Michigan State University Athletics
2001 Spartan Football Recruiting Class
2/7/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 7, 2001
Quotes from Coach Williams | Recruit Videos
Complete Signee List in PDF Format
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2001 Michigan State Football Signees
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown/Previous School |
| Aaron Alexander | QB | 6-5 | 190 | Richmond, VA/Henrico HS |
| Matthias Askew | DL | 6-7 | 290 | Fort Lauderdale, FL/Dillard HS |
| Michael Bazemore | LB | 6-4 | 228 | Philadelphia, PA/West Catholic HS |
| Van Brown | DE | 6-5 | 250 | Altadena, CA/Pasadena City College |
| Robert Flagg | FS | 6-2 | 205 | Carol City, FL/Miami Norland HS |
| Damien Fortson | CB | 6-0 | 185 | Ravenna, OH/Ravenna HS |
| Julian (BJ) Lovett | WR | 6-4 | 200 | Belle Glades, FL/SUNY-Morrisville |
| Mike McConnell | RB | 6-0 | 205 | Adairsville, GA/Northeastern Oklahoma A&M |
| Brandon McKinney | DT | 6-3 | 310 | Dayton, OH/Chaminade-Julienne HS |
| Seth Mitchell | LB | 6-3 | 230 | Brandywine, MD/Gwynn Park HS |
| Christopher Morris | OL | 6-4 | 285 | Lambertville, MI/Temperance-Bedford HS |
| Gordon Niebylski | OT | 6-4 | 295 | Farmington, MI/Birmingham Brother Rice HS |
| Jason Randall | TE | 6-6 | 240 | Muskegon Heights, MI/Muskegon HS |
| Dave Rayner | PK/P | 6-3 | 200 | Oxford, MI/Oxford HS |
| Eric Smith | DB | 6-1 | 195 | Groveport, OH/Groveport-Madison HS |
| Ronald Stanley | LB | 6-2 | 210 | Saginaw, MI/Saginaw HS |
| Ben Steckler | WR | 6-5 | 205 | Huntingburg, IN/Southridge HS |
| Robert Strickland | WR/LB | 6-4 | 205 | Detroit, MI/Denby HS |
| Alphonso Townsend | OL/DL | 6-6 | 310 | Lima, OH/Fork Union Military Academy |
| Stefon Wheeler | OL | 6-5 | 330 | Passaic, NJ/Milford Academy |
| Ryan Woods | TE | 6-5 | 230 | Florissant, MO/Christian Brothers College |
Football Class of 2001 Videos
| Aaron Alexander | 56k | 200k |
| Matthias Askew | 56k |200k |
| Van Brown | 56k | 200k |
| Julian (BJ) Lovett | 56k | 200k |
| Gordon Niebylski | 56k | 200k |
| Jason Randall | 56k | 200k |
| Ben Steckler | 56k | 200k |
| Ryan Woods | 56k | 200k |
| Michael Bazemore | 56k | 200k |
Aaron Alexander
QB, 6-5, 190
Richmond, VA (Henrico HS)
PrepStar All-American . . . ranked among the nation's top quarterbacks by PrepStar (No. 12) and Tom Lemming (No. 24) . . . rated as the Mid-Atlantic Region's No. 2 quarterback by PrepStar . . . named to PrepStar's and SuperPrep's All-Mid-Atlantic Teams . . . two-time all-state QB . . . threw for 1,629 yards and 19 touchdowns as a 16-year-old senior . . . also rushed for 600 yards and nine TDs in 2000 . . . started at quarterback for the East Team in the 2000 National High School All-Star Game in Dallas on Dec. 30 and completed eight-of-18 passes for 117 yards, including a 24-yard TD toss in the first quarter . . . selected 1999 Virginia Player of the Year after setting state single-season records with 3,017 passing yards and 43 TD tosses as a junior, breaking marks previously held by North Carolina's Ronald Curry . . . passed for 2,121 yards and 23 TDs as a sophomore . . . three-year starter for Coach Brent Williams at Henrico High School in Richmond, Va. . . . threw for 5,768 yards and 85 TDs during his prep career . . . runs 4.59 in the 40 . . . also lettered in baseball, basketball and soccer . . . born Dec. 12, 1983.
