Did visit improve MSU's chances with four-star A&M commitment?

Tyree Johnson gave two reasons why, as a Texas A&M commitment, he elected to take an official visit to Michigan State over the weekend.

“Michigan State is a winning program, and Coach Burton,” Johnson said. “There’s two reasons right there.”

Ron Burton, Michigan State’s defensive line coach, is Johnson’s area recruiter in Washington D.C.

Burton helped secure an official visit from the 6-foot-4, 250-pound Johnson, who is a four-star recruit, ranked the No. 22 weak side defensive end in the country and No. 3 overall in the District of Columbia by Rivals.com.

Johnson committed to Texas A&M in August, but visited Maryland in December and plans to visit A&M next weekend.

“And I will probably Virginia Tech or Auburn the week after,” he said.

Johnson is one of two recruits who visited MSU this past weekend despite being committed elsewhere. The other is Orlando, Fla., linebacker Nicholas Smith. Smith, a 5.5 three-star recruit, was a North Carolina State commitment when he arrived in East Lansing, but changed his status to uncommitted after his visit. Smith has trips set for Florida next weekend and LSU on Jan. 27.

Johnson didn’t alter his status with the Aggies. When asked if he is still committed to Texas A&M, he said, “Yes sir.

“I told them (Texas A&M) that I owed it to myself to take these visits because I worked so hard for them.”

Did the visit to Michigan State increase the Spartans’ chances of ultimately signing Johnson?

“Oh yeah, for sure,” he said. “I like what they’ve got up there.

“It was a great visit. I had a lot of fun with the players and the coaches. It was even better than I thought. I went there and didn’t know what to expect but they did a very good job showing me around and all that.

“I think Ron Burton is a great coach. I like their defensive scheme and Coach D is a great guy.

“I’m still getting to know him. That was my first time meeting him. He seems like a very calm guy.”

Sophomore defensive end Justice Alexander served as Johnson’s player host.

“I was just trying to hang around them, get to know them,” Johnson said. “They were cool guys.

“Justice said he liked it a lot at Michigan State. He said he liked the coaches, and he said Coach Burton is like a father figure with guys, and he really cares for you.

“And I have a good relationship with Coach Burton. As a player, he says I’m a pass rusher, I’m smart and I’ve got some twitch.”

That twitch is clear to see at the :14-second mark of the video below when he skies into the air to bat down a pass, at :22 when he changes direction like a magnet to chase down a power read option, and again at :31 when he personifies the ability to run the hoop to get to the quarterback. On that play, he turns the corner tight and quick, accelerating while defeating centrifugal force to leave the right tackle in the dust and finish the sack.

When complimented for his ability to “run the hoop” and asked if he ever practices that technique, he said: “Actually, I do it all the time. My position coach at my high school, we do run the hoop all the time in my position drills.”

It shows. He’s ahead of the curve, literally, in that aspect of pass rushing - a talent that plenty of four-star recruits lack and will never have the hip and ankle flexibility to achieve. But Johnson has it.

As for that leaping ability, the former basketball player says he was once measured with a 38-inch vertical. He feels his success on the football field is due largely to hard work he is put in off the field.

“I need to keep building up my power and my strength,” he said. “I work out on the field a little bit but most of my time is spent in the gym, or the weight room. I feel the weight training, the speed training is as important or more important than the field work.”

He says he’s eager to visit Texas A&M next weekend.

“I’m comfortable with the coaches there, and we’ve built a very good relationship during the recruiting process and one of my (former) teammates (wide receiver Aaron Hansford) goes there and we talk about how much he likes it. They have good guys there. They have a great defensive coordinator. I like their scheme, and what it does to help defensive ends to be successful, and the SEC.”

Will his final decision be a difficult one?

“I don’t know,” he said. “I will have to sit down with my family and compare and contrast the differences of the schools.”