Spartans leading for state's top-ranked o-lineman, Ka'marii Landers

Michigan State jumped into the lead for Dearborn Fordson's Ka'marii Landers last spring, and the Spartans continue to set the pace for the state’s No. 1-ranked offensive line prospect.

“I’m leaning toward a school heavy right now,” Landers said on Thursday, which happened to be his 17th birthday. “But I have to let it play out, and give myself time and don’t rush into it.”

Is it Michigan State?

“Yeah.”

Why?

“I just fell in love with that coaching staff, their facilities and what they stand for,” Landers said. “I just feel loyal to Michigan State. I don’t know how. I don’t know where it came from. It’s just once they started recruiting me it’s like: Michigan State!”

Michigan, Indiana, Cincinnati, Nebraska, Oregon, Kentucky, West Virginia and MAC schools have followed with offers for Landers, a 5.6 three-star recruit, ranked No. 20 overall in the state by Rivals.com.

“I’ve always been a guy that wanted to go out of state my whole life,” Landers said. “I told myself when I go to college, I’m going out of state. But now that it’s here, there’s this feeling that I got to go to Michigan State.”

But he’s not ready to pull the trigger yet. On Monday, the first day coach could phone recruits in this contact period, he received calls from Nebraska, Cincinnati, Michigan, Kentucky and Toledo.

He has a virtual visit scheduled with Michigan State on Saturday. He has had virtual visits with Oregon and Nebraska.

“Everybody’s dream is probably to visit Oregon, going to see that facility,” he said. “That’s probably one of my goals.

“I like Kentucky’s culture and a lot of their guys are real cool.”

There is talk that the NCAA could open things up for unofficial and official visits this spring. For now, Landers - like the rest of the recruits in the country - has to peruse most campuses through a video screen.

“My virtual visit with Nebraska was about a month ago and I like their facilities and coaching staff,” Landers said. “Their coaches are some of the coolest guys around. I like Nebraska, it was a good thing.

“I had one set up with Michigan but they are going through their whole coaching change process so we have to get it scheduled.

“I did one with Oregon. I got one with Cincinnati in the next two weeks.

“The virtual visits, I wish I was at the school in person, obviously, but it’s the best they can do so you’ve got to work with it in this world that we’re living in right now with everything virtual.”

Landers has been to Michigan State’s campus.

“I went up to Michigan State last fall, but it wasn’t like a real visit because of COVID,” he said. “I went up with a couple of teammates and my best friend, whose dad drove us up there.We were just walking about.

“We saw the campus and looked closer. I wasn’t able to go in and check out all the facilities and all that, but that’s coming sooner or later.”

Michigan State offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic is the Spartans’ primary recruiter for Landers.

“He was the first person I talked to on Monday,” Landers said. “I was on my way to the gym so we couldn’t talk that much but we talked about five minutes, talked about me coming there or whatever.”

And Mel Tucker?

“I talked to him just now on Twitter,” Landers said. “I haven’t had a phone call with him fully yet though.”

As for a timetable on a decision, Landers said: “Mothers Day at the latest. No later than that.”

But something could happen sooner.

At 6-foot-4, 310, Landers is an interior powerhouse. He plays with tremendous strength, rough-housing defenders sometimes with apparent ease.

His feet are exceptionally quick, especially for all that weight he is carrying.

“Yeah, I hear that a lot, that I have really good feet,” he said.

Where did that come from?

“I don’t know,” he said. “I really don’t.”

People assume he played basketball or soccer as a kid. Nope.

“The only sport I ever played is football,” he said.

Landers knows that some of that weight needs to come off and be reshaped.

“I’ve been in the gym, I’m cutting down my weight, trying to get my playing weight down to 295, trying to get more muscle,” he said. “I started going to the gym three weeks ago. I work out with my friend and his dad. I was at 322. Now I’m down to 310. I’m trying to get to 295.”

He has a positive upside, with coaches forecasting what he will look like after a year or two in a college conditioning program.

Landers’ highlight reel includes a few plays on defense. He dispatches blockers like mosquitos when he plays on that side of the ball.

“Kentucky tells me they want me to play a little defense,” he said. “I hear I’m good at defense, but I don’t work it as much as I work on my offensive game.

“I just played it here and there because I had an ankle injury, but when they need me out there, I’m out there. But I’m starting next year on defense, and taking that more serious.”

Landers’ pass blocking is still under construction. His quick feet will give him a chance to prosper in that area, but he’s not there yet. The good news is that he is aware of his weaknesses.

“I feel like my pass blocking isn’t as good as my run blocking,” he said. “I can pass block, but it can be way better. When we’re running the ball, I feel like I can dominate you and destroy whoever is in front of me.

“Coach Kap likes my run blocking; we’re going to work on developing my pass blocking, getting stronger up top and all that.”

As for his birthday plans on Thursday evening?

“I’m going to go out to eat," he said, "come back to the crib, chill with some of my friends."