Michigan State 2024 commits build strong bond at "Spartan Dawg Con," Part I

Michigan State had nine of its 12 current class of 2024 commits back on campus this past weekend for "Spartan Dawg Con."

Those prospects included quarterback Henry Hasselbeck, running back Antony Carrie, wide receiver Nick Marsh, offensive lineman Andrew Dennis, offensive lineman Mercer Luniewski, offensive lineman Charlton Luniewski, defensive back Syair Torrence, defensive back Reggie Powers III and defensive back Camren Campbell.

Michigan State's three remaining commits — defensive back Jaylen Thompson, defensive back/athlete Justin Denson Jr. and offensive lineman Logan Bennett — were unable to make it.

The event brings together former players, 2024 commits, future recruiting targets, current players and current/former coaches to connect with each other and build relationships.

In part one of this two-part feature, Dennis, Hasselbeck and Torrence detail their experiences at "Spartan Dawg Con" and discuss what makes Michigan State special, in their opinions.

For Dennis, who lives in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, roughly just one hour away from East Lansing, the entire weekend was memorable.

Dennis already had previously met every single one of the 2024 commits in person, as he visited campus for nearly every official visit weekend in June. During the most recent trip, he was able to spend time with his classmates and get to know them even more. He also enjoyed seeing some of the commits meet for the first time and build friendships.

Being able to meet all of the former Michigan State players, known as the "Spartan Dawgs," also stood out to Dennis. He was especially thankful to meet former Michigan State running back great Javon Ringer, who now works in MSU's recruiting department and will be inducted into MSU's 2023 Athletics Hall of Fame class in September.

“It was just an all-around great experience,” Dennis said about the "Spartan Dawg Con" event. “We had the photo shoot with all the guys together, and it was just great to hang out with all of the (2024 commits) and meet all of the alumni. Javon Ringer (one of the alumni) is somebody who I watched his highlights growing up. He’s an icon at Michigan State. It was good to see him. He looks like he could still suit up and rush for about 1,500 (yards).

“It was just a great overall event where past, present and future (Spartans) got to meet up and see each other, and put names to faces. Plus with the 2024 guys, I've gotten the opportunity to meet each of them (previously), but it was cool for the others to all be together for the first time and hit it off and click.”

Dennis' relationship with other 2024 commits was already strong. As mentioned, he had previously met each of them at least one time. But it didn't take the others very long to feel comfortable with each other either.

Overall, Dennis feels like the 2024 group is already a family that gets along very well. He says that all of the commits have the same goals, values and work ethic.

“I would say it’s really good,” Dennis said when asked about his relationship with the other 2024 commits. “Being able to meet them already (in the past) definitely helps, but I think it's just an overall great group of guys to be around. Everybody is pumped that we're all together and we're all building something special."

While they have all chatted amongst each other prior to the event, getting to meet each other in person made their connection even stronger. As a group, the 2024 commits used the weekend to learn more about each other, and build a true camaraderie.

“It definitely increased (our bond as a group),” Dennis said about having all of the 2024 commits together in East Lansing. “A lot of these guys hadn’t met each other (beforehand), didn’t really know each other yet, but now they do. So it was just cool to see all the guys meet and get to finally see each other (in person) and hang out, get each other’s vibe.”

For Hasselbeck, he really enjoyed the unveiling of Michigan State's new uniforms on Friday Night at the "Thy Shadows" event, which included new options in green, white and all-black.

"I got to see inside the Wharton Center, which was incredible and saw the new uniforms get released live," Hasselbeck said when detailing his weekend.

Much like Dennis, Hasselbeck throughly enjoyed meeting his classmates in person for the first time, and reconnecting with the fellow commits he had previously met.

Hasselbeck already feels a great bond with his future teammates, and this past weekend really reiterated the feeling that he found the college home he was looking for.

"My favorite part of the trip was just really getting to know the other commits in my class by far," Hasselbeck said. "Our relationships are awesome, it’s a really cool feeling to know you’ll be surrounded by solid friends and great teammates."

Torrence shares similar sentiments. He enjoyed the overall weekend, but the highlight of the trip was having face-to-face time with those he will be sharing a locker room with in the future.

"My favorite part about the trip was really being around all of the other 2024 commits, and building a relationship with them in person instead of on the phone," Torrence noted.

Torrence went on to detail the friendships he has already built with the other class of 2024 commits, and said it felt natural being around them.

"My relationship with my future teammates is great," Torrence said. "We instantly clicked, all good vibes and they're fun to be around."