there is no need for any other 2019 prospects to show up and vie for a scholarship.

But a few 2020 prospects will undoubtedly try their hand.

Flint Carman-Ainsworth’s Dustin Fletcher, the brother of prime 2019 d-end recruiting target Michael Fletcher, is a likely participant. So is three-star dual threat QB Roman Purcell of Indianapolis Warren Central.

Peny Boone, a 2020 running back from Detroit King, entered the weekend as a definite maybe for the camp. As of Thursday, he said he was unsure if he would attend, but would try to make it happen.

Boone, a big back at 6-1, 215 who is light on his feet and heavy with the contact, has offers from Iowa, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, Kansas, Purdue and Syracuse.

“I just want to show that I can go out there and ball and it’s going to be hard to check me,” Boone said.

He says he hears from Kentucky and Iowa the most.

“Kentucky likes that I can move for a big dude, that I have speed and can cut, with good open-field speed,” Boone said.

As for Michigan State, Boone said: “I hear a little bit from them, not a lot.”

Does he think things will pick up on MSU’s end?

“Hopefully,” Boone said.

DON’T SLEEP ON …

Keep an eye on Tate Hallock (6-4, 190) Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central. He is listed as a wide receiver in the Rivals.com database, but his father - former Spartan linebacker and NFL fullback Ty Hallock - says Michigan State is looking at him as a strong safety, ‘star’ linebacker type of hybrid defender.

Hallock has a 3.5 GPA and also is a highly-ranked lacross player. Ty said Tate has a scholarship offer from the University of Michigan to play lacrosse.

He has offers from Iowa State and Cincinnati for football.

He is a rangy athlete with a high ceiling of potential, and a willingness to stick his nose into the point of attack as a force defender. He packs some uncommon plusses.

I asked Ty this week if Michigan State has continued to stay in touch in the past two weeks.

“Yes, quite a bit,” Ty told me.

Tate Hallock is probably along the lines of a Noah Harvey and Grayson Miller. Michigan State likes that type of guy. Tate’s brother, Tanner, is a freshman walk-on at Michigan State, playing linebacker.

* Also, in the Up North category, make a note of Logan Guthrie of Alpena. At 6-2, 217, Guthrie has been turning in some great broad jump numbers at camps. Michigan State coaches noticed him at the Wayne State camp last week and invited him to the Michigan State camp for a second look. He has some MAC offers in-hand.

Guthrie has some good highlights as a ball carrier. With a solid frame and pretty good acceleration, he is reminiscent of Andrew Hawken from his days at Grandville High and later as a FB early in the Dantonio era, or walk-on Rose Bowl FB hero Trevon Pendleton. If he stays at linebacker, he is like a bigger Eric Gordon (Traverse City multi-year starter at MSU).