Michigan State targets at Best of Midwest

There were five prospects with publicly-known Michigan State scholarship offers who participated in the Best of the Midwest camp on Sunday in Indianapolis.

Some insight on how each performed over the weekend and the latest on each player's recruitment:

Williams didn't have to travel far for this camp. In fact it was held in his hometown of Westfield, Ind. Williams was impressive and won most of his reps against the offensive linemen he encoungered. He even won a few against highly touted Rivals100 4 star OT Kiyaunta Goodwin and won a battle versus DJ Moore, a four-star recruit and Rivals250 prospect.

Williams has been a focal point of recruiting for Spartan fans lately. Last week, he told me Michigan State is his leader. I believe it was the truth then ,and it's the truth now. Nebraska is pushing hard and Penn State, Louisville, and Alabama are there knocking on the door. Michigan State has done a fantastic job getting the early edge in this one, and it could pay dividends later with this rising prospect.

Running backs are hard to judge in a camp setting, with no chance for ball carriers to elude or break tackles, and Johnson faced that dilemma on Sunday along with the other running backs at the event.

On film, Johnson plays big, fast, and physical. He doesn't go down easily and often breaks tackles on his way to the end zone.

As far as his recruitment, he told me he speaks with MSU running backs coach William Peagler weekly and that the conversations are always good.

Michigan State is recruiting several running backs but the fact that the Spartans are still recruiting Johnson shows he's a potential option. Iowa State looks like they may have the early lead on Johnson although other schools such as Kentucky, Missouri, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh are all viable options as well. But it's not too late for Michigan State to catch up if they prioritize Johnson.

Goodwin came to the camp Sunday walking around in sweat pants and a sweatshirt to support some of his teammates rather than compete. However, the competitor inside of him wouldn't allow him to remain a spectator. He suited up for the one-on-one drills and won nearly every one.

Goodwin is long, physical, a competitor and a mauler. There is a reason he's one of the rare recruits that has amassed more than 50 early offers.

Goodwin is an Ohio State lean right now. Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Penn State, Texas, USC are just a handful of schools vying for his talents.

Michigan State fans might look at that offer list and assume the Spartans have too much to overcome in this recruitment. But Goodwin told me he is interested in Michigan State and likes what they're doing. He said Michigan State offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic is intense and a great o-line coach.

Michigan State will have to beat several blue bloods to sign Goodwin. But the Spartans are at least setting themselves up to have a chance. Goodwin is intrigued by Mel Tucker, and has had good conversations with Michigan State's head coach to this point. Michigan State has its foot in the door.

Shepard is a big, strong and fast 6-foot-3, 295-pound lineman who excels at both offensive line and defensive line. On Sunday at the Best of the Midwest, he showed why he plans on focusing on defense in college.

He is explosive with a quick first step and often beats offensive linemen as soon as the ball is snapped. Shepard committed to Cincinnati in December. However, this hasn't stopped programs from reaching out to him. Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State, and Missouri are the schools he mentioned, so it may be a longshot for the Spartans to cut into that lead. But he does have an Michigan State offer. SpartanMag.com will continue to monitor this situation and report on where he sits on Michigan State's wish list.

Arguably one of the fastest receivers not only in the Midwest, but in the entire country, Saunders was running around 4.31 in the 40-yard dash on Sunday. He has elite speed, and like the old saying goes, you can't teach speed. Saunders committed to Penn State over 23 offers, including one from Michigan State. Saunders is another long-shot for MSU as the Spartans' contact has been limited. Notre Dame, Florida State and Oregon are pressing hard for Saunders to flip in their favor.

At off-season recruiting camps, most the time writers tend to focus on the guys that have multiple offers. But each spring and summer, players rise up from the regional t-shirt camps and foreshadow the potential to garner scholarship interest when they attend college camps. These two players are ones to keep an eye on:

Elzy is good. Real good. He was offered by Michigan over a year ago and hasn't had any new offers since, but that should change soon. Elzy is a true technician at WR and is as good as anyone with his routes. He's long and has great hands.

Elzy told me he's heard from Notre Dame, Northwestern, Florida State, and Washington State. He also stated that he's interested in Clemson and called them his dream school. I have a feeling Elzy is going to see his recruitment blow up soon.

Carroll came in with five offers from Indiana, Cincinnati, Boston College, Ball State, and Toledo, but many more offers may be on the horizon. Carroll has excellent length and shows patience as a DB. He also excels at playing man-to-man and press jamming. Carroll told me he hasn't had contact with Michigan State, although Notre Dame, Northwestern, Louisville, Missouri, and Illinois have all recently reached out to Carroll.