Hondo, in your last football questions article you talked about TE and left Paul Lang out of the story.  Did you forget him or could you expound?  Mike

Hi Mike.  Paul has made an amazing journey to even be playing.  He is certainly in play, but he has to be able to stay healthy.  Until he can stay healthy, he will not become the go to guy.  You should he rooting for him, just a terrific young man.

Hondo, I was reading another message board and you were being taken to task for your report that Izzo was interested in being the football coach and that he was a viable candidate.  Now I put two and two together and I just listened to him on your radio show and have seen plenty of interviews.  Can you address this please?  Some of the people even said they “leaked” the story to you to see if you could be trusted and you failed.  I am not being confrontational; I would just like your thoughts.  Kyle

Sure Kyle.  I have never backed down and won’t.  Tom Izzo wanted to be the head football coach.  He was a candidate for it.  I reported that as well as if offered he would take the job.  I have never wavered from that and Tom has never denied it.  If I was lying don’t you think he would have refuted the report?  Let me make a suggestion and I would like you to take this to whatever website you saw this on. 

Jack Ebling is a great journalist and a very good friend of Tom Izzo.  He is well aware of my report.  He and I talked about it at length several times before I ran the story and since.  Tom Izzo was aware I was going to report it before I did and we have talked about it since I did. 

Why don’t you suggest that whoever wrote that post on a message board call Jack’s Radio show, “The Drive with Jack Ebling?”  It airs from 3-6PM on AM 730 in Lansing.  Jack often has times for people to call in.  Have them ask Jack, “Did Hondo lie with his report on Tom Izzo and the MSU head coaching job.”  If Jack says that I lied I will give $1,000 to the person who calls.  I told Jack I was going to do this, so I hope someone does.  I bet they don’t give me $1,000 when he answers!  It’s easy to hide behind message board anonymity so I wouldn’t know who to contact to collect my money.  Tom Izzo also has a public radio show during the season.  I would make the same $1,000 offer there.

Hondo, do you think that Riley Bullough will be the 45 carries a game RB this year?  Glenn

No.  He is a great big back and I can see him getting 20-25 carries a game.  Mark Dantonio was perplexed that no one stepped up last year to relieve LeVeon.  Someone else will emerge to get carries from the freshman class.

Hondo, if you use this please do not put my town.  I am a neighbor to an MSU Trustee and I asked them about your reports on football funding.  They acknowledged that you are correct and that it has to get fixed.  Keep up the great work.  Tracie

Thanks Tracie.  It is a serious issue and I am not saying what is right or wrong.  If you are not going to truly compete they can’t tell the fans and donors they will.   MSU and its leadership have to decide what way to go.  I believe that if they don’t fully fund football and make it clear they expect every year to compete for a Big Ten title then they are making a dumb decision that not only will sink Spartan athletics as we know it, but ruin any legacy of those in leadership.

Hondo, I am a Michigan fan, but my brother-in-law sent me your article where you talked about Brady Hoke and Mark Dantonio when Coach Hoke came to Breslin.  Very good stuff.  Just wanted to say thanks for that information.  It is hard not to like Mark Dantonio when you hear about him personally.  Dennis

Hi Dennis.  Same with Brady Hoke.  He is a good and honorable man.  I love the MSU vs. UM rivalry (163 days until the football game but who’s counting), but sometimes people miss the human element.  Coach Hoke and Dantonio have a very good respect for one another and whether personally or with recruits you do not find the other being disparaging of the other or their character.

Hondo, I have heard so many conflicting stories, but have not heard from you about how the MSU football recruiting class for 2014 is taking shape.  Care to share?  Ryan

Sure Ryan.  There is a long time between now and when the class signs in February.  What I do know is with eight committed players, if you look back at all of Dantonio’s classes at the eight player point, none have been better.  So far this is on track as his best.  Let’s save the hyperbole for February.

Hondo, I don’t like losing Lawrence Marshall to Michigan.  He was such a strong lean to MSU and Hoke just took him like a rug from under our feet.  Is there any chance you can give me a reason for hope?  Rich

First, if losing a recruit makes you hopeless, I would suggest you reevaluate your life, your goals, and your purpose.  Take a look at the real tragedy in Moore, Oklahoma.  Secondly, UM gave Lawrence the best chance to get on the field.  With all of the sky is falling remorse no one seems to realize that?  Think about this.  Marcus Rush and Shilique Calhoun are your starting DEs in 2013.  Both are NFL DE prospects.  Calhoun is a sophomore and Rush is a junior.  Your second string DE, behind Calhoun, is Denzel Drone who is a senior, but freshman Jamal Lyles is pushing him.  Joel Heath who is a sophomore backs up Rush.  Also, remember that Demetrius Cooper is coming in with the 2013 class who at one time was the #1 overall player in the nation (prior to injury) who is a DE.  MSU is loaded at LB with at least one and maybe two with the talent to put their hand on the ground.  What I am saying is that any player looking at MSU, especially on defense, has to look at the stockpile of talent.  I am not saying that all of that was the reason Lawrence went to UM.  What I am saying is that he looked at it.  I know because we talked about it.

Hey fat man.  How about you have kids who aren’t even good rappers dissing on your boy Dantonio and saying they would rather rap than play football for you losers.  Talk up little brother, Dick Rod is gone and we are back.  Go blue.  Lynn

Well Lynn, I laugh every time Michigan people point out the M Rod era not counting that you don’t say the same with the JLS years?  As far as the “Rapper” in question, he didn’t say no thanks to MSU.  Mark Dantonio pulled his scholarship. He is not a Spartan because of his actions.  Mark Dantonio made that decision.  By the way, Wal Mart has a sale on depends in aisle three.

There you go everyone.  If you have any questions for the Q and A article simply email me at SpartanNationMail@yahoo.com and place in the subject line Q and A.  Must use your name.

Q: Jeff Rabjohns. How are you doing, my friend? It’s good to have you.

A: I’m outstanding.  It’s great to be here with you.

Q: If I or anyone else ever says anything that disagrees with Jeff, listen to Jeff. When it comes to Big 10 basketball recruiting he is the preeminent authority.

A: I know you do and I really appreciate you saying that publicly. That’s really, really kind. I really appreciate that.

Q: From the 2014 class, Minnesota point guard, Tyus Jones. I told you I did not think that Tyus would come to Michigan State, although Izzo’s made a valiant effort. I still feel that way. Do you think Michigan State will get him, and if not where do you think he ends up?

A: I think I’d be a little surprised if Michigan Stage gets Tyus Jones at this point. I think some other schools maybe have kinda climbed a little higher. I do agree with you that Tom Izzo’s made terrific effort. I don’t know what else he can do as far as time put in, recruiting somebody and then watching him. I think at this point I hear several schools with Tyus. I don’t know if I’d come out and say that he’s got a clear leader at this point, but I would say I think there’s less than high percentage that he ends up at Michigan State this year.

Q: Now Illinois Center, Jahlil Okafor. I don’t think he’s coming either. I’m not saying with Tyus or Okafor is 100% certain, I’m just telling you what I’m hearing. Are you the same? What are you hearing?

A: Yeah, I agree. I’m not too sure everybody knows that Tyus Jones and Jahlil Okafor have talked about playing together. That talk has kind of grown a little bit at times, then it’s kinda dropped down at times. I really think two of the schools that right now are really making strong pushes and really involved with Okafor…well, there’s a number of schools, I shouldn’t say two…but I think Duke, Kentucky and Kansas are really making big, strong pushes for him. And I also think Carolina has done a good job of getting involved. They were out watching him during the second evaluation period. So I don’t know if I think that Michigan State’s on that top tier right now with Jahlil Okafor.

Q: What do you think about Tyus? I’m hearing Duke big, but you’re thoughts…what are you hearing?

A: Duke is the school that I hear the most because I think they’ve been really active and aggressive. I’m not gonna count Baylor out on that one. There have been some conversations there that maybe he’s had a little more with Baylor, a little longer with Baylor. Tyus I think, as most people know, is basically down to Baylor, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, Minnesota and Ohio State. But I think I would probably… I guess in that situation I would probably say probably Duke for Tyus Jones as it looks like right now. Maybe it changes a little bit, but Duke is in a really good position.

Q: So you think there’s a good shot Duke could get Tyus and Jahlil possibly?

A: I think it’s possible. A lot of times when kids talk about wanting to go together it doesn’t turn out to be anything more than talk. These guys are awfully good friends. I was out there in Los Angeles for the opening of the Nike Elite Basketball League this year and even though Jahlil was injured, nothing serious but he was sitting out that game that weekend, as soon as games were over he and Tyus Jones are together. They’re eating together, they’re hanging out together. Certainly there’s a friendship there that leads me to believe it is possible that these two guys might make a decision like that.

Q: Now we go to an Illinois point guard from the 2014 class. I think Michigan State’s gonna get Tyler Ulis. Your thoughts?

A: I think they’ve got a really good shot there. They kinda came in a little bit later than a couple other people to the whole situation. He’s a little bit under size, so I think maybe some people wanted to be really sure about him. And Michigan State might be in that category. He was listed at 5’8”. I’ve stood next to him before and that’s about all I’d be willing to give him is 5’8”. But he does have an awful lot of skill. He’s very quick. He can do an awful lot with the ball in his hands, looks for other guys. He plays for the Chicago Mean Streets program, plays with other league players. He’s ranked among the top 70 players in his class. Really good player. I think Michigan State has a really good shot there. I really do. There’s some other schools that have been around maybe a little bit longer. Purdue’s been on him, Vanderbilt, Hall, Florida’s gotten involved, that might be interesting to see. But I think Michigan State’s got a really good shot there.

Q: Cliff Alexander…I hear Illinois and Michigan State are certainly in it, but Kentucky is his dream offer. He told me on this show that Kentucky was his dream offer. Do you agree that Kentucky is the school to beat and also, did I give my listeners bad information when I reported last year that his visit to Kentucky did not go well originally?

A: No, you gave very good information about that first Kentucky visit. That came last fall during Big Blue Madness. Kentucky had a whole lot of people down there, including 2013 prospects, because at that point in time they were in the early stages of that class. Cliff Alexander also made a visit down there. Basically what happened was John Calipari spent an incredible amount of time with the 2013 prospects who were there. Cliff Alexander left and basically told people Coach John isn’t even talking to him. What the heck’s going on? So that certainly was not a great visit from Kentucky standpoint. However, since that point in time, Kentucky’s gotten aggressive, got back in the mix, had a chance to sit down and talk to Cliff Alexander and say, Hey listen. The thing about Big Blue Madness, we didn’t have anybody in 2013 and we had to take care of those guys. We weren’t ignoring you, you’re important to us, etc, etc. That relationship I think from everything I hear has been repaired between Kentucky and Cliff Alexander. I think right now the schools you mentioned are the ones who are serious contenders. I talked to Cliff a couple times this spring and he did say he’s also planning to take an Indiana visit at some point before making his decision. That would be his second visit to Indiana. But the schools you mentioned are the schools that are serious contenders. I do think that Illinois and John Groce have made some pretty good inroads there and are seriously involved in this particular recruitment, which probably was not the case early on when Illinois first jumped in. But John Groce stayed right with it, so to speak. He was out there in Los Angeles, he was out there at Willams, he’s been following Cliff Alexander really, really carefully. I don’t know the final destination with the whole Kentucky situation, but Illinois is involved there.

Q: I was told by somebody who I trust that’s close to Cliff that Michigan State may be fourth behind Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana. Do you think that order is pretty accurate?

A: I might put Michigan State ahead of Indiana on that list. I do think Kentucky’s out front. I do think that Illinois has made up an awful lot of ground. Whether or not they’ve made a jump on Michigan State depends on who in Chicago you talk to. There are some people in Chicago who do feel that has happened. There’s some that don’t feel it has happened just yet. Indiana’s still involved there, but I think at this point I would put Michigan State ahead of Indiana on that list at this point.

Q: Staying in the class of ’14, Indiana shooting guard JaQuan Lyle.

A: JaQuan is just a terrific athlete, 6’5” shooting guard. I even hesitate to call him a shooting guard because at one point in time he was leading his AAU team based here in Indiana in steals, rebounding and assists, but he wasn’t the top scorer. They had players like Trevon Lewis, James Blackmon Jr., Trey Lyles who’s now healthy. So they’ve got an awful lot of talent on that time. JaQuan right now has already cut his list…well, he opened it back up a little bit. He’s got Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisville, Ohio State, Tennessee and UCLA on his list. I think right now I would say probably Louisville is a school that a lot of people think is probably on top. I would be surprised at the end of the day if he goes very far from home. He has a grandma who he’s incredibly close to, who has basically raised him for all intents and purposes. So I would be surprised if he goes too far. I think he ends up at either Louisville, Indiana, perhaps Illinois. But I think those are the three most likely places for JaQuan Lyle.

