Trieu: MSU target Harrison has look of ‘superstar’
Michigan State offered Olentangy (Ohio) Orange defensive end Zach Harrison in January. Still just a sophomore, that was Harrison’s fifth offer at the time and since the Spartans offered, nearby Ohio State, Stanford, Kentucky and Wisconsin have offered to go along with Notre Dame, Michigan, Penn State and more.
That early offer from the Spartans looks like it was a good move.
On Sunday, at The Opening Regional in Cleveland, Harrison validated their confidence in him in a big way. He measured over 6-foot-5, 242 pounds and at that size, clocked a 4.62 in the 40-yard dash. That time was faster than the vast majority of skill players at the camp.
That does not mean Harrison is just a great tester, either. These results only back up the sophomore season he had, where he was an impact guy for Orange at both tight end and defensive end.
“He looks like a future All-American,” Scout recruiting analyst Bill Greene said. “It was my first time seeing him in person and I was blown away by the skill set. He has the look of a future five-star kid.”
Olentangy is just north of Columbus. It is Buckeye country.
That said, Michigan State has recruited that area well in the past, signing two offensive linemen, Luke Campbell from Olentangy High School and A.J. Arcuri from Olentangy Liberty, in the 2016 class. This week, they received a commitment from Liberty linebacker Edward Warinner.
In Harrison’s case, however, the Buckeyes have made it clear to him that he is a priority and so have other major programs from the Midwest, setting up an interesting race for the next two years.
“I would say Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame are some schools that are sticking out to me at this time,” Harrison stated. “With Ohio State, I like them a lot and they are telling me they want me really bad.”
Harrison was recently in East Lansing and holds a high opinion of the Spartans and their staff.
“I also visited Michigan State and really liked it,” he said, “because I think a lot of Coach Dantonio.”
It is very early, so right now, it is difficult to predict where he will go to school. What is known is that he has as much upside as any sophomore in the Midwest, and whichever school ends up with him will have a high-level talent to work with.
“From what I saw and from talking to the kid, he has everything he needs to be a superstar,” Greene said. “All the boxes are checked. Now it’s up to him to push himself to the limit to become the best he can be.”
That message is one Harrison already has taken to heart.
“Honestly, I’m not really focused on recruiting right now all that much,” he said. “I’m more focused on my grades and my high school football career. If I do what I’m supposed to do, all this stuff will take care of itself.”
Warinner makes it official
When Michigan State offered Powell (Ohio) Olentangy Liberty linebacker Edward Warinner, he referred to it as his “family school.” His father coached there and his mother attended school there, and now, Warinner will as well as he made his verbal commitment to the Spartans on Wednesday.
“He fits the Michigan State system perfectly,” Scout’s Bill Greene said. “He is a high-energy overachiever that plays with a chip on his shoulder. He is the smartest player on the field and has learned the game from his father and successful high school program.”
Warinner becomes the Spartans’ fifth verbal commitment in the 2018 class. He is the third from Ohio.
Spartans offer Georgia end
Torey Zanders, a 6-foot-3, 240-pound defensive end from Monroe (Ga.) Walton Academy, was offered by Michigan State on Thursday.
Zanders holds additional offers from Appalachian State, Eastern Kentucky and Western Kentucky.
He also played on Walton Academy’s basketball team this winter.
More information
Allen Trieu began covering the state of Michigan for Scout.com in 2005 and began managing the entire Midwest in 2009. He has been featured on the Big Ten Network on its annual Signing Day Show. His Michigan and Michigan State recruiting columns appear weekly at detroitnews.com.