Matthias Askew
DL, 6-7, 290
Fort Lauderdale, FL (Dillard HS)
PrepStar All-American . . . rated among the nation's top defensive linemen by Tom Lemming (No. 19) and Rivals.com (No. 20) . . . named to PrepStar's All-Southeast and SuperPrep's All-Dixie Teams . . . two-time all-state selection and two-time Broward County Player of the Year . . . recorded 125 tackles as a senior while earning team MVP honors . . . his 38 tackles for losses in 2000 included 21 sacks . . . selected to play in the Florida-Georgia and Broward County-Dade County All-Star Games . . . played for Coach Joe Redmond at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he set the Class 6A record for career sacks with 57 . . . had 74 tackles as a junior, including 30 for losses with 10 sacks . . . runs 4.9 in the 40 . . . attended the same high school that produced current Spartan defensive tackle Josh Shaw and Michigan State's all-time leading rusher Lorenzo White . . . plans to major in business.
Michael Bazemore
LB, 6-4, 228
Philadelphia, PA (West Catholic HS)
PrepStar All-American . . . ranked among the nation's top linebackers by Rivals.com (No. 14) and Tom Lemming (No. 16) . . . named to PrepStar's All-Big East and SuperPrep's All-Northeast Teams . . . rated among Pennsylvania's top 15 prospects (No. 14) by SuperPrep . . . all-state linebacker who also earned first-team all-city and all-Catholic honors as a senior . . . registered 158 tackles (89 solos, 69 assists) in 2000, including 25 for losses with eight sacks . . . also caused 10 fumbles and broke up 10 passes as a senior . . . first-team all-Catholic and second-team all-city pick as a junior . . . had 140 stops (95 solos, 45 assists) in 1999, including 25 for losses with four sacks . . . three-year starter for Coach Brian Fluck at West Catholic High School in Philadelphia . . . runs 4.6 in the 40 . . . also lettered in basketball . . . born April 10, 1983 . . . plans to major in finance.
Van Brown
DE, 6-5, 250
Altadena, CA (Pasadena City College)
Has three years of eligibility remaining . . . earned first-team All-Mission Conference (North) honors as a freshman . . . recorded 44 tackles in 2000, including 12.5 for losses (52 yards) . . . led team with 6.5 sacks (37 yards) . . . finished second on the team in production points with 171 . . . credited with nine quarterback hurries and seven pass break-ups . . . played for Coach Tom Maher at Pasadena (Calif.) City College . . . originally signed with Oregon coming out of high school in 1999 . . . two-way player at Alhambra (Calif.) High School where he garnered All-Almont League and All-San Gabriel Valley honors . . . had 60 unassisted tackles as a senior, including 13 sacks . . . also intercepted two passes and recovered three fumbles . . . caught 11 passes for 289 yards (26.3 avg.) as a tight end . . . brother Chad is a three-time All-Pro linebacker for the NFL's Seattle Seahawks . . . born May 18, 1981 . . . plans to major in business.
Robert Flagg
FS, 6-2, 205
Carol City, FL (Miami Norland HS)
Rated among Florida's top 100 prospects (No. 89) by the Orlando Sentinel . . . honorable mention all-state selection as a senior . . . recorded 115 tackles in 2000 while earning first-team all-district honors . . . selected to play in the Florida-Georgia All-Star Game . . . played for Coach Nigel Dunn at Miami Norland High School . . . runs 4.4 in the 40 . . . outstanding sprinter helped the Miami Norland 4x100 relay to a second-place finish in the 2000 state meet . . . ran a personal best 10.6 in the 100 . . . born May 29, 1983 . . . plans to pursue a business degree.
