Aydan West is the most recent commit of the Michigan State Spartans 2025 class. A three-star cornerback from Maryland, West has excelled at Quince Orchard High School. Well enough to have earned 21 offers to Divison I schools.
West said to me that the Spartans told him he was a top priority and that head coach Jonathan Smith personally told him he saw West as a game-changing player who could be an integral to the Green and White’s future. Those were likely factors that helped flip West from a 247Sports Crystal Ball favoring Virginia to a hard commit to Michigan State.
It was a remarkable bit of recruiting from cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin, securing West within one month of offering — and one month only to get it done.
I spoke to West’s head coach, John Kelley, around the time of West’s offer. Kelley is as decorated as they come for high school coaches, multiple state championships and over 50 college football players to his name. We discussed Kelley’s star pupil.
Kelley said that West has put on close to 15 pounds this offseason, and is looking “good” physically, as West continues to build a college football-friendly frame.
But it is more than physical traits that will separate West from other freshman corners, and possibly give him a leg up as he steps into what the Spartans coaching staff hopes is a game-changing role on the field. Kelley gave insight into what West can do best.
“Play the ball in the air, on the fly. Just a phenomenal set of ball skills,” Kelley told me. “I think it’s also football IQ too, football awareness, right? He’s also played a lot of football. He’ll come into college with probably close to 40 high school starts, which again, that’s a big number. So I think that will help him a lot as well.”
But there is still another year of high school football to be played before West can don the Green and White. Kelley has high hopes for his star corner.
“I expect him to be kinda our lock-down, eraser corner, as we like to say. Be able to kinda lock down one side of the field for us and let us do different things defensively because of his skillset,” Kelley said. “I think he’s got a lot of position versatility. So where I think he could be a corner I think he could be a nickel, you know, with his length and size and he can run.”
If all of West’s ability can translate to the next level, he could be the game-changing player that is expected.
Michael France is Sports Illustrated’s Michigan State recruiting beat writer, covering all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive Spartans recruiting coverage.
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Publish date : 2024-06-26 09:00:08
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