Ohio TE Spartans' 12th in '09 class

Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio is on a recruiting roll. For the third time in five days, he has received a verbal commitment from a highly touted prospect.

Tight end Derek Hoebing from Vermilion, Ohio, became the 12th member of the 2009 recruiting class Sunday night when he committed to MSU just minutes after receiving a scholarship offer.

"I performed real well at (MSU's) camp, so I kind of had a feeling I was going to get an offer," Hoebing said. "So I was told to call back tomorrow (Sunday), which I did, talked to coach Dantonio and he offered me and I committed right away."

Hoebing's verbal pledge follows the commitments of Canal Fulton (Ohio) Northwest offensive lineman Nate Klatt on Wednesday and Detroit Country Day wide receiver Bennie Fowler on Saturday.

The 6-foot-6, 245-pounder chose MSU over Maryland. He also received scholarship offers from Virginia, Northwestern, Akron, Miami (Ohio) and Eastern Michigan.

"Maryland was my top choice until I went to State's camp. Location was a key factor for me though. Instead of a six-hour drive, it's only three. Plus, the coaches and campus were really nice and playing in the Big Ten was too good to pass up."

Hoebing said MSU offensive coordinator Don Treadwell and offensive line coach Dan Roushar were his main recruiters. Treadwell and Roushar had visited Vermilion throughout the year and have remained in close contact with him.

In addition to the player-recruiter relationship, Treadwell's history with Vermilion coach Frank Horvath played a role as well.

"Coach Treadwell and I have gotten to know each other over the years. He has recruited our area quite a bit," Horvath said. "He sat and talked with us and was up front about their interest in Derek. I thought all the coaches from Michigan State represented the school very well."

Rivals.com has Hoebing listed as a two-star offensive lineman. Due to his size, some of the schools recruited Hoebing as an offensive tackle prospect, but the opportunity to play tight end was one of the reasons he chose MSU.

"Virginia recruited me as an offensive tackle, but MSU recruited me as a tight end. And with the style they play, they like to throw to the tight end." Hoebing said.

After seeing players from his program go on to play college football and in some cases the NFL, Horvath said he has no doubt that Hoebing can succeed.

"He has great feet and a great set of hands. He will only get bigger and stronger," Horvath said. "He is going to play 4-5 years up there (MSU) and give tremendous effort. He is the type of kid who has great character. He's a great student. Michigan State will never have trouble with him."

Hoebing, with a 3.7 GPA, will graduate in June 2009 with the rest of his high school class instead of graduating early to arrive on campus in time for spring practice.