Damien Fortson
CB, 6-0, 185
Ravenna, OH (Ravenna HS)
Named to the Ohio Dream Team by Prep Football Prospects of Ohio . . . rated among the state's top 20 prospects (No. 16) by Ohio Future Stars . . . also ranked among the state's top five defensive backs (No. 3) by Prep Football Prospects of Ohio . . . two-time first-team All-Northeast Ohio selection . . . first-team All-Portage County choice by the Akron Beacon Journal . . . had 41 tackles, two interceptions and four pass break-ups in five games as a senior . . . completed 31-of-60 passes (.517) for 456 yards and four touchdowns as the starting quarterback . . . rushed for 336 yards (7.0 avg.) and five TDs . . . missed half of the 2000 season after hernia surgery . . . selected to play in the Ohio-Pennsylvania Big 33 All-Star Game . . . three-year starter for Coach Tim Place at Ravenna (Ohio) High School . . . picked off four passes as a junior . . . set a school single-season record with seven interceptions as a sophomore . . . runs 4.4 in the 40 . . . born March 16, 1983.
Julian (BJ) Lovett
WR, 6-4, 200
Belle Glades, FL (SUNY -- Morrisville)
SuperPrep JUCO All-American . . . ranked among the nation's top 10 junior college wide receivers by SuperPrep (No. 2) and Max Emfinger (No. 7) . . . second-team All-Northeast Conference selection . . . had 29 receptions for 383 yards (13.2 avg.) and three touchdowns as a sophomore . . . caught 50 passes for 850 yards (17.0 avg.) and eight TDs as a freshman while earning first-team all-conference honors . . . two-year starter for Coach Terry Dow at SUNY - Morrisville . . . played for Coach Milton Watson at Belle Glades (Fla.) High School . . . also lettered in basketball and track in high school . . . averaged 20.4 points and 12.3 rebounds as a senior . . . two-time all-state track selection . . . had personal bests of 6-11 in the high jump, 23-0 in the long jump and 46-0 in the triple jump . . . runs 4.4 in the 40 . . . born Aug. 28, 1980 . . . majoring in telecommunication.
Mike McConnell
RB, 6-0, 205
Adairsville, GA (Northeastern Oklahoma A&M)
Has three years of eligibility remaining . . . rushed for 239 yards (34 carries) and four touchdowns in six games as a freshman for Coach Dale Patterson at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami, Okla. . . . also returned seven kickoffs for 124 yards (17.7 avg.) . . . missed the first five games of the 2000 season with a sprained ankle . . . originally signed with Michigan State coming out of Adairsville (Ga.) High School in 1999 . . . named to PrepStar's All-Southeast, SuperPrep's All-Dixie and The National Recruiting Advisor's All-Southeast Region Teams . . . ranked as the Southeast's No. 7 running back by The National Recruiting Advisor . . . featured on the Super Southern 100 List compiled by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . . . ranked among the South's top 16 running backs by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . . . also rated among the top four running backs in Georgia by the same newspaper . . . rushed for 1,500 yards and 17 TDs as a senior in 1998 . . . picked up 1,178 yards rushing and scored 12 times as a junior . . . played for Coach Gary Graves at Adairsville . . . finished second in the state in the 100 meters in '98 . . . runs 4.37 in the 40 ... born Aug. 19, 1980.
Brandon McKinney
DT, 6-3, 310
Dayton, OH (Chaminade-Julienne HS)
PrepStar All-American . . . ranked among the Midwest's top 50 prospects (No. 44) by SuperPrep . . . rated among Ohio's top 10 prospects . . . two-time Associated Press all-state selection . . . two-year starter for Coach Jim Place at Chaminade-Julienne High School in Dayton, Ohio . . . helped Chaminade-Julienne to a 10-3 record in 2000 and a No. 7 state ranking in the final regular-season poll . . . started for two years at Trotwood-Madison before transferring to Chaminade-Julienne . . . runs 5.1 in the 40 and bench presses 460 pounds . . . born Aug. 24, 1983.
