EAST LANSING — Second signing day — what once was a moment for programs to showcase its recruiting class — came and went with only one new addition for Michigan State football. The Spartans, as expected, signed wide receiver Tre’Von Morgan on Wednesday, the only new addition to bring their 2019 class up to 19 players. That does not mean coach Mark Dantonio and his staff are done. MSU could target some late academic qualifiers, some players who changed their minds on signing with a school or potential transfers who might be available immediately this fall. Defensive tackle Dashaun Mallory, who was a true freshman in 2018, was a late addition to last year’s class, for instance. But for the most part, coaches already have turned their recruiting attention to the 2020 class, including a number of them who took a visit to the MSU-Indiana basketball game on Saturday. “We signed 18 guys on the December signing date,” Dantonio said in a statement. “Seven of those guys are here now (as early enrollees), what we would call ‘rookies.’ They’re doing an outstanding job and they’re adjusting to college football, college academics and college life. There’s quite an adjustment. (They’re doing) an outstanding job right now. More:Dantonio builds MSU's 2019 recruiting class in trenches “Spring ball starts here in March, so we’re looking forward to that. We’re extremely happy with our recruiting class and I think we have high quality players and high-quality people.” MSU parted ways with one-time commitment Alante Brown, a quarterback from Chicago who was expected to convert to a speedy wide receiver. However, the Spartans got a different type of wideout in Morgan, one who could push for playing time immediately to replace the size and length lost in the graduation of 6-foot-4 Felton Davis III. “Tre’Von Morgan is a big-bodied receiver who reminds me a lot of Plaxico Burress in so many different ways,” Dantonio said. “Not just catching the ball and his catch radius, but also the way he attacks things and his aggressive play on the field as well.” At 6-feet-6 and 218 pounds, Morgan shined as a senior at the football factory Massillon High in Ohio. He had 691 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns on 37 catches to help the Tigers finish as Ohio’s Division I state runner-up at 14-1 in 2018. Morgan caught 73 passes for 1,180 yards and 14 TDs the past two seasons and averaged 12.3 yards on 12 punt returns this fall, scoring one touchdown. Morgan is ranked 57th among receivers nationally (476th overall player) and is the 17th-best prospect in Ohio according to 247Sports.com's composite recruiting rankings. The 3-star recruit is ranked the No. 1 wide receiver in Ohio by Rivals.com and ESPN.com and No. 2 at the position in his state by 247Sports.com. Dantonio said former MSU safety Dan Hackenbracht, who played for him from 1995-97, is one of Morgan’s assistant coaches at Massillon and gave the Spartans’ staff insight into the receiver. “(Morgan) was really a dominant player for them throughout the year...,” Dantonio said. “He is a basketball player as well. I think he has a huge upside. He was a ‘no-brainer’ to take when you watched him off his senior film.” Contact Chris Solari at csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter. More:National Signing Day ain't what it used to be. Here's why More:Michigan State's Mark Dantonio risking his legacy with small changes<doc-sep>By Matt Schoch The Detroit News National Signing Day is here, and while most of the top college football recruits signed their letters of intent during the early period in December, there are some who still have to make it official. Matt Schoch of The Detroit News will provide live updates on the top recruiting news throughout the day – from Michigan and Michigan State; EMU, WMU and CMU; and from top programs across the country. Notre Dame signs California DE prospect Notre Dame indeed added a defensive end from California that Michigan also had its eyes on. Defensive end Isaiah Foskey of Concord, Ca., chose the Irish over Michigan, Cal, Ohio State and Washington. Foskey is a four-star prospect ranked No. 211 nationwide by the 247Sports composite rankings. Notre Dame's class is rated No. 14 by 247Sports.com and No. 12 by ESPN.com. Wolverines get their man in DB Johnson Michigan reportedly picked up its expected big signee on Wednesday, as Quinten Johnson, a four-star defensive back out of St. John’s College High in Washington, D.C., signed with the Wolverines, completing their 26-player class. Johnson, is rated as the No. 51 defensive back in his