Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio reacts to a play against Michigan on Oct. 29, 2016.
Offensive lineman Carlos Vettorello of U-D Jesuit in Detroit has been flying below the radar of many recruiting sites. The 6-foot-4, 275-pounder already has a dozen scholarship offers on the table, including several from Big Ten schools.
Michigan State already has offered 2018 athlete Elijah Collins from U-D Jesuit, and Vettorello likely will get a serious look from the Spartans this spring. He recently visited Kentucky and has several other trips lined up.
“Kentucky was great,” he said. “I am going to visit Vanderbilt this weekend. I will definitely be going to Boston College with my family, at some point. I also plan on visiting Syracuse and Minnesota. I might visit Kentucky again for their spring game — and also Iowa for their spring game, too.”
Vettorello attended the Michigan State 1-Day Camp last summer and was one of the stronger performers. I asked him about his contact with the in-state schools and whether he has any camp plans this off-season.
“I have talked with coach (Terrence) Samuel from Michigan State occasionally,” he said. “I have not talked with anyone from Michigan. I plan on going to the Nike Combine, the Under Armor Football Camp and the Adidas/Rivals 3-Stripe Camp.”
I expect Vettorello will see his recruiting stock rise at those camps. It will be interesting to see whether Michigan State turns up the heat on him in the coming months. The state of Michigan is loaded with offensive linemen for 2018, but two of the better prospects, Michael Furtney (Wisconsin) and Jalen Mayfield (Minnesota), already have decided to take their talents out of state.
Michigan State has used its camp as a primary evaluation tool for offensive line prospects the last few years. Current Spartans such as Mustafa Khaleefah of Dearborn and AJ Arcuri of Olentangy, Ohio, received their scholarships after performing well while working out with position coach Mark Staten. Vetorello could follow a similar path.
All-Detroit football first team offense, defense
Matt Dorsey is a recruiting analyst for spartanmag.com and rivals.com.