Seth Mitchell
LB, 6-3, 230
Brandywine, MD (Gwynn Park HS)
PrepStar and SuperPrep All-American . . . rated as the No. 20 linebacker in the nation by SuperPrep ... listed among the Mid-Atlantic Region's top 10 players (No. 8) by Super Prep . . . ranked among the Atlantic Region's top 30 players by PrepStar . . . selected Maryland Defensive Player of the Year as a senior by the Associated Press . . . also named All-Metro Defensive Player of the Year by the Washington Post ... top 30 player in the Atlantic Region by PrepStar ... played for Danny Hayes at Gwynn Park High School in Brandywine, Md. . . . totaled 146 tackles, nine sacks and six interceptions in 2000 . . . rushed for 313 yards and three touchdowns ...helped Gwynn Park to an 11-2 record and a berth in the Class 2A championship game . . . had 15 sacks as a defensive end as a junior . . . runs 4.7 in the 40 . . . born May 29, 1982.
Christopher Morris
OL, 6-4, 285
Lambertville, MI (Temperance-Bedford HS)
PrepStar All-American . . . ranked among the Midwest's top 80 prospects (No. 79) . . . rated among the state's top players by The Detroit News (No. 11), Detroit Free Press (No. 17) and Lansing State Journal (No. 21) . . . first-team all-state selection . . . recorded 42 tackles as a senior, including nine for losses with five sacks . . . three-year starter at center and defensive tackle for Coach Ray Moran at Bedford Senior High School in Temperance, Mich. ... two-year starter on the basketball team ... honor roll student ...runs 4.9 in the 40 . . . born Feb. 22, 1983 . . . plans to major in business.
Gordon Niebylski
OT, 6-4, 295
Farmington, MI (Birmingham Brother Rice HS)
Named to PrepStar's and SuperPrep's All-Midwest Teams . . . ranked among the Midwest's top 100 prospects (No. 82) by SuperPrep . . . rated among the nation's top 100 offensive linemen (No. 82) by Rivals.com . . . listed among the state's top 20 players by the Detroit Free Press (No. 16), The Detroit News (No. 17), Lansing State Journal (No. 17) and The Midwest Football Recruiting News (No. 18) . . . didn't allow a sack during the entire 2000 season while earning all-state and all-metro honors . . . scored three rushing touchdowns as a fullback in goal-line situations . . . had 11 tackles (8 solos, 3 assists) while playing defensive tackle in goal-line situations . . . two-year starter for Coach Al Fracassa at Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. . . . helped Brother Rice to back-to-back appearances in the state championship game, with the Warriors claiming the 2000 title (Division 2) . . . prep teammate of current Spartan linebacker Mark Goebel ... honor roll student ... threw the shot put over 50 feet ... runs 5.1 in the 40 . . . born Feb. 19, 1983 . . . plans to major in business.
Jason Randall
TE, 6-6, 240
Muskegon Heights, MI (Muskegon HS)
Named to PrepStar's and SuperPrep's All-Midwest Teams . . . ranked among the nation's top 60 tight ends (No. 55) by Rivals.com . . . listed among the Midwest's top 90 players (No. 86) by SuperPrep . . . rated among the state's top prospects by The Detroit News (No. 13), Lansing State Journal (No. 18) and Detroit Free Press (No. 26) . . . caught 24 passes for 270 yards (11.3 avg.) and four touchdowns as a senior . . . two-way starter registered 44 tackles from his defensive end position, including seven sacks . . . helped the Big Reds to an 8-1 regular-season record and a trip to the Division I playoffs . . . had 16 catches for 234 yards (14.6 avg.) as a junior . . . four-year starter at tight end and defensive end for Tony Anece at Muskegon (Mich.) High School runs 4.7 in the 40 . . . born Dec. 26, 1982 . . . plans to major in telecommunication.
