19 IL DE Steven Hawthorne Talks Michigan State Mutual Interest
https://twitter.com/AllenTrieu/status/953784624064483330
After picking up an offer from Illinois last week, Chicago (IL) De La Salle 2019 defensive end Steven Hawthorne could be on the verge of seeing his recruitment take off as he currently holds three offers and is hearing from several other high-level Division 1 programs, including #15 Michigan State.
Spartan Nation recently spoke with the 6-foot-4½, 215-pound defensive lineman about his recruitment and Hawthorne said that he’s noticed the serious interest in him from the Spartans.
“Right now, they’re just watching me and they’re very interested in my game and how I play,” he said.
Hawthorne was last on campus back at the end of November and was on hand for Michigan State’s basketball game against Notre Dame and said that he had a good conversation with defensive tackles coach Ron Burton.
“I went up there for the game between Michigan State and Notre Dame,” he said. “I talked to coach Burton and he was really happy. He knows me personally, he knows me and my mom, so we’re kind of cool.”
The standout defensive lineman also said that he was impressed with the campus in East Lansing and enjoyed having the opportunity to experience the atmosphere on gameday.
“They’re great, it’s beautiful,” he said. “The crowd was something else, it was like an NFL game.”
Along with his offer from Illinois, Hawthorne also holds offers from Northern Illinois and Toledo and has also received interest from Minnesota, Wyoming and Michigan State.
When it comes to Illinois, Hawthorne said that there’s a lot to like about the Fighting Illini from both an athletic and academic perspective.
“I think they’re great, I think it’s a good school and their sports are doing good and even academics are doing well,” he said. “I think it’s a good look.”
On Minnesota, Hawthorne said that he was recently visited by the Golden Gophers’ coaching staff and said that he heard that they are very interest in him.
“The coach came up to De La Salle and was like ‘Woah, dude. You’re a freak on the field’,” he said. “So he told me they like me and they were very interested.”
As far as Michigan State is concerned, Hawthorne said that while he doesn’t hold an offer from the Spartans at the moment, an offer from Michigan State would mean a great deal to him.
“It would mean a lot,” he said. “That would be a big deal, a very big deal.”
Hawthorne also said that he plans on camping at Michigan State this summer and added that while nothing is set in stone at the moment, he’d like to make his college decision by the end of his senior season at the high school level.
Remember to check back to Spartan Nation for all of the latest news on this top 2019 defensive lineman out of Illinois and the Spartans!
Want the latest breaking MSU news delivered straight to your email for FREE? Sign up for the DAILY Spartan Nation newsletter WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE! Don't miss any of the latest up the second updates on Michigan State Sports when you follow on Twitter @HondoCarpenter
