Georgia tight end commits to Spartans

It has been a tense two weeks for Georgia tight end David Duran, who committed to Cincinnati before finding his football future in a state of limbo when Mark Dantonio and his staff left UC for Michigan State.

"The toughest thing for me was waiting to see if I would have a scholarship at Michigan State," said Duran, who left his official visit the weekend of December 1 without a Spartan offer. "I feel a sense of relief and excitement now that it is over. I am very happy that I'll be playing for Michigan State."

Prior to his official visit on Dec. 1, Duran was told that there was a good possibility that he would receive a scholarship offer during his official visit. Duran did not get an offer because his senior highlight tape did not contain enough footage of him blocking.

Duran submitted an expended tape when his recruiting coach Dave Warner dropped in at his high school last Friday. The tape showed footage of Duran during his junior season when he was called upon to block an opposing defensive end that eventually signed with South Carolina.

Footage of that game, believes Duran, is the reason he'll be wearing green and white on Saturday's next fall.

"Coach Dantonio said that after he saw that film, he knew that I could block a Big Ten defensive end," said Duran. "He offered me a scholarship and I committed on the spot."

Michigan State beat out Cincinnati, East Carolina, Southern Miss, Akron, Central Michigan, and Hawaii for Duran's services.

Purdue and Southern Miss both stopped by Duran's high school during the last 14 days.

All the schools recruiting him, have told Duran that they like his pass-catching ability and his athleticism.

The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Duran said he did not find it difficult to chance his commitment from Cincinnati to Michigan State.

"It wasn't difficult because I liked the coaches that were at UC that left to go to Michigan State," Duran said. "Coach Dantonio and my position coach Mark Staten are great guys and people that I want to play for. The hard part was watching them move from Cincinnati to Michigan State. But I knew that if they were going to give me the chance to play at Michigan State, I was going to take it."

Duran is excited about playing an offense that utilizes the tight end frequently. "That is something I am looking forward to," he said. "They use the tight end a lot. I really need to work on getting bigger, stronger, and faster if I am going to get on the field as freshman."

Michigan State has also received commitments from Ohio tight ends Garrett Celek and John Hughes. Each of Michigan State's three tight end recruits possess the versatility to project at a number of positions down the road.

Duran met Celek during his official visit to Michigan State. "I am looking forward to getting to know him a little bit more and getting to know all of the guys I am playing with," said Duran.

Duran and Celek will get a chance to get to know each other a little bit more when they move up to Michigan State in the summer.

Duran plays for the same high school coach, Irv Sigler, that Michigan State sophomore linebacker Andrew Hawken played for at Grandville (Mich.) High School. Sigler left Grandville after Hawken's senior year to pursue a coaching opportunity in suburban Atlanta.

Hawken hosted Duran on his official visit two weekends ago.