Dave Rayner
PK/P, 6-3, 200
Oxford, MI (Oxford HS)
Named to the Detroit Free Press Dream Team . . . ranked No. 27 on The Detroit News' Blue Chip list . . . converted three-of-four field-goal attempts as a senior . . . set a school single-season record with 35 PATs in 2000 . . . 82 percent of his kickoffs reached the end zone . . . averaged 44.7 yards on 30 punts as a senior . . . also saw action at wide receiver and had 13 receptions for 210 yards (16.2 avg.) and three touchdowns . . . earned all-metro honors as a junior . . . hit five-of-eight field-goal attempts in 1999, including a career-long 48-yarder, and 25-of-26 extra-point attempts . . . his 20-yard field goal gave Oxford (Mich.) High School a 17-14 overtime win over Farmington Hills Harrison in 1999 . . . owns all but one school punting/placekicking record . . . his career 43.3-yard punting average tops the all-time list . . . a four-year starter for Coach Bud Rowley . . . also recruited as a NCAA Division I soccer prospect . . . all-metro sweeper scored 11 goals and had eight assists as a senior . . . two-year starter on the basketball team ... born Oct. 26, 1982 . . . plans to major in business.
Eric Smith
DB, 6-1, 195
Groveport, OH (Groveport-Madison HS)
Second-team all-state and all-district selection as a senior . . . made 55 tackles and intercepted seven passes to earn first-team all-conference honors in 2000 . . . versatile player started the last six games at quarterback plus saw action at wide receiver and running back . . . had 16 catches for 400 yards (25.0 avg.) and four touchdowns . . . caught 10 passes for 112 yards and two TDs in the season finale vs. Westerville South . . . completed three-of-six throws for 67 yards vs. Westerville South, scored on a 25-yard reverse and intercepted two passes . . . had a 100-yard rushing game vs. Gahanna . . . played for Coach Steve Hale at Groveport-Madison High School in Groveport, Ohio . . . received the Ernie Godfrey Award, which is presented to the top scholar-athlete in the greater Columbus area, in addition to being selected conference scholar-athlete of the year . . . sports a 3.95 grade-point average . . . qualified for the track and field regionals in the pole vault, high jump and long jump . . . runs 4.6 in the 40 . . . born March 17, 1983 . . . plans to pursue a degree in criminal justice.
Ronald Stanley
LB, 6-2, 210
Saginaw, MI (Saginaw HS)
PrepStar All-American . . . ranked among the Midwest's top 100 prospects by Tom Lemming (No. 74) and SuperPrep (No. 98) . . . rated among the state's top 20 players by Midwest Football Recruiting News (No. 17), Detroit Free Press (No. 18) and The Detroit News (No. 20) . . . earned first-team all-state and All-Saginaw Valley Conference honors as a senior . . . recorded 113 tackles in 2000, including 13 for losses with three sacks . . . rushed for 1,106 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior while helping Saginaw (Mich.) High School to a 12-1 record and a trip to the state semifinals . . . all-area and all-conference selection as a junior with 97 tackles, including nine sacks . . . gained 450 yards rushing and scored six times in 1999 . . . turned in one of his top performances in the '99 state championship (Division 2) game vs. Brother Rice, registering 18 tackles in the victory . . . three-year starter for Coach Donald Durrett . . . member of the 2000 state champion 4x100 relay team . . . ran a personal-best 10.8 in the 100 meters . . . runs 4.5 in the 40 ... high school teammate of current Spartans Monquiz Wedlow, Charles Rogers and Jeremiah McLaurin . . . born March 6, 1983.
Ben Steckler
WR, 6-5, 205
Huntingburg, IN (Southridge HS)
Named to PrepStar's and SuperPrep's All-Midwest Teams . . . ranked among the Midwest's top 100 prospects (No. 99) by SuperPrep . . . rated among Indiana's top 10 players (No. 7) by Midwest Football Recruiting News . . . selected to play in Indiana North-South All-Star Game . . . had 40 receptions for 790 yards (19.8 avg.) and 10 touchdowns as a senior . . . two-way player also had two interceptions and two fumble recoveries . . . caught 32 passes for 840 yards (26.2 avg.) and eight TDs as a junior . . . picked off six passes in 1999 ... played for Coach Brad Hanner at Southridge High School in Huntingburg, Ind. . . . won the 100, 200 and 400-meter sprints in the sectional track meet as a junior and finished second in the shot put . . . threw a personal-best 51-5 in the shot put . . . averaged 12.4 points and 12.3 rebounds as a junior on the basketball team . . . born Aug. 28, 1982 . . . plans to major in engineering.