Q: Even though he opened it back up, you don’t see Michigan State in play there?

A: It doesn’t look like it. He cut his list about six weeks ago, maybe a little bit more, and then the only door that he kinda opened was he opened it back up and said UCLA’s gonna be added back on there. But other than that he hasn’t really done anything else. I don’t think Michigan State’s gonna have a chance to really get back in there with JaQuan Lyle.

Q: Kevon Looney from Wisconsin…what do you think?

A: Kevon Looney I think, number one, he’s a terrific player. He’s an absolutely wonderful player. He’s ranked in the top ten and I think he’s one of those guys who deserves it. 6’8”, awful lot of athletic ability. Just love the way he plays, love the way he moves, all the different things. I think he’s just a terrific, terrific prospect. He can do a lot of different things and do a lot of different things well. Plays good ball in his hands, can play without the ball in his hands. I don’t think Michigan State is among the schools that are seriously involved there. He’s another kid who’s got some pretty heavy Kentucky interest and Duke interest, and I think if either one of those really put on a hard press they might be able to seal the deal. But neither one of those have really pushed hard for a decision yet. Michigan State’s in there, Michigan is in there, there’s been a little bit of North Carolina interest. But I think that one’s a little more open than some of the others. I don’t know that Kevon Looney is to the point where you would call a clear leader or anything just yet.

Q: We just went over six guys from the class of ’14. It looks like there’s only one of them that Michigan State is even a clear leader for and that’s not even a slam dunk. That’s Ulis. Am I misrepresenting that?

A: No, no. That’s probably very fair. Like I said, I think Michigan State’s got a real shot at Tyler Ulis. But I would agree, in no way am I gonna go out and see that they’re his clear leader at this point.

Q: Gavin Schilling and Alvin Ellis, both good kids. Originally Michigan State wasn’t interested; they got in kinda late on them. I do not expect either will make a major impact next year. Do you agree?

A: Yeah, I don’t think either one of them are what you would call guys who are gonna come in and be instant impact guys. There’s certainly nobody on the level of a Gary Harris or Valentine or even Costello or anything like that coming in right away. I think they can be solid guys. I think they can help, they can contribute. But I don’t know that I would say you would expect them to do a lot right off the bat as freshmen. I do like Gavin Schilling’s size at 6’9”. And coming out of Findlay Prep, he played against some pretty good players and obviously with very good players. I like Ellis’s athletic ability at 6’5”. I like him playing at small forward. But again, I don’t think either one of them you expect to have a big time impact right away.

Q: Based on how ’13 went and how ’14 is shaping up, should Spartan fans be concerned?

A: I think there’s a little reason for concern. Certainly Michigan State’s got enough of a track record that you wouldn’t say it’s time to sound big alarms, but when you look at the fact that they took some big swings and they went after some really big name guys…Jabari Parker, guys like that, Jahlil Okafor the #1 player in the country in the 2014 class, Tyus Jones another top 10 kid. You’re talking about taking some really big swings. If you take big swings and miss on top 10 guys and land top 50-60 guys, or something like that, I don’t think it’s a big problem. When you take big swings and miss and really gotta kinda then scramble after that, that’s gonna become a problem. If this happens one year it’s not really a big deal. But when you look at Michigan State’s roster, certainly you gotta think Gary Harris goes to the NBA after sophomore year, could have left after his freshman year…you don’t have any instant impact guys in 2013, as we talked about Alvin Ellis and Gavin Schilling. If you don’t get some really top guys in the 2014 class, that’s when you can start to wonder if this is gonna be a down year. Are they gonna struggle? I think it’s certainly a cause for concern. I think Michigan State earned some benefit of the doubt, but when you look at who they were going after in ’13, who they didn’t get and who they were going after ’14, and if they don’t end up with a Tyus Jones or a Jahlil Okafor or somebody like that, certainly it would change that roster quite a bit. And I think it would be cause for a least a little bit of concern.

Q: Did you have Ellis or Schilling in the top 50?

A: In the top 50? I don’t have my notes in front of me right now, but I don’t think so. No.

Q: Class of 2014 point guard from Michigan, Eric Davis. Do you have any insight on him?

A: I’ve talked to some people about him a little bit and I got a chance to see him play a little bit. You and I have talked about this. I like to see kids play a minimum of three times before I really have an opinion, simply because if I watched you one time I don’t know… I wanna see you at your best. Did I see you at your middle and can you repeat that level of performance against the quality competition? I really like to see somebody three times before I have a pretty solid opinion. I’ve seen Eric Davis play with the Family program. I think he’s got an incredible amount of potential. He’s 6’3” and at a point guard you can do an awful lot of things…I should say I saw him do an awful lot of things. I’m kind of assuming that the couple times that I’ve seen him this is what he can do. But I really like what I see. I think we’re talking about a guy who’s gonna be a top 30-35 guy in his class. He’s ranked 25th right now. We got some time left in 2015 to see how things shake out, but I think he’s a terrific prospect. From what I’ve seen from him, again a limited amount from only a couple games. But with that size, quickness, ability with ball in his hands, ability to score, ability to get to spaces with the ball…not just create something from self, but to get the ball to a space to suck in a defender so he can create something for another teammate. I think he looks like’s gonna be a pretty good prospect.

Q: Are there guys on the radar that you’re hearing Michigan State has interest in for ’14 or ’15 that maybe haven’t been discussed? If not, can you give us some guys that you think down the road State could be interested in?

A: I think you hit all the main guys. I think there’s some younger guys in the Midwest who Michigan State can get involved in. One really interesting name that I know there’s interest in is a kid named Caleb Swanigan out of the Ft. Wayne, Indiana area. He’s 6’8”, about 280 lbs or so. He was an offensive tackle in football. He’s playing two years with the 2014 group of the Spiece Indy Heat, which is the JaQuan Lyle, Trevon Bluiett, James Blackmon, Trey Lyles, that level of a player. He’s really starting to come on. He’s rebounding well. He’s still gotta get himself into basketball shape. He still hasn’t decided if he’s gonna be football or basketball, but he’s really physical. He can do an awful lot around the rim. He’s not a runner by any means as you can guess by his size, but he’s athletic. He’s nimble. He’s got balance. He’s got good hands, those kinds of things. Even though he’s a big time high riser he’s not gonna jump up and dunk on everybody. He knows how to use that big body pretty well. Playing around, cleaning a little space… That’s a kid that Michigan State has shown some interest in. He’s a guy, I think from talking to him recently, he’s starting to get a lot more Big 10 attention and it sounds like Michigan State’s one of the teams that’s certainly gonna be there. I would put him at the top of the list as far as naming new names that are really emerging. Caleb Swanigan out of the Ft. Wayne area.

Frey recently joined Hondo S. Carpenter, Sr. on Spartan Nation Radio.

Hard hitting, tough linebackers seem more difficult to come by these days. Chris Frey Jr. is one of the special throwback players who is the exception to the rule. Though the Upper Arlington, Ohio native is not a massive figure at 6’1, 217 pounds, he can surprise you with his power. Whether blitzing the quarterback from the outside, pursuing a receiver in open space, or attacking the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage, Frey strikes fear in the heart of his opponents.

The junior at Upper Arlington High School plays a pair of positions, namely running back and safety. As one can see on his highlight film, Frey is a dynamic player. An all-around athlete, the eighth commitment of the 2014 MSU recruiting class can run the ball, catch passes, snatch interceptions, and even block kicks.

For a while, his body was one of a general athlete, as the youngster also ran track and played basketball. But his mentality soon changed following a discussion with MSU linebackers coach Mike Tressel after the team’s annual summer camp in East Lansing last year. “I came in at like 6’1”, 197 and from there he [Tressel] told me, ‘You need to put on weight if you want to play linebacker in the Big 10. If you want to be a Spartan you need to put on weight,’ ” said Frey “So from there I quit playing sports other than football. I stopped running track, I stopped playing basketball and I just started lifting. So I got a personal trainer, I started doing more training one-on-one. And I put on the weight.”

As his training changed, the linebacker inside Frey began to emerge. He added weight and muscle, becoming a more intimidating figure to face off against. His junior campaign that followed was one to remember. Frey racked up 136 tackles, six forced fumbles, 12 tackles for loss, and three sacks. As one can see on his junior highlight video, the hits he delivers to opposing ballcarriers are ground shaking. His physicality and aggressiveness are a tribute to legendary linebackers from long ago. The fierceness he displays on the field also hearkens back to days of old.

“I’ve been playing since I was about 5 years old. My whole life my dad has been there for me and he’s always taught me how to play. I’ll tell you, it comes from him,” Frey said of his ferocity. “He’s taught me everything that I know about this game. He was my coach up until I was in eighth grade. Growing up, him being my coach, we always used to do that drill where somebody has the ball and the whole team has to tackle him. I was on the one side of the field and then everybody would be chasing me. I’d turn around and I’d run right into the circle and just try to hit as many people as I can. It’s just always been me. That’s always what I’ve wanted to do. That’s why I love defense so much, because I’m able to hit people. I’m able to do whatever I want, take all my anger out on one person if I need to. I just love doing it. It’s the game and there’s no other game like it.”

At the same time, Frey is not simply a hulking monster who patrols the field on the hunt for a player to smash. Frey also uses his athleticism well, closing running lanes quickly and cutting in front of receivers. His wide range of talents makes the outside linebacker position an ideal fit for him, as he plays with a retro mindset but a new type of body.

Many programs in the Midwest discovered the Upper Arlington talent and offered Frey a scholarship. Numerous schools in the MAC and Big Ten, as well as Boston College and Kentucky, heavily pursued the linebacker. Michigan State showed a particular interest in the prospect from early on in the process, as Tressel talked to Frey on a number of occasions. In early May, Dantonio was impressed enough with the youngster’s talent and work ethic to extend a scholarship to the class of 2014 recruit. Frey visited MSU a few days later. “It was great. We got to go to where the coaches’ offices are and where the locker room is and all that,” he said. “It was extremely nice. Some of the stuff I saw in there was some of the best I’ve seen so far. I really liked it a lot.”

Following his visit, Frey thought that his decision time would extend until around July 31. But the talented recruit decided mere days after his trip to East Lansing that he wanted to become a Spartan. “I’m officially a Michigan State Spartan! #spartannation” Frey excitedly declared on his Twitter account on May 15.

One reason for his decision to become a Spartan was certainly the MSU coaching staff. “The best part about the coaching staff is the fact that they win games. Period. There’s no question about it,” Frey told Hondo S. Carpenter on Spartan Nation Radio recently. “In talking to him [Narduzzi] the other night, he just told me that he wants me to be a part of this defense. He wants me to bring that enthusiasm to the table and to bring everything that I have and to become a Spartan. To do everything I can do to make this team better. I enjoyed talking to him. He’s a great coach.”

Frey is also psyched to be part of an already talented defense with much promise for the future. “This defense has what it takes. This defense is doing what it needs to do. The fact that I’ve received a scholarship to be on this defense, to be a part of this, it’s just an unreal experience for me,” he said.

Through the chaos of his recruiting process and his high school football career, Frey has managed to remain humble. As stated above, he gives much of the credit to his father for coaching him and helping him along the way. The high school junior considers himself blessed to have the support he has.

“Every Friday night there’s probably about 25 people in the stands for me, from my family and friends. It’s always great to have them on your back. I’m just blessed to have them in my life,” Frey said. “I have amazing parents, amazing supporting people around me that help me get through this, that help me make the decisions that I need to make and help me get to the places that I need to be. They do everything for me and it means the world to me.”

Now part of the Spartan family, Frey looks to make a major impact in the Green and White. As a valuable, throwback linebacker with a love of contact, the newest Spartan will most certainly find his niche in East Lansing. Players like him who have passed before have been treated as legends. Linebacker Chris Frey Jr. has the potential to become the next Spartan hero.

The Upper Arlington, Ohio native has the potential to become the next Spartan hero.

NEW YORK CITY – The Rimington Trophy committee has released its 2013 Spring Watch List.

