Recruiting: Could Spartans land Michigan's best prospect again?

From Freep.com:

Purchase Image

Farmington Hills Harrison wide receiver Aaron Burbridge / DIANE WEISS/DFP

BY MATT DORSEY

DETROIT FREE PRESS SPECIAL WRITER

• 
  

Michigan State has landed the top football recruit in Michigan, according to Rivals.com, the last two years. In 2010, it was Detroit Southeastern defensive end William Gholston and most recently it was Detroit Renaissance linebacker Lawrence Thomas. Could the Spartans make it 3-for-3 in 2012?

Rivals.com has MSU commitment Aaron Burbridge, wide receiver for Farmington Hills Harrison, ranked as the No. 2 player in the state for the class of 2012. He is behind only Michigan commitment Royce Jenkins-Stone, linebacker at Detroit Cass Tech. How well these two perform this fall could go a long way in determining who will be the state’s best recruit on national signing day.

Rivals.com Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt hasn't seen much difference between the two prospects so far this season. 

“There was not much separation between Jenkins-Stone and Burbridge to begin with. Burbridge's stock is rising, while Jenkins-Stone's is not. A change atop the state of Michigan rankings is definitely possible, but we'll keep evaluating these two over the course of the fall.”

Burbridge and Jenkins-Stone are expecting to lead their respective teams deep into the playoffs. Both will get several chances to prove who is the top recruit for 2012.

MSU commitment looking around?

Canton (Ohio) McKinley defensive back Jermaine Edmondson verbally committed to MSU in late July. The three-star prospect selected the Spartans over scholarship offers from Nebraska, Illinois and Louisville. He is expected to have a chance to contribute early in the secondary. 

But several teams, most notably Nebraska, have continued to recruit Edmondson, hoping to get him to change his mind. Recent reports from the Rivals.com network indicate the Cornhuskers are working hard to get Edmondson to take an official visit to Lincoln, Neb. But Edmondson told SpartanMag.com where his allegiance lies.

"I'm Staying with the Spartans and that's final! I'm not going anywhere," Edmondson said. 

Under coach Mark Dantonio, MSU has rarely had to deal with committed players looking at other schools. The staff works hard to build rapport with the recruit before a commitment. The Spartans staff, led by primary recruiter Pat Narduzzi, is aware of the Cornhuskers' efforts towards Edmondson's flipping his commitment. 

Matt Dorsey is a recruiting analyst for SpartanMag.com and Rivals.com.