Michigan prospects earn first offers

The state of Michigan is enjoying one of their best classes for college football talent with the group of 2012 prospects. Already more than 40 players in the state boast FBS offers, and three of those recruits added their first offers within the last week.

The first of the three state of Michigan prospects to pick up a new offer in the last week was Rochester Adams athlete Tony Annese.

"Steve Morrison, the linebackers coach at Eastern Michigan, called my coach and emailed me. They saw my game tape that Friday morning and the next day I called Coach English. They offered me a full ride scholarship and that felt great.

"It's exciting to know that I can go to college for free and play football. It's just a great feeling to get that first one out of the way too, plus Eastern is a great school."

The 6-1, 205-pound Annese could play either side of the football in college, but was offered as a quarterback by Eastern Michigan. He is also receiving strong interest from the likes of Indiana, Purdue, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, Northwestern and Syracuse.

Grand Blanc linebacker Lester Liston Jr. nabbed his first offer on Saturday while taking an unofficial visit to Western Michigan for the Bronco's spring game.

"I got the offer from Western Michigan Saturday night," Liston reported. "I actually went up for their spring game earlier that day and they offered a friend of mine. Later that night they called me and said they were going to offer me too. I was totally shocked by it."

"Western is a nice school and the coaches really care about the kids. They are not Big 10, SEC or Big East, but they play football and that's what I love to do."

The 6-1, 219-pound Liston has been hearing from MAC schools for some time, but he has recently started generating more interest from BCS Conference programs. His friend who was also offered by Western Michigan on Saturday is Grand Blanc safety Jordan Fields, who had previously picked up his first offer from Central Michigan earlier in the week.

Completing the coverage of state of Michigan directional schools, Central Michigan offered Marine City athlete Anthony Scarcelli. That offer also came on Saturday after the Chippewa's spring game.

"Before the spring game I talked to my recruiting coordinator, and he told me to meet him at the locker room doors after the game. We went by there and we talked to Coach Cummings for a little bit, but he didn't tell me anything special.

"Then Coach [Dan] Enos made a beeline towards me and said how I can run, play both sides of the ball and do all that other stuff, then he said, 'that's why I am going to offer you.' He said he knew he was going to offer me since last summer at their one-day [camp] because he knew I was a football player and that's his favorite thing about me."

Central Michigan is primarily looking at the 6-0, 185-pound Scarcelli to come in and play the strong safety position in their defense. He has been receiving heavy interest from most of the MAC this spring, and is starting to hear more from Big 10 programs like Michigan State and Iowa.