As Michigan State fans board their flights traveling West to Seattle, the No.11 Spartans will take on the Washington Huskies in Husky Stadium on Saturday night.

Washington hasn't played a ranked, Power-5, non-conference opponent in Husky Stadium since 2010.

It’s a purple out for the Husky faithful, so the Spartans and their fans can expect a rocking atmosphere.

An environment like this, on the West Coast, is not only an opportunity for the Spartans to flex their muscle and earn a respectable early season win, but also a chance for Mel Tucker and the Spartans to continue to expand their brand. Mel Tucker is all about recruiting presence. This weekend, he brings that presence to Seattle.

SpartanMag.com caught up with Marcus Griffin, the Director of Player Development at Seattle-based Ford Sports Performance, to discuss the importance of the game and the talent in his program to keep an eye on.

Griffin graduated from the University of Arizona in 2018, before spending a season as a graduate transfer at Central Michigan in 2019.

“We are excited to see a great matchup against two teams in a Pac-12 powerhouse and an uprising program in Michigan State. Both programs are heading in the right direction. This game will have a big impact going forward,” Griffin said.

Ford Sports Performance is home to the majority of the top-talent in the state of Washington, and is home to many NFL, collegiate, and high school athletes.

Founded by Tracy Ford, FSP has grown into a training powerhouse. After his playing career, Ford began as a high school strength coach at Bellevue (WA) High, winning the HS national championship with Griffin on the team.

“We find talent at a young age and set them up on a plan for success and develop them as young men," Griffin said. "In the 2023 class, out of the top 30 recruits in Washington 21 were ours. Our impact is felt nationwide. We are valued and we get a first class experience when go to (visit) campuses.”

FSP also has 16 of the top 27 in the 2024 class, including with the No. 2 TE in the country in the class of 2025, T’Andre Waverly.

As Director of Athlete Development, Griffin has many roles in the Ford Sports Performance facility, but arguably his biggest is guiding the high school athletes through the recruiting process. From hosting college coaches inside the facility, to organizing travel for large groups of 30-plus kids to visit schools across the country, Griffin is at the center of the Northwest recruiting scene.

With the help of his athlete development assistant Xavier Banner, along with Frank Murdock and Ryan Clary, Griffin is responsible for bringing groups of recruits to college campuses, including to Husky Stadium on Saturday. They also have the duties of keeping in contact with the athletes, doing mental check-ins, and helping kids create highlight tapes and reach out to college programs.

“We set up the trips and I’ll contact the schools to map out from plan A to plan Z as far as flights, hotels, rentals. I’ll talk to parents and make sure we are all on the same schedule to make it home in one piece, hopefully with some offers," Griffin told SpartanMag.com.

Born in Southern California, Griffin moved North and has spent the most of his life, other than college, in the Seattle area. He began working for FSP once his playing career ended, beginning with program athletes such as Tristan Dunn a current Washington safety, and many others.

“One (athlete) that opened my eyes (at the start) was Mark Nabou. He was a guard committed to UW out of O’Dea high school. He ended up blowing up over the summer going on the road, and committed to Texas A&M and is now traveling as a freshman.”

Griffin also has connections to Michigan State. He spent his graduate transfer season in Mt. Pleasant at CMU. Current Michigan State Strength and Conditioning coach Jason Novak was also at CMU at the time. The Chippewas traveled to East Lansing during Griffin's time there in 2019.

As Michigan State expands its recruiting presence to the Pacific Northwest, Griffin has been in touch with quite a few Spartan coaches.

“I have talked to Jensen (Gebhardt), and Saeed (Khalif),” Griffin said. “I got to see Mel Tucker coach in the Pac-12, and I thought what he did in a year was very impressive. Him having immediate success is not shocking to me. If you look at his coaching tree, he is a Saban and Kirby guy. For him to recreate that in East Lansing does not surprise me.”

During the 2021 recruiting evaluation period, Michigan State had coaches stop into FSP, including former DB coach Tavares Tillman, and Michigan State pass rush coach Brandon Jordan. Griffin also has known Jordan on the training scene for some time. Jordan had stopped into FSP to train before he was hired to Michigan State.

FSP athletes with MSU offers:

“He is a generational talent. 6-foot-5, 319-pounds and he has played RB his whole career before high-school. His athleticism is beyond your typical O-lineman. He is quick, strong, flexible, twitchy, and he can contribute on day one in the right environment,” Griffin said. “He is a kid on the line that creates a wall behind him allowing JB (Jason Brown) to get to the next level and score for six.”

*The following recruits will visit Husky Stadium for the game on Saturday*

“He’s a dynamic athlete. From multiple coaches in the Big Ten I have heard references of a young Johnathan Taylor. He is in a system where he won’t catch a lot of passes or run a lot of routes, so your not seeing the full Jason Brown,” Griffin said. “In the 7v7 circuit for us he runs routes out of the backfield. He has natural hands and he has that second gear he hits and he’s done. He plays corner and a little bit of safety in the past. You can expect him to play some safety this season.”

“In my opinion, he is Elijah Molden 2.0,” Griffin said.

“He has a great work ethic. His father played DB at South Carolina, made an impact there. He knows what it takes to make an impact at the high level and he’s a kid who grinds consistently day in and out. He honestly has had one of the biggest upswings of talents in this off-season,” Griffin said. “He has established himself as a guy, and the successor for Caleb Presley in our program. He hasn’t even scratched the surface on the national stage.”

O’Dea High also has two 2026s on the radar in edge rushers, David Schwerzel, and Fameitau Siale.

O’Dea High takes on Rainier Beach on Friday afternoon. SpartanMag.com will have coverage on the recruits listed above. If MSU coaches make it town soon enough, they could be spotted on the sidelines as well.

Word on the street is that the Michigan State coaches may be checking out Federal Way against Lake Stevens on Friday evening. Here are some guys to watch in the game.

Clark already holds a Michigan State offer.

“He is a two way star. He joined our program last fall. He is extremely valuable. He was an instant impact on both sides of the ball," Griffin said. "He started at nickel and at receiver for us. He is a special teams nightmare. He is electric with the ball in his hand. He is quick and twitchy with a good understanding of what is going on.”

“Long 6-foot-2 corner with Sunday potential. Long arms and legs. Him and Caleb were the two alphas this off-season. Dre only allowed one pass reception in the whole 7v7 circuit.”

Others to watch on Federal Way:

Austin May

Malaki Davis

Maki Piper

Tylin Jackson

Jayden Limar and Jayshon Limar

“Jayden is a Notre Dame commit. Had 300-all purpose yards last week, single handily beating the 3A state record,” Griffin said. “His little brother Jayshon is bigger than his brother already. A linebacker and running-back he is 6-foot-2, 210-pounds and holds offers from Arizona, ASU, and Washington State.”

Cassidy Banks

“2025 corner. He is a little undersized but has that dawg mentality. He is a true freshman who went to the state championship game. We expect him to be a leader and program changer for us at FSP.”