19 MSU Football DL Maverick Hansen Talks Signing Day Joy!
Like most years, there weren’t many surprises for Michigan State fans on National Signing Day, but there was one that took place on Wednesday morning when the Spartans received a National Letter of Intent from Farmington Hills (MI) Harrisondefensive lineman Maverick Hansen.
Hansen, who had been committed to Central Michigan since July, received an offer from Michigan State on the morning of National Signing Day, and it didn’t take long for the 6-foot-5, 270-pound lineman to flip to the Spartans.
A really tough guy we look forward to adding to our D-line @maveitron #SpartanRe19n pic.twitter.com/qrxgLMrKr2
— Mark Dantonio (@DantonioMark) December 19, 2018
Spartan Nation caught up with Hansen to talk about his decision to sign with Michigan State and the 3-star recruit said that he knew early in his recruitment East Lansing was where he wanted to be and is excited that the offer from the Spartans finally came.
“The first time I stepped foot on Michigan State’s soil, I just felt something, I really loved it,” he said. “It felt like home to me, I was like, ‘This is where I want to be and this is where I want to play’. When I came up to the games and saw how it was on Saturdays, the pre-games and seeing how hyped everyone was about Michigan State, it was just crazy. The crowds, the coaches, just everything about it, I just knew I had to be here and that’s what I worked for. I texted the coaches - it probably made them angry how much I texted them, but I stayed on them because that was my dream and iIdidn’t want to let it slip. If I didn’t go to Michigan State I wanted to at least say I gave it my all to try to try to get there.”
Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio told reporters at his National Signing Day Press Conference that Hansen’s motor and effort, as well as his size and athleticism, make him someone that can be a key contributor for his team down the road and also reminds him of a couple of notable Spartan defensive lineman from recent years.
“Just kept looking at Maverick. 6'5", 275, 6'4" or such. Tough, athletic guy,” he said. “I continue to watch him, reminds me of Kevin Pickelman, high motor guy, Kenny Willekes. I just felt like he was one of those types guys that was going to bring it. Was in camp for us. Long jumps about 8-5. Ran really well in camp. Vertical as well. Projects as a defenseman for us. As we watch more, the more we liked. He was a late take. As I said before, late takes often times work out because of the effort aspect, things of that nature. Good student. Played for Coach Herrington over there (at Harrison). Well coached in a great program. We've had so many Spartans come to us from Harrison High School. Be exciting to watch him. He will be here with us.”
Welcome to the Spartan Family, @maveitron! 😤 #GoGreen #SpartanRe19n pic.twitter.com/MaceW0izCI
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) December 19, 2018
While Hansen is committed to the Spartans to play on the defensive line, he was committed to Central Michigan to play offensive tackle and has plenty of experience playing on both sides of the ball as he proved to be a two-way force for the storied Harrison program.
Throughout his recruitment and even after committing to Central Michigan, Hansen remained in contact with the Michigan State coaching staff and noted that on the Tuesday before Signing Day, he was told that a last second offer was a possibility.
“Me and coach Burton, we’ve been communicating, we never stopped talking through the whole process, we kept tabs on each other,” Hansen said. “I also talked to coach Salem a bit, coach Staten, but mostly coach Burton was the coach recruiting me. He was the one that also called me on Wednesday and hooked me up with coach Mark Dantonio.”
When Wednesday morning came around, Hansen got the phone call he had been long been waiting for and had a conversation with Dantonio that he won’t soon forget.
“He was like, “Do you want to be a Spartan?’ and I was like, “Yeah, more than anything, it’s my dream to be a Spartan’,” he said. “He told me, ‘Well, you’ve got a full ride scholarship to Michigan State.’ As soon as he told me, I just started shaking. I didn’t know what to say to him, I was just like ‘Thank you so much, I don’t even know what to say’ and then I started talking to a couple of other coaches on the phone, it was great. It’s something I won’t forget.”
Not long after the offer from his dream school came through, Hansen made the decision to flip his commitment from the Chippewas to the Spartans, capping off what was an eventful morning for the 3-star recruit.
But not only was the offer from Michigan State a big deal and emotional moment for Hansen himself, but it was for his parents, Mona and Martin, who were obviously excited for their son to finally see his dream come true.
Hansen told Spartan Nation that shortly after learning he’d be receiving an offer from Michigan State, he called his mother, who was obviously ecstatic to hear the news and immediately headed up to Harrison High School to sign the necessary paperwork to officially make her son a Spartan.
“I called her on the phone when I first told her because she was still at home when I found out, and she was like, ‘Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God’,” he said. “And then she was panicking and said, ‘Let me get ready and let me come up to the school right now and sign the papers’. So she flies down to the school and when we signed the papers, she started crying because she knew how bad I wanted it.”
While it’s obviously exciting for Hansen to be able to sign with his dream school, the 6-foot-5 standout said that being able to tell his parents that his education is paid for at his top choice is another great feeling for him.
“It meant a lot and it made me feel accomplished,” he said. “She told me if you can get college paid for because she still has college loans and it’s not fun paying them and she just wants me to get a good education.”
Remember to stay tuned to Spartan Nation for all of the latest news on Hansen and the Spartans!
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