21 MI OL Garrett Dellinger Talks Michigan State UV
21 MI OL Garrett Dellinger Talks Michigan State UV
Clarkston (MI)2021 offensive lineman Garrett Dellinger may have just finished his freshman season of high school football, but the 6-foot-6, 250 pound standout has already become a hot commodity on the recruiting trail and #5 Michigan State became the first to extend an offer to him over the weekend when he was on campus for an unofficial visit.
Spartan Nation caught up with Dellinger to recap his visit to East Lansing and he said that he had the chance to spend some quality time with several members of the Michigan State coaching staff and was able to see the Michigan State facilities and was also on hand for Saturday’s Michigan State-Purdue men’s basketball game.
Thank you to the MSU coaching staff for an outstanding visit. I am truly humbled and honored to have received an offer from MSU. @DantonioMark @CoachSalemMSU @Coach_Staten @SpartanFBstaff @Coach_Haynes #GoGreen #GoWhite
— Garrett Dellinger (@GDellinger2021) February 11, 2018
“It was a very exciting game,” he said. “It was really intense, I liked the student section and everyone.”
“I could definitely picture that,” Dellinger said when asked about the possibility of playing in front of the Spartan fan base inside Spartan Stadium. “That would be awesome.”
Michigan State has had success on the recruiting trail in Clarkston as the Spartans currently have two former Clarkston offensive lineman on the roster in David Beedle and Cole Chewins.
On his visit to Michigan State, Dellinger was able to spend time with a number of Spartan coaches, including head coach Mark Dantonio, who Dellinger said that he could tell how much Dantonio cares about his players.
“He really cares about the football team,” he said. “He’s into football and everything, but he’s there for the players.”
Dellinger also spent time with Michigan State offensive line coach Mark Staten, quarterbacks coach Brad Salem and secondary coach Paul Haynes.
Dellinger said that he has met Staten before because Staten and his parents have a mutual friend and also added that he enjoyed getting to speak with the Spartans’ offensive line coach.
“He seems like a really good guy,” he said. “He knows what he’s doing and he’s really cool.”
Dellinger also noted that he got a similar feel for Salem as well.
“He’s like what I was saying about the other coaches,” he said. “He’s really cool and he made me feel a part of the family.”
While Dellinger is still getting to know many of the Michigan State coaches, one coach that he knows very well is Haynes, who was head coach at Kent State when Dellinger’s brother, Matt, was a starting linebacker for the Golden Flashes.
“I already knew him, because my older brother was a starting linebacker at Kent State while Haynes was the coach there,” he said. “So we’ve already had some connections with Coach Haynes and he’s a really good guy.”
Another part of the visit that stood out to Dellinger was being able to see the football facilities and also enjoyed getting to meet strength and conditioning Coach Ken Mannie.
“The locker room was really cool,” he said. “And the weight room was just amazing.”
“He seems to really know what he’s doing,” he said of Mannie. “He’s really intense, which is really good.”
Dellinger will likely be back on campus in the not-so-distant future as he told Spartan Nation that he plans to camp at Michigan State this summer.
Although Dellinger will undoubtedly receive many more offers over the next three years, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound standout who helped lead his team to a state title as he started as a freshman, said that Michigan State is and likely will continue to be high on his list throughout the recruiting process.
“They’re certainly a high option for me,” he said. “They’re definitely up there as far as where I want to go.”
Stay tuned to Spartan Nation for all of the latest news on Dellinger and the Spartans!
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