19 MI DE Michael Fletcher In-Depth on Choosing MSU

While #5 Michigan State received plenty of good news last week, starting with a bang when Belleville (MI) 2019 offensive lineman Devontae Dobbs announcing his commitment, the week ended with equally good news when the Spartans received the news that Flint (MI) Carman-Ainsworth 2019 defensive end Michael Fletcher announced his pledge to the green and white.

Spartan Nation was on hand for Fletcher’s announcement, and the 6-foot-6, 240-pound, 4-star recruit said that one of the things that sold him on Michigan State was the fact that the coaching staff allowed him to take his time with the recruiting process.

“I liked how genuine they were, they weren’t cocky, the never sold themselves, they never pressured me to do anything,” he said. “They always let me go at my own pace and just told me that they wanted me, but do what you think is best and I just love them for that.”

Fletcher was one of the most coveted defensive linemen in the country before choosing the Spartans and held 17 offers, including offers from Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Kentucky, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Purdue and Iowa State. Following his commitment, Fletcher told reporters that Kentucky was his No. 2 choice.

Despite choosing Michigan State, Fletcher also noted that being close to home didn’t play a major factor in his decision, but liked the welcoming, family atmosphere he saw in East Lansing.

“Closeness wasn’t really the issue, it’s just a family environment,” he said. “I wanted somewhere where my family felt comfortable with me going and feel like they can turn me into a man and Michigan State was one of those places.”

Fletcher also told reporters that he was recruited heavily by a handful of Michigan State recruits, but no one recruited him more than the Spartans’ first 2019 commit, Walled Lake (MI) Western offensive lineman Spencer Brown.

Now that he is officially committed to the Spartans, Fletcher said he’s looking forward to working with Michigan State defensive ends coach Chuck Bullough and learning from a coach who has had success as both a player and a coach at the college and pro levels.

“With Chuck being a great coach, a great player, he’s been in the NFL, he’s been at Michigan State, he played at Michigan State, so I know he’s the type of person that’s been there, done that and has that experience,” he said. “He knows the things to do to get to the next level if that was God’s plan for me. I enjoy talking to him and I enjoy being around him, so I’m looking forward to playing for him for the next four to five years.”

Although he has made a name for himself as one of the nation’s top 2019 football recruits, Fletcher is a two-sport standout, who had fielded Division 1 offers on the basketball court.

But considering that Fletcher received offers from some of the country’s top programs on the gridiron, he said it made it an easy decision for him to continue his football career at the next level, rather than basketball.

“I think the offers spoke for itself,” he said. “Michigan State, Alabama, Wisconsin, Kentucky, all of those schools coming and I’ve got mid-majors for basketball. I think it spoke for itself where God wanted me to be.”

While last week will go down as a great recruiting week for the Spartans, the week got off to a bit of a rough start when Oak Park 2019 4-star quarterback Dwan Mathis flipped his commitment from Michigan State to Ohio State. But the week obviously ended on a high note as Fletcher was Michigan State’s sixth and final commitment of the week.

Fletcher admitted that he was surprised to see Mathis’ decommitment, but added that he was pleased with how the week turned out for the Spartans.

“I was kind of surprised, I saw Dwan flip to Ohio State, so I wanted to see how Michigan State was going to bounce back,” he said. “But I see it’s been a great week for them and I know they’re happy and I’m excited to see all of the top guys hop on board with me.”

Stay tuned to Spartan Nation for all of the latest news on the newest Michigan State defensive end and the Spartans!

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