class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. Michigan has the eighth-rated class nationally by 247Sports.com and seventh by ESPN.com. According to a report, he sent his paperwork in, although Michigan has not publicized that it was received. Kolesar signed, sealed, delivered for UM Legacy prospect Caden Kolesar signed with Michigan. He is the son of former Michigan wide receiver John Kolesar. Kolesar is a safety and comes to Michigan as a gray shirt, meaning his scholarship will count for the 2020 class. Kolesar's grandfather, Bill, also played for the Wolverines. Roll Tide: The rich get richer You never like to see this. Alabama got its man on Wednesday afternoon as defensive tackle Ishmael Sopsher spurned his home state LSU Tigers to play for Nick Saban. Sopsher is the ninth-rated defensive lineman in the country by 247Sports, the highest-rated four-star defensive lineman, right behind Michigan's Chris Hinton, a five-star defensive tackle from Norcross, Ga. The Tide are also in the mix for offensive tackle Darnell Wright, the second-rated offensive lineman in the country, who is heavily rumored to be thinking Tennessee. Wright announces his decision in the 4 p.m. hour on ESPN2. After long road, Down Under punter picks Miami early Nothing better than a signing day novelty story, huh? "The U" got the party started properly by signing Louis Hedley from Australia while you were sleeping. Hedley, who has been trying to make it in the Australian Football League for almost a decade, is 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds and has a lot of tattoos. Since it was Feb. 6 Down Under earlier, Hedley signed even before some American coaches got to sleep on Tuesday night. According to the Miami Herald, Hedley spent nearly a decade years working construction in the desert before being encouraged to try American football because of his punting skills in Aussie rules football. He punted at a junior college in San Francisco and was noticed by The U. One Blue Chip prospect left after TE Harding signs Detroit Catholic Central tight end Mike Harding has signed with Hillsdale, leaving only one Detroit News Blue Chip prospect unsigned. Harding is tied for No. 60 on the Blue Chip list, and only No. 46 Kionte Blakely, a running back from East Kentwood, remains. Harding is 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds. Our own Dave Goricki said this week that Blakely is most likely headed to the junior college route. Former MSU commit announcing tonight Michigan State lost one commit since December as four-star athlete Alante Brown announced he was decommitting after he said during the early signing period that he was “100 percent committed” to Michigan State. Brown, of Chicago, pulled away from the Spartans in late December and is believed to be considering Tennessee, Florida State, Pittsburgh, Iowa State and Texas Tech. He is reportedly going to announce a decision at 6 p.m. Wednesday. UM: Outside chance this afternoon for DE prospect One of the best undeclared prospects in the country will make his signing announcement at about 3 p.m. Wednesday, and Michigan is apparently a dark horse candidate. Defensive end Isaiah Foskey of Concord, Ca., lists Michigan in his finalists, along with Cal, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Washington. Foskey, a four-star prospect ranks No. 211 in the 247Sports composite, will have his announcement carried live on ESPNU. Foskey is widely believed to be a near-lock to choose Notre Dame. Chippewa Valley QB flips to North Dakota Tommy Schuster was committed to Ashland as of the weekend. However, the Chippewa Valley state champion quarterback signed with North Dakota on Wednesday, joining the Fighting Hawks of the Football Championship Subdivision. Schuster, a three-year starter for the Big Reds, completed 67 percent of his passes his senior year as Chippewa Valley went 14-0. He threw for 1,858 yards and 26 TDs with just one interception, and owns school career records for passing yards (4,956) and TD passes (67). In the Division 1 state championship, Schuster went 14-of-14 passing for 209 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-30 win against Clarkson at Ford Field. Schuster is the No. 40 player on the Detroit News Blue Chip list and was the quarterback on the Detroit News Dream Team. Cass Tech's Ester joining Northern Illinois Detroit Cass Tech defensive end James Ester signed Wednesday with Northern Illinois. Ester told the Detroit News this week that he was considering Northern Illinois and Akron at the end, remarking how remote of an area Akron felt to him on his visit. He