Gaines commits to MSU as CB
Three-star athlete Kaleel Gaines of Frostproof (Fla.) will be a Michigan State Spartan. The 6-foot, 170-pound Gaines made the Spartans coaching staff aware on Sunday evening. He plans on competing for playing time as a freshman at cornerback.
"I took a visit up there in early June," Gaines said. "I got to spend time with the coaches and players and I felt like I was at home. I felt like this was the best decision for me and my family."
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The Spartans beat out the other schools in Gaines' top five, including Auburn, Alabama, Florida State and Nebraska.
"I like their defense and I feel like they can help me excel in my game and get me to where I want to be, which is the NFL," Gaines said. "They like to play a lot of bump and run and that's what I'm best at. And they have openings at cornerback so I should be able to compete for a spot."
Gaines' visit to Michigan State was the first time he'd been there.
"It was a beautiful place," he said. It was nice - a good weight room, campus, stadium. I'll have to adjust (being way from home), but I'm good with it. My mom can get there and I should be fine."
Gaines said he wasn't planning on taking any official visits other than to Michigan State. He plans on returning to Michigan State for an official visit for either the Nebraska (Oct. 4), Michigan (Oct. 25) or Ohio State (Nov. 8) game.
Playing both ways for Frostproof, Gaines rushed for 700 yards, had 314 receiving yards and totaled 15 touchdowns. On defense, he had 92 tackles and five forced fumbles.
Adam Krohn is a Southeast Region football recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter.