Latest commitment says MSU 'was unbeatable'
In a prep football world of hat dances and video commitments, Mark Dantonio and Harlon Barnett received a refreshing dose of old-school, face-to-face, coach-to-family recruiting on Thursday when Georgia prospect Connor Heyward gave them a surprise commitment during an in-home visit in Suwanee, Ga.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Heyward, of Suwanee (Ga.) Peachtree Ridge High, is a three-star recruit, ranked No. 84 in Georgia by Rivals.com. He committed to Michigan State over Pittsburgh, Louisville and Vanderbilt.
He had offers from those schools, plus Iowa, Arizona State, Boston College, Kentucky, Georgia Tech, Maryland and others.
Michigan State recruited him primarily as an outside linebacker, with ability to play slot receiver as well.
Heyward is the son of the late, great Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, who starred at the University of Pittsburgh and in the NFL.
Hey is also the brother of former Ohio State and current Pittsburgh Steeler defensive lineman Cameron Heyward.
Heyward took his first and only official visit last weekend to Michigan State. He said he knew when he left campus on Sunday with his mother and step-father that Michigan State was the place for him.
“It was the best fit for me and my family and it was just an amazing place so why not go ahead and commit?” Heyward said. “I knew that was the best fit for me right when I left campus.”
What was amazing about it?
“Just the people, the situation, the academics, everything,” he said. “It was unbeatable.”
He talked it over for a few days with his family. He and his mother planned to make the commitment during Thursday’s in-home visit with Dantonio and Barnett.
Dantonio and Barnett watched Heyward’s basketball practice on Thursday and then visited his home.
“I gave them hints (that I might commit) but I didn’t officially tell them I was going to commit until today,” Heyward said on Thursday evening. “In the middle (of the in-home visit), my mom was like, ‘So now you can tell them, Connor.’
“And I basically told them, ‘I’ll be attending Michigan State University.’
“And Coach Dantonio and Coach Barnett stood up and gave me a hug as well as my mother and my (younger) brother.”
“I felt like I got the monkey off my back.”
Heyward is the second linebacker commitment in the class, joining Darien Clemons, the No. 40-ranked player in Ohio.
Dave Warner and Jim Bollman served as Michigan State’s primary area recruiters for Heyward. Heyward said he began hearing from Warner and Michigan State during his junior year. Michigan State offered a scholarship in early November after evaluating his senior film.
Heyward had 72 tackles and three interceptions while playing safety and linebacker as a senior. He also had more than 40 catches as a wide receiver on offense, with 19 touchdowns.
He counts an eight-tackle, three-touchdown game, along with 129 yards of offense against Peachtree Ridge’s arch rival, as the most memorable moment of his senior season.
The fluid, athletic, versatile Heyward had 16 points during his team’s basketball game on Tuesday night. He led his team in rebounds, assists, blocked shots and steals last year.
Now, Heyward will have to tell visiting coaches that he is no longer considering their schools.
“I’ve had a lot of coaches coming into my school this week,” Heyward said. “But I don’t want to take any more visits.”
Which schools visited earlier this week?
“Everybody,” he said. “Pitt was there yesterday. This week, Louisville visited, and Cincinnati, Memphis, Penn State.
“I was trying to set up visits (with them), but then I didn’t see the point of setting them up if I am not going to go there, and wasting my time and their time.”
Pitt was regarded as the early leader. Heyward camped at Pitt last summer and played host to an in-home visit with a Panther assistant coach on Wednesday. With his father having starred at Pitt, and his brother in town playing for the Steelers, many regarded the Panthers as the team to beat.
“I think they (Pitt) thought I was going to go there but I feel as if they got way too comfortable and just thought it was a no-brainer that I was going to go there and they just stopped putting in the effort,” Heyward said.
Hayward took unofficial visits to Pitt, Louisville, Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt. He attended Louisville’s spring game in April.
Last weekend’s trip to Michigan State was his first visit to the school.
What did his mother and step-father think of MSU?
“They liked everything, to be honest,” he said. “It was so breath-taking.”
East Lansing’s chilly December weather wasn’t a problem for a Georgia guy?
“No sir,” Heyward said.
How did Cameron Heyward feel about his brother’s decision to commit to Michigan State?
“I don’t think he was very surprised because I think he trusts Coach Dantonio,” Heyward said of his brother. “Even though the program had a bad year this year, he knows that they’ll be good again.
“He talked to me and said you can only go to college once and to make it the best fit for you and don’t let anybody else make that decision for you. He said to take full advantage of everything.”
Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, who played 11 years in the NFL, rushed for more than 4,000 yards, and became a marketing favorite after a series of nationwide Zest soap commercials, passed away due to cancer at the age of 39 when Connor was 7-years-old. Connor's mother, Charlotte, and step-father, Rick Hollifield, accompanied Connor during his visit to Michigan State.
During his visit, Heyward had film sessions with coaches on both sides of the ball.
“I watched film with Coach Tressel of outside linebacker play,” he said. “And I also watched film with Coach Warner and Coach Dantonio of playing slot receiver and some running back.
“Coach Tressel said he could see me as an athletic outside linebacker who could run and play outside the box, or could play inside because of how big I am.
“Coach Dantonio said he liked that I’m a football player and I have good instincts and I have good football IQ and he said I’m versatile and can do a lot of things on the field.
“Coach Warner and Coach Dantonio showed me what they thought I could do in the slot and on sweeps and running different routes to get open from that position, whether they are shallow routes or dig routes.”
Heyward said he had no preference as to which side of the ball he wants to play.
And the Spartans just wanted to make sure he chose green.
“They just made me feel like a priority,” Heyward said, “and they really saw me as a great addition to the team.”