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Michigan State Recruiting: 10 priority 2017 football targets to watch for

By Connor Muldowney

Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio celebrates after the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Conference football championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Michigan State won 16-13. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio celebrates after the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Conference football championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Michigan State won 16-13. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 14, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans linebacker Darien Harris (45) prepares for the snap of the ball during the 1st quarter of a game against the Maryland Terrapins at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans linebacker Darien Harris (45) prepares for the snap of the ball during the 1st quarter of a game against the Maryland Terrapins at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports /

You might be asking why a three-star linebacker is so high up on this list, but when you see his highlights, you’ll realize he looks more like a five-star than anything. Antjuan Simmons is a local product who recently put the Spartans in his top-10 list and he’s developing a solid relationship with Mark Dantonio and the rest of the staff still.

The second I bought into Simmons coming to Michigan State and fitting in right away with the hard-nosed Spartans defense was when I saw a video of his bone-crushing his in a scrimmage last summer/fall. The three-star linebacker is non-stop aggressive and plays his heart out 100 percent of the time — even in scrimmages.

Michigan State loves aggressive players who love to lay a licking on opponents, and Simmons could be that guy. He’s so severely underrated that it’s almost criminal he’s still a three-star recruit.

Simmons has accrued offers from the likes of Georgia, Arizona State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Miami, LSU, Louisville, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pitt, Texas A&M, UCLA, Tennessee, West Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, among others. His list of offers is so impressive, and vast, that he could go anywhere he wants.

Antjuan is ranked the No. 360 overall player and the 29th-best outside linebacker in the 2017 class, according to 247Sports.

Next: 4. Josh Ross, ILB

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