By JAMIE BAKER
Staff Writer
CAREY — Carey senior Michael Dennis will be going where few Blue Devil football players have gone before.
He’ll continue his athletic career at a Big 10 school.
The Blue Devils’ all-district standout verbally committed to play football at Michigan State University on Friday.
A 6-foot-7, 260-pound tight end/defensive lineman and long-snapper, Dennis is a standout on both the football field and basketball court.
Dennis was an honorable mention Associated Press all-Northwest District selection for the Blue Devils in football last season as a tight end. He was also a second team all-Midland Athletic League pick as a junior and played a key role on last year’s squad that reached the Division VI regional semifinals.
In basketball he was a special mention all-Ohio selection and is just the second Carey player in school history to score more than 1,000 points in his career.
Playing in Carey’s wishbone offense as a tight end, Dennis rarely gets the chance to catch the ball. It’s almost as if he is a third offensive tackle for the Blue Devils.
“In college, he’s going to be asked to pass block a little more but he certainly knows all about run blocking by now,” said Carey head football coach Todd Worst.
“He’s just a great kid. He doesn’t thrive on the attention he receives, he gets his enjoyment out of seeing the team win. He’s really quiet and he’s not the type of kid who’s going to scream or complain.”
Dennis chose Michigan State out of more than a dozen scholarship offers that included Illinois, North Carolina State, Indiana, Iowa State, Maryland, Marshall and most of the schools in the Mid American Conference including Bowling Green, Toledo, Ohio and Miami.
The Spartans have had some success recruiting players from this area over the years.
Junior Marcus Hyde (Fostoria) is a junior defensive back for the Spartans and should be in contention to win a starting spot in the secondary. Another Fostoria graduate, Richard Newsome, played at MSU from 1997-2000 before spending a season in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints.
It’s no wonder college recruiters began knocking on Dennis’ door last spring. He is not only successful on the athletic field, he also gets the job done in the classroom with a 3.35 GPA.
It’s his work ethic, though, that sets him apart.
“He and his dad get all the credit because Michael really did a lot of work on his own to get to play at this level,” Worst said.
Baker: 419-427-8409,
jamiebaker@thecourier.com


It may take a while for the program to really change.
Posted by: Chicago IL CPA | November 11, 2010 at 08:41 PM
The countenance is the portrait of the mind,the eyes are its informers.
Posted by: air jordan shoes | November 10, 2010 at 01:37 AM
We'll see if there are any true changes to the program.
Posted by: Offer in Compromise Tips | October 31, 2010 at 12:10 PM
We certainly wish Micheal great success. Keep your focus for your four years and get that degree too. After football is over, whether that is college or NFL, you will need that degree.
Posted by: az insurance | August 25, 2009 at 06:03 AM
A southern kid going to the big 10? Surprising but hasn't that happened at least every once in awhile?
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