Sports: Football Recruits Boast Size, Speed

On Feb. 5, the signing day for football recruits, Nick Saban said his 1997 recruits are 'the most athletic class we've had.' Because the NCAA probation limited MSU to 18 scholarships, Saban and his assistant coaches looked more for quality rather than developmental potential, especially with the linemen. A common denominator with this year's class was size, speed and athletic ability--'linebacker types who can play in special teams,' in Saban's words. 'We're very pleased and happy with this group of young men,' sums up Saban. 'There's a lot of flexibility in terms of the positions they can play and that bodes well for the future of this program.'

TE Chris Baker 6'4" 250lb Saline

DB/WR Duron Bryan 6'0" 185lb Lexington Park, MD

DT Willie Comerford 6'4" 280lb St. Petersburg, FL

QB Lorenzo Guess 6'3" 190lb Wayne

TB Herb Haygood 6'0" 180lb Sarasota, FL

DB Renaldo Hill 5'11" 170lb Detroit

LB Matt Kropf 6'4" 220lb Traverse City

QB Matt Mauck 6'3" 220lb Jasper, IN

TE/LB Ivory McCoy 6'4" 225lb Chicago, IL

LB Ben Meloche* 6'3" 225lb Beloeil, Quebec

LB Joel Mesman 6'3" 245lb Grand Rapids

DE Nick Meyers 6'4" 255lb Springfield, OH

OL Shawn Murphy 6'5" 285lb Cincinnati, OH

WR/DB Demont Smith 5'11" 175lb Grand Rapids

OL Josh Smith 6'5" 275lb O'Fallon, IL

DL Artie Steinmetz 6'5" 275lb Edgewood, KY

WR/DB DeMario Suggs 6'0" 185lb Toledo, OH

LB T.J. Turner 6'4" 240lb Hillsboro, OH

DT Marty Wensel 6'4" 275lb Slatington, PA

*Already enrolled, will count as 1996 Scholarship