The list includes 17 returning players from the 2012 Watch List. In all, there are 44 players on the Watch List. The SEC leads the way with nine players while the PAC-12 and the Mountain West Conference check in with five players each.

About the Rimington Trophy
The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the Most Outstanding Center in NCAA Division I-A College Football.

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Incoming Michigan State women’s basketball freshman Tori Jankoska of Freeland High School continued to pile up postseason honors, after being named to the 2013 PARADE High School All-American team. In March, she was named Michigan’s Miss Basketball and the state’s Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

The 5-8 guard averaged 30.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 4.8 steals this season, as Freeland finished this season 22-2, but lost in the Class B regional semifinal. Jankoska shattered Freeland’s career scoring record, totaling 2,333 points in her career.

Jankoska has been a first-team all-state selection as a junior and sophomore, while being an honorable choice as a freshman. She was named Player of the Year as a junior by the Midland Daily News, and has been on the newspaper’s Dream Team each of her three seasons. She is also a three-time first-team all-conference honoree.

Hondo, I monitor a ton of Spartan sites, why do you think yours is the only one bringing the athletic budget problems, and the money going to the university to light? Grant

Grant, I can’t answer for others.  I know that Graham Couch at the LSJ recently had a nice article.  I know that Matt Charboneau of the Detroit News has talked about it on my radio show as Joe Rexrode has.  I run Spartan Nation, others have editors who may not be as in tune or work for places that may put priority on other things such as recruiting.  What I do know is that there is a coming storm.  Inside people are well aware and talking about it.  If I were you I would ask those who don’t why they don’t.

Hondo, The 2 red shirt freshmen TE, I remember you said they both could contribute very well at MSU. How are they progressing? I don’t show then in the 2 deep from spring practice. I feel with no TE really puts this offense in a bad position. Cousins had a plethora of them. Thank you for all you do for Spartannation.  Mark Trenkle

Agree that MSU has to have more out of the tight end this season.  Who steps up is anyone’s guess.  Will it be the two red shirt freshmen in Josiah Price or Evan “BULLDOZER” Jones?  How about the man with the experience in Andrew Gleichert or new freshman Dylan Chmura?  All I know is that Dantonio has to have at least two of them step up.

Hondo- I understand MSU is not going to get every recruit and not getting Lawrence Marshall and having Drake Harris decommit hurts as they are two recruits that seemed to be very high on the wish list. My question is once those guys decided MSU was not the place for them; they made some derogatory comments about Michigan State football. While I always had heard the coaching staff was known for sort of a low pressure, high morals recruiting style, is there something that they are doing that you are aware of that is not only not getting recruits (which happens for many reasons), but also where the kids have poor things to say about the program when they go elsewhere? Those types of comments are what bother me more than not landing the commitments of Harris and Marshall because it may mean tougher recruiting in the future.  Jim

Well Jim, I know of several big time recruits that DID come to MSU because of the way the Spartans behave.  I really like Marshall, but he made the choice he felt was best for him.  As far as teenage kids making comments, I guess I am not as outraged.  I don’t like it, but expect kids to be kids.

Hi, Hondo. Thanks again for all of your hard work…Do you think Aaron Burbridge will become a true #1 WR this year? And how would you value the effect of having that kind of guy on our offense, like we had in Devin Thomas, Blair White, BJ, etc?  Nathan Husted

Nathan, I love Burbridge’s game.  I think he really can.  Will he?  We shall see, but I can tell you he has all the skills and is a super kid.

Hondo, I found last week’s questions and answers very interesting. I have a hard time believing people would actually write-in the obscene comments you published, but I guess this is a reflection of the extreme frustration of Spartan football fans, athletic supporters, and alumni. Last season’s record was unacceptable. Candidly, if this year’s team does not finish at least 10-2 (with its soft schedule), something is deeply wrong. Like many of your contributors, we are beginning to question a $4000 expense for season tickets, especially after doubling our scholarship contribution last year in hopes of helping Hollis and Dantonio to continue winning 10-12 games per year. I’ve read all your stories about how our university does not fully fund football like other big schools and in fact takes money away from the athletic department, how we cannot hire the coaches we really would like, why we do not have a full-time recruiting coordinator, and why we can’t effectively recruit nationally. Now we are seeing kids from Michigan that had been all-but-locked-up go to Ann Arbor. As season ticket holders and Spartan fund contributors for 55 seasons, these things disturb our family greatly.  HJ from Holland

You should be concerned about the future of MSU football.  I think this summer will tell us a lot about the future of the program.  I am not going to say a lot right now, but there are some things going on behind the scenes that have me CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC…emphasis on cautiously.  I am not going to talk about those things right now, but there are several people as concerned as you.  The future of MSU football, as we know it and as it should be, is being debated and talked about behind the scenes.

Hondo, you have talked about MSU football being underfunded compared to many of the schools it is trying to compete with. If that does not change quickly do you see Mark Dantonio leaving for another school? I certainly think he is a good coach and evaluator of talent, but without at least equal resources it will be very difficult for MSU football to compete for Big Ten titles consistently let alone BCS bowl games. In fact, I think MSU really needs more funding than many of its competitors and to use it wisely to be competitive on a consistent basis at the top levels. People can say whatever they want about the success MSU has had, but the reality is among many recruits and the national public MSU is a good BCS football program, but nowhere near elite.  Scott

I don’t think that Mark would leave.  I do think we could see assistants start leaving next off season and MSU has a short window to fix the situation.  It is a very short window.

OK everyone, there you go.  Our weekly Q/A article.  If you would like your email to be considered for this article, please add to the subject line Football Q/A.  Email me at SpartanNationMail@yahoo.com

You people had a lot to say about last weeks question and answer MSU Football article.  In case you missed it, CLICK HERE TO READ so you can understand these emails and my responses.

Hondo, you are nothing if not a larger-than-life person. How could you possibly let your true feelings rule and congratulate any young person for choosing another school when MSU wanted him/her? The average fan does not come to sports blogs to read opinion based on inside information. If you can’t clean up your act and tell us only happy-face stories then I’m going to take my reading minutes elsewhere.  Hey Hondo, after reading some of the “comments” in your last question and answer article I thought you might need a laugh.  Tim San Diego

Thanks Tim.  It did make me laugh.  I got hammered pretty hard last time.  I always get a few, but it was well over 50% last week that were loaded with vitriol.

Hondo, The article you wrote regarding “Your Football Emails” contains 3 emails from some serious boneheads. I am sure you get these all the time and were just tired and at a weak moment when you decided to include them in your column…but it was a bad idea and you should edit them out of Spartan Nation ASAP.  The language in these emails was clearly vulgar and hateful. Two perspectives you do not endorse.  I have always considered your work “family friendly”. I don’t want my kids or grandkids to read that garbage and I do encourage them to read your stuff. They probably had their egos fed by you including their nastiness in your column. Your Spartan brother, Sam

Sam, thanks for your thoughts.  I totally disagree with you.  It wasn’t a weak moment.  In fact, I was feeling pretty good.  I edited out spelling the actual words, but I would offer this thought to you.  In our PC world we edit and clean everything.  Sometimes people don’t ever get to see how the sausage is made.  I think it is important for people either to see how some react or maybe how they look in print.  I agree that I don’t want my kids to make a diet of last week (and I certainly do not think Spartan Nation does that), but I also think we want them to know the real world.  When we fail to present to people reality, they fail to grasp it.  Sports are so small in the big picture of life, but it is a brilliant microcosm.  Our world has so much going on in it and so many people miss it as they pass by.  I certainly will not make every column dictated to by the ignorant, but I will also not pretend all the mail I get is positive.  Both approaches are disingenuous.  Last week the overwhelming amount of mail was hate and I believe that I accurately portrayed that.

Hondo, you are still a pig, but thanks for publishing the negative.  I have a small and I mean tiny bit of respect for you for doing that.  Collin

Well, thank you Collin.  I learned from Mrs. Roth, my 4^th grade teacher, that you are what you eat.  I have consumed my fair share of that glorious food bacon so I take that as an affirmation that Mrs. Roth is as smart as I think and thought she was.  If you send me your address I would love to send you a coupon for a free Cottage Inn Bacon Pizza.  HMMM…YUMMY!

Hondo I was listening to sports radio the other day and they reported on the nations #1 basketball recruit’s decision to go to Kansas. Then they read tweets he received from disappointed fans of schools he didn’t choose. They were just awful! Then to read the emails you received for wishing someone good luck, makes me sad. I love what you do and don’t change! I look forward to more great Spartan coverage!  Dan Moss

Thanks, Dan.  I love what I do and it is because of people just like you that I get to do it.  We live in a world with many cowards.  I chose the hate mail that I did last week for only one reason:  they put their names on it.  I don’t agree, I wouldn’t have done it that way, but they put their names on it.  In today’s internet age we have so many people with message board anonymity courage.  Because they don’t have to be accountable, they don’t feel responsible.

Hondo, Thank you for the Q&A article. Sorry people are actually making personal comments about your weight and intelligence because you wished Marshall well. Your responses were humorous though.  Scott Lehr

Thanks, Scott.  No need to be sorry.  When you choose a life that entails being a public figure that comes with the territory.  I am more than prepared for it.  In fact, it doesn’t bother me.

Hondo, I’m not sure why you post up all the emails that insult and attack you personally but I know the majority of your audience (including myself) really appreciates your work.  Ryan McDowell

Thanks, Ryan and I realize that.  I think it is important that both groups are presented.  I hope people do enjoy it and the growth of Spartan Nation certainly bears that out.  Thanks for the kind words.

Hondo, I have written you several times and never actually made your question and answer articles.  I always get a response if my question isn’t answered in the article and I do thank you for that.  I was just wondering, do you answer the hate mail?  Craig in Ovid

First, sorry you never made the article so here you go.  Second, I answer all email that doesn’t get answered in the article if they put their name on it.  I will tell you a funny story from last week.  A person sent me a rather impassioned hate mail.  It was one in which harm was if not promised, certainly implied.  They did it from their work email address.  Unsure if the person’s threat (it included a reference to my family) was sincere or not and since they didn’t bother to put a name so I could contact them, I was forced to contact said company.  I have never done that before and I have got a lot of hate email from people’s work email accounts, but the company appreciated me passing that on.  I was assured the threat was not one to be concerned about again.

Hondo, I read some of those letters last week who were very vile to you and it made me want to cry.  I am unsure how you can remain positive.  How would you describe your personality for being able to handle that?  Wanda

Happy, Happy, Happy!  I wonder how many of you will get that reference.

Thanks everybody!

Q: Your thoughts on the CCHA going away. Having been the Commissioner, that’s gotta be kinda hard watching your baby go away.

A: Yeah, it really is. We obviously knew this was coming but at the time when I went to the last CCHA Awards Show at the Fox Theater, and then I was there for the final game, it hit me a lot harder than I thought it would. And not so much from my perspective, for me I guess, but more for all of the people over the years who have put in so much time and so much commitment to making that league one of the best in the country. So I think of the Ron Mason’s and the Steve Cady’s, I can go down a long list of people who were so instrumental in making that league a success. I was very, very disappointed that it had come to its conclusion.

Q: You’ve been able to get some talent, but you added six newcomers for the upcoming class: Thomas Ebbing, Villiam Haag, Chris Knudson, Joe Cox, Mackenzie MacEachern, JT Stenglein. Break down what this class brings, can you?

A: I can. Like I said before, recruiting hockey as you referenced really gives time to build some traction. Like in the case of Joe Cox…he was a player that had been committed to Michigan State well before my time of even being hired at Michigan State. There are a number of players on our team who fall into that category. Recruiting and your identifying, getting commitments from kids, really happens oftentimes very early. So we’re late to the game in making that transition from when I was hired. And given that, we think we have some very good players amongst this class. You went through all of them and I can mention each one, but… Thomas Ebbing I saw play for a number of years locally here in Detroit and then played at Brother Rice. He’s really kind of blossomed into a real good center iceman. That’s an area that we need help on. Mackenzie MacEachern, who we really had committed last season and went and played junior hockey this year, he too played with Thomas at Brother Rice. He was Mr. Hockey in the state, a real big guy with good hands and good skills that drafted in I think the 3rd round by the St. Louis Blues last year. So if he adapts to college hockey he should be a really good player. You had mentioned JT Stenglein…he’s a player who’s been a proven goal scorer and we need goal scoring. He plays real tough; he can hurt ya when he hits ya. He’s very physical but he can shoot the puck and likes to score goals. That’s a need for us. Villiam Haag is actually pronounced William even though it’s spelled with a “V”. He’s from Sweden. He too is a goal score player who is a real physical specimen and is an outstanding skater. Not an overly physical player, but he adapts from playing European hockey to North American hockey. I think he’s gonna be a very exciting player for fans to watch. Joe Cox was a player I mentioned was committed here and we’re really excited about him. He’s the captain of the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Unfortunately in the last regular season game he took a leg-on-leg, knee-on-knee shot and blew out his knee. He’s had surgery about 2 weeks ago. He’s recovering and hopefully will be back and ready when we start the season. He’s a great leader at 20 goals in that league, which is a real big number. So we’re excited to have him. Then you mentioned Chris Knudson who will fill out our defensive roster. Big strong, good skating, tough moving, defenseman, 6’3”, really solid, well put together, smart player. So we’re anxious to have Chris join us as well. Overall I think it’s a (???) class and again, another step in the right direction to getting back to championship level.