also said the presence of former Cass Tech quarterback Rodney Hall made him feel comfortable with the Huskies on his visit to DeKalb, Ill. Ester is tied for No. 60 on the Detroit News Blue Chip list. Muskegon WR, Denby RB lead Ferris St. class James Gilbert, a wide receiver from Muskegon Mona Shores, and Detroit Denby running back T'Shawn Wilkes headline the Ferris State recruiting class. Gilbert, the No. 52 player on the Detroit New Blue Chip list, signed with Tony Annese's team, which reached the Division II national championship this season, only to fall short. Wilkes is the No. 58 player on the list. Detroit-area signings for the Bulldogs include Maleik Linton, a defensive back from Monroe; Keambiroiro Perdue, a defensive back from Harper Woods; James Fletcher, an offensive lineman from Taylor; Jalen Johnson, an athlete from Monroe; Darrell Mason Jr., a running back from Livonia Churchill; Rodney Johnson, an athlete from Ferndale; David Hiser, a kicker/punter from Farmington Hills Harrison; Rayvon Williamson, a defensive back from Detroit Community; Kejuan Sanders, a defensive back from Detroit Community; Jevan Swanigan, a wide receiver from Detroit Cass Tech; Mohamed Basma, a tight end from Dearborn Fordson; and Emari O'Brien, a wide receiver from Harper Woods Chandler Park. Hoping to keep momentum, EMU adds eight Eastern Michigan made its second bowl game in three seasons, falling 23-21 to Georgia Southern in the Camellia Bowl. So far Wednesday morning, the Eagles added eight players, including a pair of in-state recruits in defensive lineman Tommy Wright-Hodges of West Bloomfield and quarterback Christopher Kaminski of South Lyon. 247Sports.com has EMU's class ranked 11th out of 12 MAC teams. Former UM commit Pesek-Hickson signs with Kansas Michigan had some recruiting controversy with the Amauri Pesek-Hickson saga. The former Wolverines commit, a three-star athlete, instead signed with Kansas and new coach Les Miles, a Michigan alumnus. Pesek-Hickson said Michigan coaches wanted him to go to prep school and reclassify for 2020. OSU's Fields: 'Lot of hate for the team up north' Josh Fields, an Ohio State transfer quarterback from Georgia, is in Columbus for national signing day. Our own Angelique Chengelis caught up with him there. Chengelis asked what Fields' new teammates told him about The Game: "That's kind of private," he said. "Just know there's a lot of hate for the team up north. ? King HS adds eight more signees Among the athletes signing this morning in the city of Detroit is another impressive group of Detroit King players.<doc-sep>East Lansing — If Michigan State landed a receiver on Wednesday that will one day have the sort of impact on the program Plaxico Burress did back in the late 1990s, then it was a heck of day for the Spartans. Coach Mark Dantonio believes that might be the case, as the Spartans received a signed letter of intent from wide receiver Tre’Von Morgan of Massillon (Ohio) Washington. “Tre’Von is a big-bodied receiver who reminds me a lot of Plaxico Burress in so many different ways,” Dantonio said in a statement. “Not just catching the ball and his catch radius, but also the way he attacks things and his aggressive play on the field as well. He comes from an outstanding program in Massillon, Ohio, and played for a state championship last year. He really was a dominant player for them throughout the year.” Burress played two seasons at Michigan State, racking up 2,155 yards and 20 touchdowns before playing 11 seasons in the NFL with three teams. Morgan was the lone signing Wednesday for the Spartans. The other 18 members of the class signed back in December during the early period. Morgan started to draw interest from Power Five schools his senior season, and intended to take several visits in January. Instead, he committed quickly to Michigan State and did not waver. Rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com and a three-star at 247Sports.com, Morgan was ranked the top receiver in the state of Ohio by Rivals and the No. 2 receiver in the state by 247Sports. He helped lead Massillon Washington to a 14-1 record and a berth in Ohio Division II state championship game. Morgan finished his senior season with 37 catches for 691 yards and 12 touchdowns. “We’re very excited about his opportunities as a Spartan,” Dantonio said. “He should have an opportunity to play early in his career. “He’s another young man who had a great senior year. As a junior he probably wasn’t as dominant, but Coach Nate Moore has done an outstanding job there with them. … I think (Morgan) has a huge up-side. He