Every year a new crop of high school football players are being recruited. Each one of them has a different set of tastes, preferences, and criteria that go into choosing a college. In the end, what are the deciding factors for each prospect?
For recent Michigan State commit, Charles Brantley, it was the relationship he built with defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett. Barnett was the first to offer Brantley after a summer camp he attended at Florida State last summer.
At the time, Barnett was the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Florida State. He joined Mel Tucker’s new staff in February after Mark Dantonio stepped down. Barnett re-offered Brantley for the same opportunity at Michigan State in early March. Over the last month and half, Brantley has also developed a great relationship with Mel Tucker.
Michigan State’s 10th Commit
Brantley is a 6’0 170-pound corner from Venice High School in Florida. He is the 10th commit to the Spartans’ 2021 recruiting class. He had a lot of options securing offers from Louisville, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Duke, Virginia, Indiana, and Boston College to name a few.
Jeremiah 29:11 ??@brantley_arthur @Coach_mtucker @lisabenchaim @HarlonBarnett @Blizzm305 @ROD727 @gridironjrj pic.twitter.com/gvAqDmSp7Q
— cinco5™️?? (@cbrantley22) April 30, 2020
Some college coaches like to take a wait and see type approach when recruiting certain players. Once that player gets a few offers and they are more comfortable, they will extend their offer. It can go either way, but not in Brantley’s case.
First to Offer
If a college coach trusts his own evaluation and they do the necessary homework to learn more about the prospect, why wait? Being the first to offer has a lot of advantages. It could even be the ultimate reason why you land a high-level prospect over a rival team.
When you are the first, you are showing that prospect you believe in his ability and are willing to put your money where your mouth is by backing it up with an offer. You are not offering because other college offers reassure you, or make you more comfortable to extend one.
Every prospect remembers the first offer and it has a special spot inside them as they navigate through all the clutter and noise. Brantley obviously didn’t care about the distance from Florida to East Lansing. The relationship, opportunity, and belief in his abilities from Barnett and Tucker outweighed that con.
Spartan Nation Should Be Excited
Michigan State fans should have a lot to be excited about with Brantley being a future Spartan. He excelled against some of the top tier programs in the country. According to our own Top 25 National Rankings, he played against #2 St. Thomas Aquinas, #4 St. Francis Academy (MD), and #6 IMG Academy.
On the season, Brantley had 83 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and a team high 7 interceptions in 13 games. If you really want to see how dynamic Brantley is as a prospect, check out his 2 kickoff returns for touchdowns. Venice finished the season with an 8-5 overall record.
On the field, Brantley is an elite talent even though a few of the national recruiting outlets haven’t rated him high. His speed and athleticism, skill level, and versatility on film prove he should be ranked higher. This is exactly that little chip on the shoulder that has motivated some Spartans in the past to rise above and prove the naysayers wrong.
EFN Evaluation
Charles’ EFN player rating grade is a 92. He is smooth backpedaling, fast, fluid, and can change directions. He is effective lining up off the ball and he will press you. He is quick to break on the ball and challenges receivers. Brantley’s production was outstanding in 2019, both in picking off passes and the number of tackles he made. He is always looking to make plays and find different ways to cause turnovers. He has natural instincts, ball skills, and is a gamer.
Brantley will definitely make an impact early in his career and has the talent to be an All-Big 10 caliber player before he is done. These are the types of players Michigan State needs to compete with Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan for the East Division crown.