Q: Of this class, Cox is the only one that had committed to your predecessor. Is that correct?

A: Yes.

Q: Looking at all these guys, you’ve put a priority on size haven’t you?

A: You know what, Hondo, skill is really important. The ability to play with good hockey intelligence, good puck skills and good skating skills is very important. However having said that, size is a factor in the game and I thought the team I took over was generally pretty small. We needed to add some size to that team to help, especially from a physical standpoint, help maybe create some room for some smaller players. Last year we introduced a guy like Michael Ferrantino to the lineup, and he’s a smaller player. Certainly Torey Krug and Brock Shelgren who he played with, those were smaller guys. I have high regard for their talent and ability level. But we really needed to get bigger and stronger and we needed to skate better. So size has been on our priority list for sure.

Q: Everyone knew that it was gonna take time to rebuild this program and I know how competitive you are. When you saw how attendance increased throughout the year, what did it mean to you that so many people bought in to you?

A: It is very meaningful, because I’d like to think what they’re really buying into for sure is our plan for Spartan hockey and getting it back to the level that we all expect it to be. So without a doubt to see the kind of crowd support, fan support that we received all season long, and particularly the second half of the season…our record was poor, we were struggling to get better and yet we’re filling Munn Arena. So I think people, at least the feedback that we’re getting, the people appreciate the effort we’re putting into this. They see some steps that we’re taking to try to play a certain way and try to play up-tempo and become more physical and try to get on the attack. They know it’s gonna take some time until we can recruit the kind of players that really flourish under that. But they’re very appreciative of the players’ effort that we have here now and how committed they are to getting better and representing their school. So it is meaningful, Hondo. Coming into the job there was an expectation that we were gonna go through some challenges and some tough times. In spite of knowing what we were in store for, it’s still pretty painful to go through the process. Yet when you look at the end of the season and you see that Michigan State hockey was #1 in the NCCHA and #8 in the country, and finish where we did, our prospects certainly noticed. Can you only imagine what it’s gonna be like here when we’re competing for the Big 10 championship? I’m appreciative to the of kind of support that the fans have shown our program and to me personally as well.

Q: Do you think fans resonate with the fact that this is personal for you?

A: You know, I don’t know. It is very personal, my school. I wanna make those alumni and fans proud of program, proud of us. Just like I wanna be a proud alumnus. I find it, not just that it’s just part of the job, but I very much enjoy connecting with the fans. I find that one of the more enjoyable parts of the job and the challenge of rebuilding the program and the fan base. It’s been 2 years, even though there have been challenges and certainly it’s not easy, I knew that when I came to it. And yet the fan part of it and the relationships that myself, our staff and our players, everybody within the program is building with the fan base and the connectivity, has really been a fun part of the job.

Q: In regards to Justin Abdelkader’s hit against the Anaheim Ducks, the “wimpification” of sports is killing me. It’s a joke that he got suspended. Do you agree or disagree with me and your thoughts on where the game is going?

A: Having served in my role as a Commissioner, what I’ll say is this… They may have access to some video that I didn’t see. Having said that and trying to have faith in the system, what I was able to see, I did not see contact to the head. I saw him coast into the player. I’m not exactly certain what the NHL rule is on coming in on a blind side of somebody. He definitely caught the player with his head down, but I didn’t see contact to the head. People talked about him leaving the feet. I just saw his feet come off the ice after contact was made. And the angles that I saw, I did not see any type of secondary contact to the head. Okay? So given what I thought I saw, and I only saw a replay on YouTube, I wasn’t able to see it on television at the time it occurred. But I was surprised at the judgment that they made. But again, they have way more resources than I have available to me.

Q: Folks, that’s exactly why one day he’ll be Governor of Michigan. He’ll never get himself on the bad side of anybody.

A: No, come on Hondo. I’d love to sit down, and I will if you have it cued up, I’d love to sit down and see all the TV angles that they had available to them. I just didn’t have that available to me. I’ve had a couple of media people contact me about it just like you are. I’m not trying to be politically correct. I know it’s a hard job they have. At the same time, based on what I saw, I was surprised that he got suspended. So there you have it.

Q: One of your biggest fans is Justin Abdelkader, saying he loves what you’re doing and he would have loved to play for a guy with your style. In recruiting, when these young stars of the NHL makes those comments, it certainly doesn’t hurt does it?

A: Oh, heck no. Gotta love those kinda comments to get those out to prospects. We want prospects wanting to look to Michigan State that that’s the #1 place they wanna go. So when you have players like you have making a difference in the NHL…here’s a guy who’s done a lot of successful things in his youth career, scored the national championship goal, he’s a proud Spartan and keeps coming back to the program and stays connected, works his way up from the minor leagues in to the NHL, and now playing in the top line of the NHL with two of the world’s best players…that speaks volumes to potential prospects.

Anastos: We have some great people at Michigan State and amongst them is certainly the members of our staff. I’m really proud of them. I think we’re working hard and working well together to try to get to where we wanna be.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Michigan State baseball took the series from Penn State and won 2-1 on Saturday afternoon at Medlar Park. The Spartans trailed 1-0 heading into the ninth but scored two runs in the final inning to steal the win. MSU moved to 33-17 and 12-9 in the Big Ten following the win.

Michigan State finished in seventh place in the Big Ten, missing the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2010. Illinois won its series over Minnesota and Michigan took its over Nebraska to hold onto the last two spots. The top-six teams advanced to the conference tournament in a race that came down the final day.

“It’s very disappointing,” head coach Jake Boss said. “Give our guys credit for battling back today and at least giving ourselves a shot. At the end of the day we left it in somebody else’s hands. We’ve made our bed and now we have to lie in it. It’s tough when you can’t control your own destiny. We didn’t take care of business when we needed to and that’s the result we get. It’s something that we’re going to have to live with. We have to get ready for next fall and make sure it never happens again.”

Sophomore right-hander Mick VanVossen was exceptional on the mound for the Spartans. He tossed eight innings and allowed just one run on four hits. He struck out five and walked two in the win.

“Mick was lights out today,” Boss said. “He really only got himself into trouble once or twice. He was able to get out of it and had runners at first and third with one out and got out of that with only giving up one run. That was huge for us and gave us a chance to win. He really competed his tail off for us today and at a time where we really needed him to. I was very impressed with his outing today. He kept us in it and gave us a chance.”

Penn State scored its only run in the sixth inning on an RBI-groundout from J.C. Coban. James Coates went 2-for-3 for the Nittany Lions.

In the ninth, Ryan Richardson put himself in scoring position after leading off with a walk and advanced to second on a passed ball. Jimmy Pickens was the go-ahead run at the plate with the Spartans trailing 1-0. Pickens tripled to deep right field to score Richardson, keeping the Spartans in the game.

Anthony Cheky sent in Pickens on an RBI-fielder’s choice and it that was all MSU would need.

Freshman Justin Alleman relieved VanVossen in the ninth and earned his seventh save of the season for the Spartans.

Alleman retired the side on three consecutive strikeouts. Coban, Zach Eli and Alex Farkes went down in order, all swinging.

The Spartans end the season with a program-best fourth straight 30-win season and the winningest senior class in school history. The 2013 class of Trevor Cousineau, Cody Huge, Jordan Keur, Trey Popp, Andrew Waszak and Joe Zwierzynski notched 140 wins, besting last year’s mark of 130 wins.

“It’s a special group of guys,” Boss said. “It’s tough to say good bye to them. They have deserved all of the accolades that they’ve got and there have been a lot of them. For those guys again to be able to say that nobody’s won more games in a Michigan State uniform than that senior class is a testament to their leadership, skill competitiveness and drive to be successful.

“It’s an extremely impressive group of young men and I know they are going to be successful, hopefully some of them in the game of baseball. All of them will be very successful in anything they do beyond Michigan State University. I know they are going to represent us well down the road. It’s been an honor for me to coach them and they deserve all the successes they have earned.”

Class of 2014 recruit Matt Sokol flew under the radar for much of his recruiting process. The projected tight end prospect only received six scholarship offers, from schools such as Wisconsin, Illinois, and Bowling Green. Listed as an athlete, since he is a quarterback/tight end, Sokol has not yet been ranked by the recruiting services, and that is just fine.

None of that matters to Sokol. He is an old school football player. The junior at Rochester Adams High School (with a 3.3 GPA) was simply excited that his dream of attaining a football scholarship to pay for college would be fulfilled. He recently joined Hondo on Spartan Nation Radio to talk about the process.

The moment he received his first offer, from Bowling Green, Sokol could not contain his emotions. “It really made me sit down and take a deep breath, and say to myself, ‘Your dream is real, you have an opportunity to do something that not a lot of people get to do in their life.’ I felt very blessed. It was just one of those moments in my life that I’m not going to forget,” he said. “From that day on, as more opportunities came, I just couldn’t stop thinking about how lucky and blessed I am.”

One of the opportunities that presented itself was a scholarship offer from Michigan State. Dantonio and his staff recognized Sokol’s talent early on in the process, watching him grow as a player.

Though Sokol continued to play quarterback, his body developed into a frame more suited for the tight end position. As the 6’5, 226 pound junior experimented with the position, Sokol decided that he would be best suited for tight end.

“I’ve really fallen in love with playing tight end, especially in the past couple of months. I really love the aspect of catching the ball, getting off defenders and making catches,” Sokol told Hondo S. Carpenter on Spartan Nation Radio. “I feel like that is my best attribute as a player right now.”

The Michigan State coaching staff realized that Sokol could make a big difference at tight end in a Green and White uniform. Dantonio extended a scholarship to the Rochester native, an offer that would prove too tantalizing for Sokol to turn down.

On May 13, ten days after receiving the offer, Sokol committed to MSU. “Michigan State is a school I’ve been excited about for a long time. It’s been a school I’ve always dreamed about playing at and having the opportunity to be a part of,” Sokol said. “To be verbally committed to the Spartan family, it’s a huge honor. I can’t even tell you how excited I am about it. There’s nothing but happiness, it’s been all smiles since I committed. I’m very confident in my decision and I feel like it was a really good one.”

Both Sokol and the Spartan coaching staff recognize that the exciting prospect will need time to develop. But Sokol chose the right school to hone his craft at. Michigan State has historically boasted talented tight ends. Kellen Davis, Garrett Celek, and Dion Sims currently all own a spot on an NFL roster. Plus, first-year Co-Offensive Coordinator and Tight Ends Coach Jim Bollman boasts 36 years of coaching experience. “I’m really excited for Coach Bollman to coach me up and put some good weight on me so I can be a contributing factor in the run game down the road and also keep my speed and be able to catch the ball. He’s such a knowledgeable coach. He’s coached an array of really successful tight ends and successful players,” said Sokol. “I’m so confident that he’s going to mold me into a successful tight end.”

The eager young player is also excited to play for Dantonio. The veteran coach was a major factor in Sokol’s decision. “I have the utmost respect for Coach Dantonio. I think he’s a really great man, a great coach,” Sokol stated. “He really is a people person. He really knows how to communicate and understand people. He’s a class act all-around and he’s a very successful coach.”

Dantonio must be equally thrilled to have Sokol on board. In addition to having natural ability, the newest Spartan plays the game the right way. One football coach from an opposing team, which has faced off with Sokol’s in the past, said, “Sokol brings a lot to the table. I think the greatest attribute he has is not his size, not his toughness, although he has all of that, and neither is it his brain. I’ve never seen a player that good who respects the game of football the way he does. He doesn’t trash talk, he doesn’t run his mouth, he helps guys up. As an opposing coach, I can tell you, he’s exactly what I wish every kid on my team was [like].”