was a ‘no-brainer’ to take when you watched him off his senior film.” The signing gives Michigan State 19 players for the 2019 class, one that ranks in the top 30 in the nation. The Spartans went heavy on the offensive line back in December, and it’s a group that highlights the class. However, the number of skill players was also impressive, even with the loss of running back Aaron Young and athlete Alante Brown late in the recruiting process. “I actually think the skill positions are one of the strengths, too,” said Allen Trieu, Midwest recruiting analyst for 247Sports.com. “That may sound a little funny since they lost two guys in Aaron Young and Alante Brown out of those spots, but I think you add Tre’Von Morgan to (wide receivers) Jase Bowen and Tre Mosley and (running backs) Anthony Williams and Brandon Wright, and I think that’s a good group of offensive skill talent right there. “To me those are two strengths of the clas,s and if you look at the whole, just the amount of size and athleticism they’re bringing in, you’ve got some true 6-6, 6-7 guys coming in the class, some very long kids and guys who have played multiple sports. So definitely, in my opinion upgrading the physical makeup of the roster in this class.” Of Michigan State’s 19 signed players, seven already have enrolled as Michigan State prepares for spring practice, which will culminate with the annual Green and White game on April 13. “Seven of those guys are here now, what we would call 'rookies,’” Dantonio said. “They're doing an outstanding job and they're adjusting to college football, college academics and college life. There's quite an adjustment. “Spring ball starts here in March, so we're looking forward to that. We're extremely happy with our recruiting class and I think we have high quality players and high-quality people.” mcharboneau@detroitnews.com Twitter: @mattcharboneau<doc-sep>
Tre'Von Morgan Michigan State formally announced the signing of wide receiver Tre’Von Morgan to its 2019 recruiting class Wednesday on National Signing Day. Morgan is the 19th scholarship signee in MSU’s class, the third receiver. A 6-foot-6 three-star receiver out of Massillon (Ohio), Morgan is ranked as the No. 17 player in Ohio and No. 56 wide receiver on the 247Sports Composite rankings. He was the last unsigned committed recruit in MSU's 2019 class. MSU head coach Mark Dantonio released the following statement on Morgan’s signing: “Tre’Von Morgan is a big-bodied receiver who reminds me a lot of (former Spartan) Plaxico Burress in so many different ways, not just catching the ball and his catch radius, but also the way he attacks things and his aggressive play on the field as well. He comes from an outstanding program in Massillon, Ohio, and played for the state championship this last year. He was really a dominant player for them throughout the year. “We’re very excited about his opportunities as a Spartan. He should have an opportunity to play early in his career. We’ll play him at X, but there’s so many different positions that he could play as he makes his journey to Michigan State. “He’s another young man who had a great senior year. As a junior, he probably wasn’t as dominant, but Coach Nate Moore has done an outstanding job there with them. Dan Hackenbracht, a former Spartan (three-year letterwinner as a safety from 1995-97), is also a coach on that staff. We got some great insight on Tre’Von from him. (Tre’Von) is a basketball player as well. I think he has a huge upside. He was a ‘no-brainer’ to take when you watched him off his senior film. “We signed 18 guys on the December signing date. Seven of those guys are here now (as early enrollees), what we would call ‘rookies.’ They’re doing an outstanding job and they’re adjusting to college football, college academics and college life. There’s quite an adjustment. (They’re doing) an outstanding job right now. Spring ball starts here in March, so we’re looking forward to that. We’re extremely happy with our recruiting class and I think we have high quality players and high quality people.” Trust led Massillon WR Morgan into MSU's 2019 recruiting class (VIP) As of mid-day Wednesday, MSU's class ranks 30th nationally and No. 7 in the Big Ten on the 247Sports Composite team rankings. During the 2018 cycle, MSU added two players after the December Early Signing Period: wide receiver Jalen Nailor and defensive lineman Dashaun Mallory. Get the latest info on Michigan State football, basketball and recruiting sent straight to your inbox. Just enter your email address HERE to sign up for our free Spartans newsletter now!