Robert Strickland
WR/LB, 6-4, 205
Detroit, MI (Denby HS)
PrepStar and SuperPrep All-American . . . listed as among the nation's top 100 prospects by Tom Lemming (No. 90) ... ranked among the Midwest's top 20 players (No. 16) by SuperPrep . . . rated among the nation's top 30 receivers by Tom Lemming (No. 12), SuperPrep (No. 23) and Rivals.com (No. 29) . . . ranked among the state's top 10 prospects by The Detroit News (No. 3), Lansing State Journal (No. 3) and Detroit Free Press (No. 6) . . . earned all-state, all-metro and All-Detroit honors as a senior while playing five different positions (wide receiver, tight end, linebacker, defensive end and defensive back) . . . had 31 receptions for 330 yards (10.6 avg.) and six touchdowns in 2000 . . . credited with 42 unassisted tackles, including seven sacks as a senior . . . also returned an interception and a fumble for scores . . . three-year starter for Coach Drake Wilkins at Denby High School in Detroit . . . caught 40 passes for 483 yards (12.1 avg.) and eight TDs as a junior . . . recorded 87 tackles in 1999, including 18 for losses with eight sacks . . . also lettered in basketball and track . . . averaging 26.2 points in 2000-01 . . . runs 4.5 in the 40 . . . born Dec. 7, 1982.
Alphonso (Biggie) Townsend
OL/DL, 6-6, 310
Lima, OH (Fork Union Military School)
Started on both the offensive and defensive lines for Coach J.C. Harmon at Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy in 2000 . . . had 16 tackles for losses, including nine sacks . . . attended the same prep school that produced former Spartan wide receiver Plaxico Burress . . . originally signed with Ohio State coming out of Lima (Ohio) High School in 2000 . . . SuperPrep All-American in 1999 . . . rated among the nation's top 30 defensive linemen (No. 26) by SuperPrep . . . ranked among the nation's top five offensive (No. 3) and defensive (No. 4) linemen by Rivals.com . . . listed among the Midwest's top 20 players (No. 15) . . . Associated Press first-team All-Ohio selection made 47 tackles as a senior for Coach Leonard Rush before breaking his foot midway through the '99 season . . . registered 80 tackles as a junior, including 15 for losses with six sacks . . . runs 4.9 in the 40 . . . nicknamed "Biggie" . . . born Jan. 23, 1981.
Stefon Wheeler
OL, 6-5, 330
Passaic, NJ (Milford Academy)
Started at offensive tackle for Coach William Chaplack at Milford (Conn.) Academy in 2000 . . . attended the same prep school that produced former Spartan running back Leroy McFadden . . . earned all-state (Section IV) honors as a senior at Passaic (N.J.) High School . . . first-team all-county and all-league selection for Coach Frank Pratko in 1999 . . . runs 5.2 in the 40 . . . born Sept. 17, 1982 . . . plans to major in sports management.
Ryan Woods
TE, 6-5, 230
Florissant, MO (Christian Brothers College HS)
Rated among the nation's top 40 tight ends by Rivals.com (No. 38) . . . all-state tight end caught 28 passes for 433 yards (15.5 avg.) in 2000 . . . recorded 73 tackles, including seven sacks, as a senior . . . two-time first-team All-Metro Catholic Conference selection . . . named Metro Catholic Conference Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore . . . two-way starter (tight end and defensive end) for Coach Bob Shannon at Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis . . . played for the same high school coach (Bob Shannon) as current MSU secondary coach Kevin Ramsey . . . three-year starter for the CBC basketball team . . . earned all-conference honors in basketball while helping CBC to the 1999-2000 district title . . . born May 5, 1983 . . . plans to major in business.