Much of Sokol’s character comes from his family. Both of his parents are West Point grads and served their country bravely. Sokol’s family as a whole is tight-knit. Matt heavily relied on his family to help him make his college choice. “It was an all-around family decision, we all thought a lot about it and we’re all confident in my decision,” Sokol said. “It took a lot of thinking, it took a lot of nights staying up and thinking about it. Overall, this is the school that really fits me the best. I feel very comfortable there. [MSU is] everything is I want in a college and a program.”

As many fathers and sons do, Matt and his dad have a close relationship. “I love my dad very much. He has done so much for me, he has been such an influential person in every aspect of my life, through football, relationships, everything. I do feel truly blessed to have a father like him,” Sokol said. “I really do look up to him as a role model to me. I do aspire to be like him one day and be as successful as he is. He’s just someone I look up to a lot and I hope to one day be the man that he is.”

Matt also admires up to his mom, who has had a great deal of influence on his life. “My mom does so much for me and my three brothers. She is the ultimate provider for all of us. There has never been a day where she has not been by my side,” Sokol said. “My mom is such a special person in my life and I really wouldn’t be the person I am without her.”

The oldest child in the Sokol family, Matt is a major role model for his two younger brothers. He takes that responsibility seriously, and never wants to let them down. “Being the oldest brother, I feel like I have the responsibility to show them what it is to be a real man. I think they look up to me. I don’t look down to them, I look up to them. My brothers mean a lot to me, I care about them a lot, I would do anything for those two guys,” Sokol said. “I love watching them play. My little brother, Mark, who’s the middle brother, is really turning into a monster in the past couple of years. We’re going to be on the same [football] team next year. My littlest brother, Mitchell, is going to be a freshman, so all three of us are going to be at the same high school. I’m really excited for both of them. My brother Mitchell is an up and coming basketball superstar, he’s going to dominate, I hope he gets taller than me. I would do anything for those guys, they mean the world to me. I’m blessed to have brothers like them.”

Coming from a tight family, Sokol will feel right at home in East Lansing as a part of the Spartan family. A talented young football player with loads of character, Sokol will quickly become a valued member of the community.

Q: It appears to me the game of football is under an assault. What do you think about all these lawsuits from concussions, etc. from former players and do you think they’re going to change the game?

A: Well, I’m glad that you asked me this question, Hondo, because I’ve been on talk shows… I think we’re jumping to conclusions. I think that if you took everybody, every kid that ever played out there… For example when I was 5 years old I had a bike. I fell off of it a lot of times onto the floor. I don’t ever remember wearing a helmet when I was a kid. If that’s dangerous, football’s dangerous, how about kick boxing? When you get in the ring you fight… How about regular boxing? How about soccer? They don’t have a helmet on. They’re hitting each other in the head. How about baseball when they throw it at a guy’s head? How about wrestling when their head protection aren’t very much now. I think they’re more for cauliflower ears then they are for head injuries. So every sport has its chance of things. And I’m not saying that they don’t need helmets, but I think that pro football…nobody says anything, but for research and development football put up $100 million for research to try to help if there’s a problem out there. But they’re the only club that… How about hockey? I watched a hockey game, Michigan/Michigan State hockey game here this fall and I counted the number of hits on the ice. In the first period they had 31 that could have been hitting with their head. So to put it all on football… Life’s a risk. When I leave you I’m gonna be getting in my car. I got a chance to get in a car accident. Life’s a risk. You can’t go hide into it thing. So that’s how I really feel about it. But until we get a way to help and a way to… We have too many people that wanna do away with this and wanna do away with that and so forth. I think that we need to do all sports become more of a way of… How many sports are there that you don’t have head gear? Well, track is about the only one. Tennis, but you could get hit in the eye with the ball. But there’s not very many sports out there that… There’s not very many things that you do in life. You can fall down when you’re 8 years old and hit your head on the cement. The one that I’m really upset with is you go down to Ranney Park, that skateboard thing. You been down there?

Q: Yes, sir.

A: Okay. There’s nobody there, right?

Q: Yes, sir.

A: Nobody there but the people that’s doing it. Nobody knows if those kids have helmets on or anything like that. And they just go down and play there, the kids play in the park and they’re hitting their heads all the time. College kids come out of the dorms in good weather on skateboards. They’re flying through the air. I see that commercial of that girl that keeps going down those steps and falling and hitting her head. So we don’t know. So let’s do everything that we can to help it. But not only just put it all on football, but let’s put it on everything that we can.

A: No, it’s not a deep question. I think you see more games that are lost. You see more games that are lost than won. Let me just give you an example: You have a young team and they have a veteran team on the ropes and they have played 35 minutes and they’ve done everything right. Then all of the sudden they look up and they look in the mirror and they start thinking, I’m not sure we’re deserved of this win. And they start looking over their shoulder and they start saying, I don’t think that I can finish the deal. Then you see situations where a kid has used great judgment, a guard for example, has used great judgment on getting the ball up the court all game in a pressurized situation. And all of the sudden gets in the last 5 minutes and then game starts to tighten up and then all of the sudden this kid get trapped, get double-teamed, crossing the court, when he has done such a marvelous job of playing heads up, eyes open and being able to dish the ball or get across the court. Pressure has a way of causing everybody, me included, to act a little differently. So when you ask the question, Are more games won or lost? I would say more games are lost than won. Ok?

Q: I have a question from a listener named Katie who says she’s a member of the Izzone, and last year after you admitted to making a mistake on a Michigan State tip-in, it was very hard to scream and yell at you. You showed a human side. Thanks for ruining the game for me but I very much enjoyed it.

A: I tell you what, Tom knows that over the years, and every coach knows, that number one I’m not a liar, I’m not a BS’er and I don’t want people lying and BS’ing me. You come after me if you’ve got something to say, then after you say it then let’s move on. The one thing I will always do is be up front. If I screw up or make a mistake, I will flat out admit I made a mistake and I’m sorry and then just move on. I tell young people that’s how you earn the respect of the people with whom you have to work with every day. Don’t start making excuses. Don’t be afraid to accept responsibility. Again, I have 8,000 kids in my school district, I have 1,100 employees. I will be so mad at times at some of my employees for doing something. When they come in and look at me and I’m really fired up and I’m ready for them. When they look me in my face and say, I screwed up, I made a mistake or I eff’d up or whatever they say. What is there for me to say then? All of the sudden I just melt. I’m ready to tear their head off. Just be honest and you’re gonna go a long ways in gaining the ultimate, and that is respect for what you do, by everyone. So I appreciate Katie’s comments. Tell her to get on one of those other officials.

Q: Another listener named Brian wants to know what the funniest thing a coach has ever said to you in the heat of a game?

A: I’ll tell you right now, I’ve had some funny things said over the years and you can’t imagine what they would be. I’ll tell you this story real quickly in about 30 seconds. When I first broke in to college basketball… Tell him next time he sees Digger Phelps to just ask Digger about this one with Ed Hightower. I broke in and I’m working Notre Dame vs. UCLA and it was a big, huge CBS game. My two partners did not get to the game and I worked the first 10 minutes of the game by myself. Every time I would go down, Billy Packer was doing the game as the commentator, and Digger Phelps would say, Hightower I know that your rear end is just puckering tonight. I can just see it puckering. He would just get on me. And the fans never said a word when I’m working this game by myself. Then all of the sudden the other two referees get there and now everybody starts booing, they start throwing stuff out on the floor. Of course Digger tells the story better than anyone. So that was one of the funniest things. When Digger and I get together we tell that story. And another one real quickly was when Billy Tubbs went to the microphone on me years ago on national TV and said, It doesn’t matter how bad the officiating is they’ll throw debris on the floor. Of course we had to penalize him. Neither one of those guys are coaching now, but those are two of the funniest things now that we laugh about and we move on. So you get some funny things happen in this game.

Q: Matt wants to know, taking out current players, who is the greatest basketball player that you ever got paid to watch?

A: One of my all-time favorites, and there are just so many great players… Gosh, I won’t do that. Because I’ve got about 10 guys and 5 of them are right from your team over the years, that you just marveled when you’re out there watching and refereeing. Let me just say, I am a fan of the game. If I see a great defensive play while I referee, I’m cheering. If I see a great strategic move by the coach I say, Wow what a great move that guy just made. What a checker move he just made. If I see a tremendous offensive move I say, Wow. Of course I don’t lose focus, but I’m a fan of the game. I love the game of basketball and you appreciate those great things when they happen.

Q: Last comment from a fan… This person was a member of the Izzone and one night screamed at you what a bad night you were having. You replied, Well so are you, you’re standing with a bunch of guys.

A: He’s right! But before that I said, My wife says that all the time. But you are having a bad night too. I do remember that situation, yes.

The Nittany Lions committed five errors in the game, leading to a season-high in runs for Michigan State.

Jimmy Pickens led MSU and went 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBIs and two walks. Blaise Salter extended his hitting streak to seven games after going 3-for-6 with a double and three RBIs. Freshman Cam Gibson added two hits, three RBIs and two runs scored and fellow freshman Justin Hovis had a pair of hits and a pair of RBIs.

Waszak tossed 98 pitches en route to his sixth win. He walked two and had four strikeouts.

The Spartans jumped on PSU freshman starter Nick Hedge early, scoring two runs in the first and six in the eighth. It would be the only two innings of work for the lefty as he was tagged with the loss.

MSU took an 11-0 lead after scoring three runs in the fourth inning off two hits and two PSU errors. Joel Fisher and Salter both scored on errors and Gibson hit a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Anthony Cheky.

The Nittany Lions only run came in the bottom of the fourth inning on an RBI-single from Zach Eli.

Hovis hit an RBI-single to right field and PSU reliever Geoff Boylston walked in a run to give MSU a 13-1 lead in the sixth. The Spartans poured three more runs on in the eighth on RBIs from Gibson, Salter and Ryan Krill.

Anthony Misiewicz and Mike Mestdagh each tossed one scoreless inning in relief.

PARK RIDGE, Ill. – The Big Ten office announced the conference schedule for the 2014 football season on Thursday, as approved by the Big Ten directors of athletics. The 2014 schedule will consist of eight games for each of the Big Ten’s 14 teams, feature a new division alignment, include the conference debut of Maryland and Rutgers and culminate with the fourth-annual Big Ten Football Championship Game.

Beginning in 2014, the Big Ten football division alignments will feature Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers in the East Division and Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin in the West Division. Each school will play the other six schools in its division plus two teams from the other division in 2014 and 2015, which will serve as transitional years in which the schools will still be playing eight-game schedules. Beginning in 2016, each school will play three teams from the other division as part of its nine-game schedule. The cross-division games will include one protected matchup on an annual basis between Indiana and Purdue.

Michigan State’s 2014 Big Ten schedule will open on Oct. 4 at Spartan Stadium, as the Spartans will host West Division foe Nebraska. MSU’s second game against the West Division will be at Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., on Oct. 11.

The Spartans begin East Division play at Indiana on Oct. 18, followed by home games against Michigan (Oct. 25) and Ohio State (Nov. 8). It will mark the first time in series history that Michigan State has hosted Michigan in back-to-back seasons; the Spartans take on the Wolverines Nov. 2, 2013, in Spartan Stadium.

MSU will make its first trip to Maryland since 1944 and only the second in series history on Nov. 15. The Spartans are set to close the home season on Nov. 22 for its first-ever Big Ten game against Rutgers.

The 2013 regular-season finale will be Nov. 29 at Penn State, as the Spartans and Nittany Lions will renew their Land Grant Trophy series. Michigan State last played Penn State in the 2010 regular-season finale and defeated PSU, 28-22, to clinch a share of the Big Ten Championship.

Michigan State’s non-conference schedule in 2014 features home games against Jacksonville State (Aug. 30), Wyoming (Sept. 20) and Eastern Michigan (Sept. 27), along with a trip to Oregon (Sept. 13).

