Michael Furtney of Milan High School is a 6-foot-5, 282-pound prospect.
Michael Furtney of Milan High School is one of the fastest rising prospects in the Midwest for the 2018 class. The 6-foot-5, 270-pound prospect was in East Lansing on the final weekend of February and received good news from Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio.
“It was awesome,” Furtney said. “Coach Dantonio was at the center of the practice field as the team was practicing. He called me out there and offered me. I was really excited to be talking with Coach Dantonio let alone get an offer directly from him.”
Furtney’s scholarship list has been expanding rapidly the past few weeks, with Nebraska, Purdue, Iowa State, Vanderbilt and Indiana offering. The Spartans had him on campus two weeks ago, but Dantonio wanted him back on campus so he could offer him in person.
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Furtney is familiar with MSU having been on campus multiple times. On Feb. 26, he was able to meet with the staff and learn a little more about the Spartans’ program. He spent time with offensive line coach Mark Staten building additional rapport.
“I had time to talk with Coach Staten and Coach Dantonio which was great,” Furtney said. “We then got to go to the MSU vs Wisconsin basketball game. It was a great game. (Coach Staten) said that he likes how versatile that I am. He feels that I could play any position on the line. I really like Coach Staten. He’s seems like a great guy and I had the chance to talk to some of his linemen. They all had great things to say about him.”
The past few weeks Furtney has had a very busy travel schedule. He has been to Michigan State twice, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota and several other schools. So what is next for the top offensive line prospect?
“Hopefully a little rest,” he said. “As of right now, we don’t have any more visits planned for a little while. I want to take some time and start narrowing down my schools.”
Furtney is not ranked by Rivals.com in the position rankings, but expect that to change at some point. With 26 scholarship offers already on the table, he is one of the most sought after lineman prospects in the Midwest. It is a great year for offensive line talent in the state of Michigan and the Spartans are looking to capitalize.
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Matt Dorsey is a recruiting analyst for SpartanMag.com and Rivals.com.