Michigan State 2024 commits react to "Spartan Dawg Con," Part II

Michigan State's third annual "Spartan Dawg Con" last weekend brought back several former players and coaches to connect with current players, staff members and coaches, 2024 commits and recruiting targets in future classes.

MSU had nine of its 12 current class of 2024 commits return to campus for the event.

In part one of this two-part feature, offensive lineman Andrew Dennis, quarterback Henry Hasselbeck and and defensive back Syair Torrence provided their thoughts on the "Spartan Dawg Con" experience.

In part two here, Spartans Illustrated spoke to offensive lineman Mercer Luniewski, offensive lineman Charlton Luniewski and defensive back Reggie Powers III to get their opinions on the big event and their overall feelings regarding Michigan State.

Additionally, running back Antony Carrie, wide receiver Nick Marsh and defensive back Camren Campbell were in East Lansing last weekend as well.

Of course, Mercer Luniewski and Charlton Luniewski are twin brothers. They have the benefit of being able to experience things together, and the fact that Michigan State truly wanted both players to join the program played a big role in their commitments.

The recent visit to East Lansing for "Spartan Dawg Con" once again proved to the twins that they made the best decisions for their futures by committing to MSU.

"I think the biggest takeaway from the whole visit really was just what we already knew," Mercer explained. "I think the whole visit just reaffirmed our feelings of the place and the people and the environment there. I think definitely the most significant thing for us there was the area. We got to explore East Lansing more in depth and spend some time with the student body. We went to a couple get-togethers, but definitely just got to meet people and see their opinions on everything and just feel that energy around East Lansing. It was intoxicating. It was gorgeous."

Mercer enjoyed connecting with the Michigan State coaches, including head coach Mel Tucker, assistant head coach/offensive line coach/run game coordinator Chris Kapilovic, assistant offensive line coach Jacob Lail and other staff members. He also appreciated the time he spent with fellow commits and current players.

His favorite activity during the event was the scavenger hunt, which Charlton really enjoyed as well.

"We got to spend much more time with the staff," Mercer said. "We definitely got to meet a lot more players, meet our O-line group more. We had a a scavenger hunt on the last day. That was Saturday. It was super well organized, we gotta give it up to the creative team there. That was another time where we got to see campus in more detail, learn more about the campus and its history. We rode around on golf carts, got to see historical spots and cooperate with previous 'Spartan Dawgs' and future recruits. It was a lot of fun. The vibe there is just unbelievable. We're incredibly excited, if not more excited, to get back up there."

For Charlton, the sense of family is what really stood out. He was able to reconnect with some of the commits he had met previously, and introduce himself to the ones he was not yet acquainted with.

Charlton also felt that seeing so many former MSU football players in attendance really illustrated the culture at Michigan State.

"For me, the most significant part is just it felt like a family get-together," Charlton said. "Some of the recruits I had had already met and I was pretty familiar with them, but also the guys I hadn't met already, it's just we clicked instantly. There's some sort of energy, some sort of bonding that Michigan State enables. It's just the culture piece. We loved being around the previous 'Spartan Dawgs' as well. They shared their sentiment about the program previously and it seems like we really haven't deviated much from the core values of Michigan State, even back then."

Every time Charlton and Mercer return to Michigan State, they find new reasons to admire it.

"It was just great to get around campus, and I think the more time we spend up there, the more we'll fall in love with Michigan State, if that's even possible," Charlton said. "I thought the scavenger hunt was also a lot of fun and we had some great food as well."

Powers shared similar sentiments. He explored more of campus and learned more about the school, but the highlight of his trip was being able to spend quality time with his classmates.

"I got to see more of the campus and stuff that I didn’t see before with the buildings and other things around campus," Powers said about the trip. "My favorite part was being able to meet some of the other 2024 commits I’ve never met before and spending more time with the commits I already did meet."