From Sept. 27 to Nov. 29, the 2014 Big Ten schedule will feature 10 consecutive weekends of Big Ten competition, boasting at least five conference games each week. All 14 teams will be in action during the final two weekends of Big Ten play, including six division games each weekend. The final weekend of the 2014 season begins with Nebraska at Iowa in a matchup of West Division rivals on Friday, Nov. 28. The Saturday, Nov. 29, schedule feature two more West Division matchups in Illinois at Northwestern and Minnesota at Wisconsin, three East Division contests in Michigan at Ohio State, Michigan State at Penn State and Rutgers at Maryland and a cross-division game with Purdue at Indiana. The winners of each division will meet in the 2014 Big Ten Football Championship Game, scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 6, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

2014 MICHIGAN STATE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Aug. 30 JACKSONVILLE STATE

Sept. 13 at Oregon

Sept. 20 WYOMING

Sept. 27 EASTERN MICHIGAN

Oct. 4 NEBRASKA

Oct. 11 at Purdue

Oct. 18 at Indiana

Oct. 25 MICHIGAN

Nov. 8 OHIO STATE

Nov. 15 at Maryland

Nov. 22 RUTGERS

Nov. 29 at Penn State

Q: Mark, good to see you again. What makes Jud Heathcote so naturally funny? Has he always been a funny guy? Is he a student of comedy?

A: I’ve gotta think it’s his looks more than anything. He says things that I think anybody else can say and they’re not humorous. But when Jud says them, it’s that dry delivery that just makes him hilarious. When you’re around him you really appreciate the loyalty and the connection that he provides to almost everybody.

Q: What about Big 10 revenue? Are we getting to a point where we’re gonna need to see more revenue sharing within the Big 10, or otherwise we may see more of a have and have nots within the Conference?

A: I think you’re gonna see continued revenue share. That’s the way this Conference was built. The beauty of that from an Athletic Director’s perspective is year in and year out it gives you some semblance to be able to keep a level budget versus having to guess what you’re gonna have based upon success of teams. I think the great thing about the way that we do our system is each school has the opportunity to drive revenues through their ticket sales above a certain threshold. The other thing we’re watching closely is this past year for the first time our revenues from television super-ceded that from the gates. It’s kind of something that we wanna watch and continue to watch. Fans in the stands are our number one priority but the revenues that are coming in very strong from television… As you make your decisions you have to be aware that those are two very different audiences and you have to deliver the best that you can from a fan amenity. That’s why we at Michigan State are going through the process right now of working with Disney, of talking with fans, of doing customer surveys on what’s important. Right down to what kind of food do you like to how comfortable are you in the stands. We’re gonna have to address issues over the next ten years that respond to some of those. The most obvious one was removal of the gas tank that’s under the stadium that’s been there since the stadium was built, frankly, as a motor pool facility. But with Homeland Security and safety… That’s something that Athletics stepped forward and said, We need this moved. We’ll pay for the removal. And that’s being done this summer.

Q: What else is going on at the stadium this summer that fans may look forward to come fall?

A: This June we’re going to the Board and anticipate approval of a facility on the north end zone. It’s one of those that’s difficult to raise money for because it’s operational in orientation, yet so critical to the future of our football program. That’s what we’re trying to send that message and many folks have stepped up. But it incorporates locker rooms for the home and visiting teams that haven’t been improved since the 60’s. You’re looking at a facility that has a media center versus the trailers that we pull in for press conferences. And it also touches the fans with concession improvements, with restroom improvements, and a recruiting facility that will kinda be an engagement center for all 25 sports that we currently have at Michigan State, to come in and talk to the AD, talk to the President, interact with prospects from other sports and really welcome them into the family as a prospect even before they make that commitment to become officially a Spartan.

Q: Did you watch the Masters this year? Did you see what happened to Tiger Woods on Friday? Do you think he should have disqualified himself or done anything different?

A: Jim Reinhart is a Spartan and is on the rules and he was one of the two guys making the ruling. I think they handled it perfectly. I think it was done the right way. I think as you walk through and you look at the decision making at any point in time things were done the right way. My daughter’s middle name is Augusta, so yes I watch the Masters every year. She’s 18 years old. I’ve been a fan of that event. But specific to Tiger’s situation I thought the Club, based on the information they had at any point in time… And I think it’s good that fans were interacting, watching it on television or watching it in person, that information is coming in. I think that’s a new world that we live in. We do the same on the NCAA Basketball Committee where we pull information from spectators and fans, and gather as much information. I think Tiger handled it the right way and I think the Augusta Committee handled it the right way.

Q: We are about 5 hours or so away from the low country. Any chance we may see another Spartan basketball game on an aircraft carrier? And if so, in the low country?

A: I don’t think on a carrier. The challenge of doing the aircraft carrier games in the east is your time and the condensation that can form on courts. That’s one of the reasons we chose to move from Mayport in Jacksonville to San Diego, was we could start the game earlier at the local time while still having a national prominence with an evening game on the east coast. We did that with a purpose and a reason. We’re looking right now… If you look at our track record, we do things once and then we kind of move on to what’s the next thing. There’s a lot of causes out there. There’s a lot of causes yet to be determined. One is in Greece, partially because of the Spartan name and partially because it’s a country that needs to be rejuvenated. If Michigan State can go back to Sparta, go back to the ancient Olympic stadium in Athens, I think that would be a pretty special event. I think it would be special to incorporate USC so you would have the Spartans and the Trojans playing a basketball game outside under the Parthenon. That’s one we’re looking at for a memory-maker for the student athletes. But there’s others along the way that we’ll continue to try and hit things for the right treason and continue to promote Michigan State and the sports that we have.

Q: Coach D, thanks again for coming down here. Is it time to re-visit the game clock rules regarding when the ball goes out of bounds? Right now we’re running with the NFL system where it starts again if it’s reset out of bounds, except at the final 2 minutes of the half. Is it time to go back to the way it used to be in college football where it didn’t start until the snap every play?

A: You know, I don’t think that’s gonna happen. I think it’s gonna remain the same. I think that people have adapted. The game is laid out for TV in some ways sometimes, and I think that’s gonna have a large bearing on that rule.

Q: Research is being done regarding head injuries and concussions, and they’re somewhat coming to the conclusion that it may be cumulative effect of hits, not necessarily the severity of an individual hit. Has that research and others impacted how often you guys are going live during the practice week during the season?

A: During the season, we’re gonna probably stay standard. We don’t go live much at all. We don’t go live at all during the season. Camp, though, you have to go live some I think just to give them that experience. I think it’s something that you have to get used to. If you go out on the football field and you just play, you just start from scratch, and you hit, I think that you’re at more risk. I don’t know if everything would say that, but I feel like that’s the case. We’ve got a lot of very thorough studies going on at Michigan State as well in regard to that.

Q: Any different than way back when you were an assistant at Kansas or Ohio State during the week? Or is it pretty much the same?

A: It’s pretty much been the same. I don’t know how many people go live during the season. I think there’s too much risk of injury. People just stay the course.

Q: Your experience at West Point, does that give you a different perspective and understanding how kids may struggle with choosing to commit or changing their mind about where they wanna go play college football?

A: That was a long time ago, in a different time. I think that when you look at recruiting right now, you have to… When a young man commits, it’s gotta be a two-way street. I think there needs to be something to hold him to that commitment at some point. But there’s many different way to recruit. We choose to recruit our way and usually our commitments, I would say 99% of our commitments, have stuck in our seven years of recruiting. We’ve had two guys de-commit. So we can live with those numbers.

Q: You were at Michigan State when Plaxico Burress was there. He went on to a pro career and made the most modern-day guarantee. He’s guaranteeing a win against the Patriots, would have been the best team in NFL history, catching the game winning touchdown. Then he falls down off the field, now he’s come back. How do you deal with things like that? Do you let them learn those things on their own?

A: I think you address those things and you point towards the rise and the fall of certain things. Because I think they’re all lessons learned for all of us. You’re one mistake away from being in the clubhouse. And you’re also one play away from being on top again. But I think the main thing you wanna focus on is not the fall but the rise. Understand that you can always come back.

Q: Throughout the season this year are you planning on getting some more game time for quarterbacks #2, #3, #4 even on the depth chart than in the past?

A: Well we have to go through camp to see how they play in camp. But I think with the senior right now in Maxwell… Sort of at the beginning I think it’s gonna be a natural progression to play some of the younger guys, especially early, to give them that game experience as we move through the season.

Q: Brian, what are you up to these days?

A: Actually, I’m in Chicago right now doing a little rehab. I tore my knee up with the Jets, wasn’t really ugly but I did injure my knee. Had surgery with the Jets last July, needed another surgery, moved to Chicago, had surgery with Brian Cole who’s with the Chicago Bulls. He did a cartilage repair and I’m on a 9-12 month recovery process. So best case scenario, I get back in time for camp this year. I’ll have an opportunity to make a team in August, September. Worst case scenario, I’ve started working for a start-up tech company. We’re moving headquarters to Vegas in the next two weeks. It’s a very exciting entrepreneurial endeavor and something I encourage all athletes to do. I’ve never seen this side of it but it’s a fun space and I’m excited to be involved in that as well as go through the rehab process.

Q: How is recruiting different? Are you getting different action from difference Conferences that are recruiting you?

A: It’s definitely a little bit different depending on where you’re at. It’s so great being back in the south. I love this weather, love the trees, and the green and obviously the golf. But yeah, I’d say it’s a little bit different. Being recruited to come down to Clemson… Not taking anything away from Midwest football and the Big 10, it’s just a little bit different. They’re a little more aggressive, I guess I would say. In the Midwest, especially with Coach D, it’s more of a family feel and that’s what I loved about it. At the end of the day are the coaches and the people involved gonna care about you long term? With Coach D I can definitely say that’s a yes. I didn’t necessarily feel that was the case at Clemson.

Q: How well did Coach D, Coach Treadwell, etc. prepare you to be a professional tight end?

A: Beyond what I could have imagined. That’s probably the reason why I made the move. Because I wanted to not only prepare myself to potentially play at that next level, but to prepare myself for the real world. The combination of Coach Dantonio, even Mark Hollis, Treadwell, Roushar…Roushar played a large part as well my senior year….just a combination of those guys, refining my game. I was primarily a receiving tight end and Roushar forced me to be the blocking tight end that I needed to be at the next level. So the combination of all those guys helped me to be the player that I was last year.

Q: Matt Sokol from Rochester. First of all, congratulations.

A: Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

Q: Michigan State got in on you early. How much did that play into your thinking process that as other people started to find out who you were, Michigan State had been there on you the whole time?

A: Establishing a relationship with Coach Dantonio early in my football career, it might have been late into my freshman year, just getting to know him… Michigan State’s been a school I’ve been really excited about for a long time. They’ve been a school that I’ve always dreamed about playing at and having an opportunity to be a part of. To verbally be committed to the Spartan family is just a huge honor. I can’t even tell you how excited I am about it. There’s just nothing but happiness going through, and all smiles. I’m very confident in my decision and I feel like it was a really good one.

Q: There is an epidemic of young men being raised without fathers. You have been blessed. Your father is a hero and loves this nation. Are you able to set aside everything and truly realize how blessed you are to have the dad that you do?

A: I love my dad very much. He does so much for me. He has been such an influential person in every aspect of my life, through football, through relationships, just everything that has been surrounding my life. So I really do feel truly blessed to have a father like him and a mom that does the same thing day in and day out for me. So I can’t thank them enough.

Q: I hear from other people that your father is able to be a friend but also be your dad. That’s very hard to do. Do you see a lot of your dad in you when you look in the mirror, Matt?

A: Yeah, I would say so. Me and him, we definitely are very similar in the way we act. We’re both morning people, we’re both up really early drinking coffee, getting stuff done. But I really do look up to him. He is a role model to me. I do aspire to be like him one day and be as successful as he has become. He’s just someone I really look up to a lot, and I hope to one day to be just the man that he is too.

Q: As much as you get your masculine qualities traits from your father, I heard a story from someone that your mom holds your heart in her hands. Talk about your mom.

A: My mom does so much for me and my three brothers. She is just the ultimate provider for all of us. She’s been there…there’s never a day where she’s not there by my side, not been all-in for me. She’s actually the picture lady. She’s a huge photographer…she’s aspiring to be a professional photographer one day. So she takes pictures of all of our events. She’s just a constant reminder of someone that I work so hard for. I just want to give back to both of my parents one day as much as they’ve given to me. I really do love them to death. We hold a relationship that I treasure very deeply. Even though at times where I feel like I need to remind myself, I need to take a step back and just appreciate everything they’ve done for me. My mom has been such a special person in my life. I really wouldn’t be the person that I am without her.

Q: That’s gotta make you feel good that people are telling those kinds of stories about your family.

A: Yeah, it really is. I really appreciate it. I can’t thank them enough for that.

Q: Was Eastern Michigan your first offer?

A: No, Bowling Green was.

