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EAST LANSING - Rising junior linebacker Reid Carrico isn’t one to seek the recruiting spotlight, and isn’t big on exposure camps. But he told Michigan State defensive coordinator Mike Tressel three months ago that he would camp with the Spartans this summer, and on Saturday the highly-recruited linebacker from Ironton, Ohio made good on that plan.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Carrico showed quickness and instinctive talent while repping as a middle linebacker as part of MSU’s one-day Elite Camp on Saturday at the Skandalaris Center practice fields.
Carrico, who is likely to be a Top 100 recruit when Rivals.com ranks the class of 2001, has a deep list of offers, including Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame, LSU and Texas.
“I was going to camp at Ohio State last week but I got sick,” Carrico said. “I decided to come up here to Michigan State, like I told Coach Tress.”
The timing worked out well for the Spartans.
“This is going to be my last camp,” he said. “I’m going to be focused on high school ball now.”
Carrico is already experienced in the recruiting game, and it’s not his favorite thing.
“I’ve been to a lot of schools,” he said. “I like it at times and then at other times it gets kind of annoying. I’m a football guy. I’m not really a recruiting guy. You know how it goes; some guys get caught up in the recruiting and stuff like there, but I’m just focused on football.”
The Friday/Saturday visit to Michigan State marked his first time in East Lansing.
“I liked it a lot,” he said. “When I first got here, they said, ‘We don’t blow smoke. We aren’t going to pressure you into a decision. If we’re it then we’re it.’
“I respect that because people who try to press me to commit somewhere else kind of get on my nerves to be honest with you. But it’s straight-up, here. They don’t shoot any b.s. at you and I respect that a lot because that’s the way my coach is.”
His coach is former Spartan fullback and Rose Bowl hero Trevon Pendleton. The 26-year-old Pendleton is heading into his second year as head coach at Ironton.
“Everything my head coach told me was true,” Carrico said. “It’s a family atmosphere here.”
Carrico attended two college football games last year.
“I went to Pitt and that was the first time I went to a game anywhere,” he said. “And I went to Marshall. Marshall is just 30 minutes down the road from where I’m at. I’m way down there, basically in Kentucky.”
More visits will take place this fall.
“I’m going to LSU and probably Wisconsin,” he said. “That’s the two that I know I’m going to go to, but other than that, I’m not sure.”
In the meantime, he’s focusing on Ironton High.
“I just want to be the best leader I can be because I know the team is going to go as I go and it’s my job to lead them no matter what it is, whether we’re working out, playing ball, or 7-on-7, anything like that, we’re working on it little by little every single day,” he said. “We’re looking real good. Last year we had eight sophomores who started and we have 22 returning starters who played at least three games. We’ve got the numbers, we’re going to be really deep.”
At Ironton, Carrico busts through tacklers as a star tailback, and blasts through blockers as a linebacker. He’s a hard-nosed, full-tilt mouth smasher who has the best programs in the country pursuing him for the next level.
Carrico felt satisfied with his performance at the Michigan State camp.
“I think I did pretty good,” he said. “I had a couple of hiccups here and there but this is the first time I have ever camped anywhere. But overall I felt pretty good about my testing and all that stuff. I’m pretty satisfied with it.”
Ironton Football’s official Twitter feed reported that Carrico ran a 4.62 in the 40 at MSU’s camp and vertical jumped 37 inches.
“I just wanted to demonstrate that I have a lot of energy, I like to play with anybody and I like to get to work,” Carrico said.
