Trieu: MSU commit Rison finishing strong at Skyline
Hunter Rison committed to Michigan State, decided to briefly re-open his recruitment at one point so he could experience more of the process and ultimately wound up committing to the Spartans again last April.
He has always seemed like a Spartan, especially because his father Andre Rison is a legend in East Lansing and MSU has recruited Hunter for quite some time.
Spring commits like himself can sometimes become a little bit forgotten about during the fall as fans wonder more about who will be next to commit or be offered than who already has committed. But Michigan State faithful would be wise to take a look at what he has done this season.
His block against Ypsilanti, where he drove an opponent 15 yards down field and into the ground, was heavily shared on the Internet last week. Prior to that, his one-handed touchdown catches against Shaker Heights and Saline were among the best plays of this high school football season. Quietly, he has put together an outstanding senior season.
It was not always easy. Ann Arbor Skyline lost its first three games and four of its first five. Rison played hard even when some games seemed out of reach. His leadership helped his team storm back to 4-4 and remain in playoff contention.
“(I told our team) to just to stay positive,” Rison said, “and know that we were still capable of achieving great things this season.”
Rison looks at the recent losses Michigan State has suffered and says he is “very confident” the Spartans will make a run similar to Skyline’s late-season surge.
“MSU lost a lot of key guys to the NFL and had to recruit to replace,” he said. “Once the younger players there now gain experience and build chemistry, we’ll be the same deadly team we have already been.”
Rison’s technical prowess, his competitiveness, his strength, and other attributes would seem to point toward him seeing the field early in his career at Michigan State, but he is not ready to be done at Skyline yet.
On Friday, Skyline takes on 7-1 Dearborn, which has fellow Spartan commit Mustafa Khaleefah on the line. A loss and Rison’s high school career comes to a close. Few would give Skyline a chance to upset Dearborn and extend its season.
Not included in that few is Hunter Rison.
“(My high school career) has been great,” he said. “It’s crazy to think that I’m a senior now but I can say I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. We’ve made history this season and have a shot to do even more, so I’m excited to see how we go out.”
MSU offers Pa. linebacker
Zane Zandier, a senior linebacker from Clairton (Pa.) Thomas Jefferson, was offered by Michigan State this week. A 6-foot-3, 205-pound prospect, Zandier’s offer list includes Boston College, Virginia, West Virginia and more.
He is planning to visit Michigan State on Oct. 29 when the Spartans take on Michigan.
4-star cornerback offered
Jairus Brents, a junior cornerback from Louisville (Ky.) Waggener, was offered by Michigan State on Wednesday. Brents (5-9, 160 pounds) is ranked by Scout as the No. 2 cornerback prospect in the Midwest in his class.
He has additional offers from Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville and more.
Brents has not visited Michigan State’s campus yet, but is looking to set a date when he will.
More information
Allen Trieu began covering the state of Michigan for Scout.com in 2005 and began managing the entire Midwest in 2009. He has been featured on the Big Ten Network on its annual Signing Day Show. His Michigan and Michigan State recruiting columns appear weekly at detroitnews.com.