Q: I heard a story that after you received your first offer you almost looked like you were gonna cry…you said you couldn’t believe someone offered you a scholarship to play football because it’s been a dream of yours. Is that a true story? And if it is, what was going through your mind when you realized your dream was gonna be reached?

A: It really made me sit down and just kinda take a deep breath and be like, Your dream is really here. This is it. You have the opportunity to do something that not a lot of people get to do in their life. I felt very blessed. It’s just one of those moments in my life I’m not ever gonna forget, knowing that one day that I’m gonna get to suit up, strap up the pads after high school with another set of coaches, another set of players. It was just overwhelming with joy and just a sense of achievement. From that day on, as more opportunities came, I just couldn’t stop thinking how lucky I am and how blessed I am to have the opportunity. It just really shows all the work, and all the ups and downs that come with the career process and come with playing high school football and playing football in general, really do pay off. It’s just an honor to see a dream unfold like that. So I couldn’t believe it.

Q: Someone at your school told me that when football is over they will be shocked if you’re not on Food Network. You love food. What is that about?

A: My dad can pretty much eat anything, so in my family we don’t really ever go a meal without eating everything. Especially trying to gain weight for football, I kinda bulk up a little bit. But that’s funny, that’s actually really funny. My family is definitely a food person. Costco has been our go-to grocery store for the past couple of years.

Q: Have you ate at Brody Hall yet?

A: No, not yet.

Q: Take your family to eat at Brody Hall. It’s like 17 different restaurants, $9 all-you-can-eat, and the food is phenomenal. Trust me.

A: Okay, I definitely will.

Q: I asked one of your opposing coaches what makes you a special player and he said one of your greatest attributes is your respect the game of football and he wishes every kid on his team was like that.

A: Wow. I definitely feel very honored to have someone speak like that about me. I can’t say thank you enough. I definitely try to respect everyone I go against, every team I play against. I think football is really about being respectful. It is about winning and competing, but definitely about respect and respecting the game for what the game is. So I definitely appreciate that.

Q: What do you think you’re best at right now?

A: I’ve really fallen in love with playing tight end, especially the last couple of months. I really love the aspect of catching the ball, getting off defenders and making catches in the short field. But also making some flag route catches and some catches over the middle. I feel like that is my best attribute as a player right now. Where I’m really looking forward to developing at is a powerful end line tight end that can really be effective in the run game. I’m really excited for Coach Bollman to coach me up and definitely put some good weight on me so I can be a contributing factor in the running game down the road. And also keep my speed and be able to catch the ball. I’m definitely excited about the opportunity to play that at Michigan State and developing in that role. I’m really looking forward to it.

Q: You mentioned Coach Bollman. What was it about him being that you were able to click with?

A: He is just such a knowledgeable coach. He’s coached an array of just really successful tight ends and professional players. His knowledge and experience about the game and being able to pick a guy like me who is a little new to the position. I’m so confident that he’s gonna mold me into a successful tight end. He has all the tools to develop me in that role, physically, mentally, showing me different techniques and skills in the aspect of that position. I’m very comfortable and I’m looking forward to having a good relationship with him and getting to know him better. I’m really excited about him being my coach. I’m really looking forward to it.

Q: Coach Dantonio has integrity; he’s a good man. In the process, did you see a lot of your dad in Coach Dantonio? And is that maybe why you and Coach were able to build such a good relationship?

A: Coach Dantonio, I have the most respect for him. Like you said, he’s just a really great man, he’s a great coach. What I can really see in Coach Dantonio is he really is a people person. He really knows how to communicate and understand people. He’s just a class act all around. He’s a very successful coach. What I see in him, he is really a person that is about developing relationships from players to coach, coach to player, and everything that comes with playing college football. There’s gonna be a lot of ups and downs throughout your career and those relationships that you have with your coaches are really gonna get you through those times, for the good and the bad. When you set aside his success at coaching and his knowledge and experience and how great of a coach he really is, the fact that he’s gonna be someone that’s gonna be there for you when you need him and he’s gonna have your back. It’s assuring and it just makes me more happy with my decision. It’s very exciting. I feel very confident that he is just gonna be just a phenomenal coach for me and for every other player in the program.

Q: You’re a thinker and that’s one of the reasons why you were able to be successful at high school quarterback. I hear you almost over-think things. When was the moment when you knew you were gonna be a Spartan and what was it that flipped in your mind and said this is where I wanna go?

A: Sitting down with my family and realizing that this is where I wanted to play for a long time. It took a lot of thinking, it took a lot of nights staying up thinking about it. But overall, this is the school that really fits me I feel like the best. I feel very comfortable there. It’s just everything that I want in a college and in program. Thinking about it, it was just a decision that my family, my brothers, my mom and dad, my stepmom had to make. Also, other parts of my family, my grandparents…it was all around just a family decision. We all thought a lot about it and we’re all confident in that decision.

Q: Talk about that family atmosphere. In making the decision, how much influence did everybody have in the process?

A: Definitely my stepmom’s grandpa, who is technically my step-grandpa but I call him grandpa…I called him almost every day throughout the past two weeks. He has been someone I have really grown so close with and I’m just so honored to have in my life. To have people influence me, around me… My grandpa is actually a pastor at Grace Centers of Hope, so to have his blessing and his knowledge throughout my recruiting process has been really, really heartwarming to me. But also my little brothers are super excited about it. They’re State fans. My mom and dad, everyone that’s really around me here in my immediate family has just been very supportive throughout my recruiting process for whatever school. It’s just kind of a plus that I’ve decided on State and we’re all very excited about it.

Q: I was told that faith is something important to you. Did it matter to you that Brad Salem and Mark Dantonio are men of faith?

A: It definitely matters. Even if Coach Dantonio and Coach Salem were not, it would be nothing that would offend me, for any means. It’s appealing that they are. They’re very good men, very respectful and good men. The fact that I’m surrounded by good men in my life like my grandpa, my dad, everyone in my family… That was definitely something I was excited about.

Q: I was also told that you would sooner give your life than to disappoint your brothers. What does that mean? What does being their role model mean to you?

A: Being the oldest brother, I feel like I have the responsibility to show my brothers what it really is to I guess be a real man. I think they look up to me. I don’t look down to them, I look up to them. My brothers mean a lot to me, I care about them a lot. I would do anything for those two guys. I love watching them play. My little brother Mark, who’s the middle brother, is really just turning into a complete monster in the past year. Me and him are gonna be on the same team next year. My littlest brother Mitchell is gonna be a freshman, so all three of us are gonna be in the same high school. I’m really excited for both of them. My little brother Mitchell is an upcoming basketball superstar. He’s gonna dominate. I hope he gets taller than me actually. Yeah, I hope he grows a little bit more than me.

Q: I don’t know if your dad and mom want anybody to grow, the way you guys eat.

A: Yeah. I would do anything for those guys. They mean the world to me. I’m blessed to have brothers like them.

Q: You mentioned your middle brother is a monster. Is your biggest task gonna be recruiting him to come play with you?

A: Oh my gosh.

Q: We have the Bullough family. Could it be the Sokols next?

A: Yeah, I don’t know. We’ll see. I’m excited for him for this fall. He’s looking really good and I’m really hoping he does a good job at offensive guard and playing some defense and he kicks some butt out there. I’m looking forward to it.

Q: Are you gonna now pick up the phone and internet and try to get other guys to come play with you?

A: What really amazes me is the other commits that have committed to Michigan State in my class, and the class ahead of me, they’ve all congratulated me. A couple of them have reached out and contacted me. So it really is a Spartan family and I’m really excited to be future teammates with those guys. I definitely am gonna be an advocate for Michigan State and look for some future teammates down the road. I’m really looking forward to it.

Q: The last guy that I said would be the most underrated player but best player in his class was Le’Veon Bell. Now I’m predicting that for you. You’ve got big shoes to fill.

A: Yeah.

Q: All I get is a “yeah”?

A: That’s an honor. That really is an honor.

EDITOR’S NOTE:  Just got off the phone with 2014 OLB Recruit @Cfrey07 and he said, “I just committed to Michigan State.”  Congrats Chris Chris Frey Jr

He Will be on the THUR edition of Spartan Nation Radio.  This article was written prior to this commit.

Q: Chris Frey Jr, how are you buddy?

A: I’m doing great. How are you?

Q: Good. You have tremendous ability to change direction. Have you worked on that or is that just God-given talent?

A: I’ve been working on it a lot. Every week I do the bags: lateral, forward, high knees, backwards, in and out. I try and do it all. I’ve been training a lot with a place here in Columbus called D1, where alot of guys from the central Columbus area, some of the top guys from the central Columbus area that are out there working, getting ready for camps this summer doing forward, shuttle, verticals, just working on footwork and one-on-one. Doing that there has really helped me a lot to become faster and help me with my lateral and vertical movements and everything like that.

Q: Don’t some of the actual Buckeye players work out there too?

A: Uh, yes.

Q: You have a lot of impressive schools looking at you. Do you have a timeframe in mind when you wanna make a decision, Chris?

A: I do. I just picked up another offer the other day from Purdue.

Q: Congratulations.

A: Thank you. I hope to get a few more offers. I’m not really sure when this will happen, but I do want to make my decision by July 31. Doing this whole process you go to a school on a visit and there’s always that slight chance that you fall in love with the school, and you’ll just realize, Wow this is where I wanna be. So with that, I wanna do it before July 31 which is a date that I’ve set. But at the same time I could easily switch it and say…go to school and realize this is where I wanna be and make my decision right then.

Q: What’s your impression of Michigan State, the campus and the environment?

A: It was great. We got to go to where the coaches offices are and where the locker room is and all that. So we got to go in there and it was extremely nice. Some of the stuff I saw in there was some of the best I’ve seen so far. I really liked it a lot.

Q: I know Mike Tressel is your primary recruiter and would also be your coach. What’s your thoughts on Mike Tressel?

A: He’s a great guy. Growing up being an Ohio State fan you see Coach Jim Tressel and then you have Coach Tressel here at Michigan State. So for me I see a lot of resemblance between the two. The way that coach Tressel here at Michigan State talks, he’s extremely nice, he’s a real straightforward guy. He always tells me exactly what I need to do to become a Spartan, and everything that he knows that I can improve on and everything. Throughout this whole process he’s been telling me to come to camp, come to camp, come to camp. So I went to camp last year and was more a side linebacker more than anything. I came in at like 6’1”, 197 and from there he told me, you need to put on weight if you wanna play linebacker in the Big 10. If you wanna be a Spartan you need to put on weight. So from there I quit playing sports other than football. I stopped running track, I stopped playing basketball and I just started lifting. So I got a personal trainer, I started doing more training one-on-one. And I put on the weight. I’m up to 217 right now. The other night when I got my call from Coach Dantonio, which was kind of a surprise because all along Coach Tressel’s been telling me to come to camp this summer and show Coach Dantonio how big you’ve gotten, how you’ve improved and everything. So it was a huge surprise to me to hear that I didn’t have to come to camp to prove myself, that Coach Dantonio knows that I’ve improved, I’ve put on the weight, and I’ve done everything I’ve had to do to become a Spartan.

Q: What are your thoughts on Pat Narduzzi?

A: The best part about the coaching stuff is the fact that they win games. Period. There’s no question about it. They’ve been in bowl games the past…I can’t remember how many bowl games they’ve been in, but they’ve been winning games. The defense that they have…that just shows right there. They’re winning games, they’re winning bowl games. This defense has what it takes. This defense is doing what it needs to do. The fact that I’ve received a scholarship to be on this defense, to be a part of this, it’s just an unreal experience for me. In talking to him the other night he just told me that he wants me to be a part of this defense. He wants me to bring that enthusiasm to the table and to bring everything that I have and to become a Spartan. To do everything I can do to make this team better. I enjoyed talking to him. He’s a great coach.

Q: You’re very humble, extremely talented and have a strong work ethic. I assume that comes from your family. Could you talk about your family, please?

A: My whole family, every weekend is at my game. Every Friday night there’s probably about 25 people in the stands for me, from my family and friends. It’s always great to have them on your back. Because I know talking to coaches and going through this process they always say, You have a great family. Your family supports you through everything. It just means the world to me. I’m just blessed to have them in my life, knowing you have these kids out there that are going through this process alone because their parents might not have the time to do it or they don’t wanna do it or they don’t wanna help their kids. And for me, I have amazing parents, amazing supporting people around me that help me get through this, that help me make the decisions that I need to make and help me get to the places that I need to be. They do everything for me and it means the world to me.

Q: Do you know what you wanna major in yet, Chris?

A: Yes, I wanna do something in sports management…I’m gonna ask Coach tomorrow. Sports management or if they don’t then I’m just gonna major in a business management or something like that.

Q: When I watch you play, you play ferociously. You’re not afraid of anything. Where does that ferociousness come from?

A: You know what, I’ve been playing since I was about 5 years old. My whole life my dad has been there for me and he’s always taught me how to play. I’ll tell you, it comes from him. He’s taught me everything that I know about this game. He was my coach up until I was in 8th grade. Growing up, him being my coach, we always used to do that drill where somebody has the ball and the whole team has to tackle him. I was on the one side of the field and then everybody would be chasing me and I’d turn around and I’d run right into the circle and just try to hit as many people as I can. It’s just always been me. That’s always what I’ve wanted to do. That’s why I love defense so much, because I’m able to hit people. I’m able to do whatever I want, take all my anger out on one person if I need to. I just love doing it. It’s the game and there’s no other game like it.

Q: Personally, you’re certainly not the persona that you give off on the football field. You’re almost bipolar.

A: Yeah, you can say that. You can make that assumption.

Q: You remind me of that office linebacker in those beer commercials, just the way you hit people. I love to watch you hit, Chris.

A: That guy that’s in that YouTube thing. That’s hilarious.

“It was a big day because we feel that we didn’t play well last weekend,” head coach Jake Boss said. “It was good to come out and swing the bat well and pitch well. Hopefully we can gain some momentum and get ready for a big three-game series at Penn State.”

Chase Rihtarchik started the second game for MSU and earned his team-best sixth win of the season with a one-hit effort in seven strong innings. Rihtarchik walked two and had four strikeouts.

The Spartans won their 30th and 31st games of the season, extending the school record of four consecutive 30-win seasons. Head coach Jake Boss ranks second in school history with four 30-win seasons behind only Tom Smith with five.

“It’s a good program win and it is a testament to our seniors,” Boss said. “They are now the winningest senior class here and the leadership that they have shown. For those guys to be a part of more wins than anyone that has worn a jersey here is pretty special.”

In the first game, CMU evened the game at one in the bottom of the fifth where the game was picked up. With runners on first and second, Huntey singled through the left side for an RBI that scored Santos.

In the sixth inning, Ryan Krill hit an RBI-single through the right side that scored Jimmy Pickens. With two outs, Pickens singled and Joel Fisher followed that up with a single of his own.

MSU took a 5-1 lead after plating three runs in the seventh inning. With the bases loaded, Pickens doubled to left field, sending home Anthony Cheky, Ryan Richardson and PJ Nowak. All three runs were unearned after Nowak reached on a CMU error to lead off the inning.

Central cut the deficit to 5-3 with a two-run home run to right field by Cody Leichman in the seventh. The Chippewas managed another run in the eighth on a RBI-single from Leichman.

Mike Theodore earned the win and threw seven innings in the game dated back to April 17. He allowed six hits, three runs and had four strikeouts.

Trey Popp relieved Theodore and earned his second save of the season.

The Spartans scored five runs in the third inning of the shutout in game two. Justin Hovis hit an RBI-double to left field and Cam Gibson followed that with a RBI-single to right. Salter hit a three-run home run to break the game open for MSU.

Gibson finished the day 4-for-6 and Hovis went 3-for-5. Six different Spartans notched an RBI on 16 hits for the Spartans.

The staff held CMU to just two hits in the contest, one off Rihtarchik and one off Anthony Misiewicz in relief.

MSU added one in the fifth and three in the sixth inning after Pickens crushed a two-run homer to right center.

The Spartans added one more run in the ninth and Joe Zwierzynski relieved Misiewicz to seal the Spartans second shutout of the season.

Michigan State will finish the regular season on the road at Penn State in the final Big Ten series set to start Thursday at 6:05 p.m.

Hondo, you fat piece of sh**. I fu**ing hate your fat guts. Why in the world would a media person who covers Michigan State fu**ing wish Lawrence Marshall well when he picked UM over MSU. Fu** off and I hope you die a** hole. Alan

Does this mean I won’t get a Christmas card from you updating me on all the cool changes you made this year to Mom’s basement? Give me a break. I cover and get to know many of these young men. MSU wanted him. He is a good player and a better young man. Do I personally wish he had picked MSU? I sure do, but he made the decision that he thought was best for him. I wished him well. If you want me to hate a teenager because of the school he picked, you sir need to follow a different media member. One player doesn’t make a program.

Hondo, I have heard you a few times in the last month on your radio show say that you thought Lawrence Marshall was going to pick UM. Why was everyone shocked? Grace

Not sure Grace. I can say that I have had recruits tell me one thing and do another before. That is why I never go on what they say unless I have built a relationship and know them and if what they say is accurate. I was not shocked. Lawrence really liked Coach Dantonio and Narduzzi. He made the choice that he felt was best for him.

Hondo, I am depressed. How do we lose so many recruits to Northwestern? Now Dareian Watkins picks Northwestern over Michigan State? Losing kids to Alabama or Ohio State hurts, but you can justify it. You can’t justify losing to Northwestern and we are. Mike in Carmel

MSU has lost several battles with Northwestern, Mike. They have also won more than their fair share. If you are a young man who is more focused on post football, their academic side is very appealing. If you want the big city, Chicago is slightly bigger than East Lansing. If you want to get away from home or maybe it is close that plays into the equation. So many things go into recruiting. Losing kids to Northwestern isn’t a killer to me. They certainly win more with the Cats than they lose. That is a good clean program and that will happen. MSU has got a lot of Illinois talent so far in 2014 that Northwestern wanted; same as last year. I am sure some of their fans wonder how MSU can come in and take Illinois kids.

Hondo Carpenter, you are a fat tube of fu**ing lard. I hope you take a big bite of a hot dog you fat fu** and choke and die. You are not a Spartan. Anyone that can applaud a kid picking the Wolverines over Michigan State is a sell out and a piece of fu**ing trash. Kevin

Have a great summer.

Hondo, as the reports came out that Lawrence Marshall picked UM this weekend I thought of something. You were very open and direct about MSU failing to capitalize on the back to back 11 win seasons with recruiting. You also hammered on MSU and the budgets for football. If MSU is not going to fully fund football and really compete for a Big Ten title, I am not going to buy tickets and continue to support a program that settles for mediocrity. Alex

Alex, MSU is at a crossroads. I have reported on this extensively. I do believe, in fact I know, that MSU internally realizes they have issues. I would wait and see what happens in the next year before you do anything rash. The MSU Board of Trustees must act, or be held responsible.  Trust Hollis and let’s see.

Hondo, you Tweeted that Big Ten schools are recruiting against MSU because they are not fully funding football. You also mentioned that Michigan State doesn’t even have a full time recruiting coordinator. Can you please explain? We have Brad Salem? Pete

Pete, those are great questions. Brad Salem is the QB coach. On a part time basis he is the recruiting coordinator. The NCAA has made a ruling that you are allowed a full time recruiting coordinator and that a staff can hire and have that expert be the person whose entire job is organizing the recruiting process. MSU does not have that person and they do not have the budget to do it. MSU has the money for the full allotment of scholarships. That part is fully funded, but they do not have the money to recruit nationally as I have written about extensively, and when they make decisions on staff, they have to take coaches that they can “FIT” financially rather than who they want. I know for a fact of good coaches, great coaches MSU could have had that they could not afford. There are several other areas like the recruiting coordinator that they can’t fill because of dollars.

Hondo, you have written about MSU football in trouble because of funding issues. You have wrote about it a lot. I laughed at you when you hammered on Hollis and his pay as well as the assistant football coaches. Both came true. I worry about MSU football now. Do you worry about consequences when it comes to saying that stuff? Russ

No. Consequences for telling the truth? We said the Big Ten was going to expand, took grief, and it did. We broke that when Jim Delany said expansion was over, that it wasn’t. We were right. We said Hollis would be the next AD and he was. I can go on and on. I was told after Tweeting about other schools and Big Ten schools using the lack of a recruiting coordinator against MSU, to point out MSU failing to fully fund and make football a priority from a senior MSU administrator.  They told me, “I know people don’t want to hear this, but thank you. We must look hard at, and reevaluate and fix how we fund football. If we don’t, being in the Big Ten East is a death sentence. We will be irrelevant in five seasons and every season will become not a battle for the Rose Bowl, but for the toilet bowl. No model works at MSU without football winning and winning big. Despite his public stance, why would Hollis stay if his legacy would be that he stayed here, while being well under paid and oversaw the demise of Spartan athletics? If we don’t take a football first focus like the Big four in PSU, OSU, UM and Nebraska we are sunk. It is time for the Board of Trustees to empower Hollis to look at every way revenue is syphoned off of athletics and let him come up with a master plan. One that they and the President stay out of and tell him to make it happen and lead. I know people don’t want to hear it, but thank you.”

Hondo, I am not calling you a liar or even misinformed. What I am questioning is that you say MSU football is not fully funded, yet we keep doing all of these amazing facility upgrades. Thomas

Great question and I have no problem being questioned. I am not perfect. Your question is one I get often. MSU has done major upgrades. The stadium boxes and press box is paid from the new revenue it generates so that paid for itself. As far as the football building, that was all done by donations. That was paid by generous donors. Let me take this farther. Spartan Nation broke the story about the north end improvements. We also said that they were going to have a shovel in the ground as soon as the season was over. That was the plan. Here is the problem and how it illustrates exactly the issues. That project hasn’t started because the donations dried up after a disappointing 2012 season. After back to back 11 win seasons MSU assumed the wins would keep coming and money would flow. They had a bad year and the money didn’t keep flowing nor did the wins. The entire project is roughly 20 million dollars. They have raised roughly half of that. MSU has no choice; they will get killed in recruiting even more if they wait much longer to start it. The plan is to push forward and borrow to finish it, but it was a classic example of how tough seasons like this past year dry up donations. Hollis’s plan is to push forward, borrow, and get it built, but that will strain the athletic department even more. If MSU does nothing to change the funding of football to keep it on course to compete for B1G titles every year, last year will be a good year. Donations will dry up and they are in deep trouble. MSU must look at all the revenue models and change. Quick.

Hondo, you are fat. If you want to congratulate kids for picking Michigan please start covering them. You are stupid fu**ing retard. Derek

Shalom Bro! Nice to see that you aren’t letting political correctness impact you, although having class may be a different story.

Hondo, you mentioned on the radio show before Brady Hoke came to the Breslin Center that you would tell us a funny story about he and Dantonio leading up to his arrival. Have you shared it or can you now? Sheldon

Hi Sheldon. I have shared it on the show, but let me do it again here. Prior to that game, both Brady Hoke and Mark Dantonio had been together at the Big Ten football coaches’ meetings in Chicago. Although certainly competitive, both Brady and Mark have a good relationship. When Hoke mentioned to Dantonio that he was thinking about it, Dantonio was very honest about the reception that Hoke would get from the Izzone. Hoke showed some steel and showed up. Dantonio, in a friendly way, warned him, but he stayed until the very end even with a big blow out.

Hondo, have you predicted the record for MSU football yet this year? Greg

No, and after last season who cares what I think. I had done well the previous years, but I was horrible in 2012. This isn’t my “OFFICIAL” pick yet, but just off the cuff I saw 9-3. I have a lot more research on other teams to do first.

OK everyone, there you go. Our weekly Q/A article. If you would like your email to be considered for this article, please add to the subject line Football Q/A. Email me at SpartanNationMail@yahoo.com

Corunna High School

Tuesday May 14, 2013 7:30 PM  Tickets at the Door!  FREE AUTOGRAPHS!

Spartan Nation All Stars Roster

Head Coach: Michigan State Football Defensive Coordinator Pat Narduzzi

Asst Coach: Miss Michigan Jaclyn Schultz

Anthony Ianni for MSU Basketball Player

Idong Ibok 7 Foot Former MSU C and Pro Basketball Player

Jon THE MISSILE Misch Former MSU Linebacker

Charlie Gantt Former MSU TE and the star of the LITTLE GIANTS play to beat Notre Dame

Hondo Carpenter Founder of Spartan Nation

Chris Norman Former MSU LB and Captain of the Spartans Last Season

Joe Rexrode MSU Beat Writer from the Detroit Free Press

Davie Birkett Detroit Lions Beat Writer from the Detroit Free Press

Jess Johnson Former MSU Special Teams Star Football Player from Durand Michigan