Spartans receiving corps to blame for poor performances

Via Lansing State Journal

By Sean Gagnier

EAST LANSING- Some blame for the Spartans loss to Notre Dame definitely should be heaped on QB Andrew Maxwell, he locked onto receivers and made some poor throws, but as the Spartans game with Eastern Michigan showed, it's the receivers who are running this team into the ground.

During the game with Notre Dame coach Mark Dantonio said he grew impatient of waiting for the run game to get going and instead went to the passing game, which due to the incredibly poor play of the receiving corps cost Michigan State the game.

Maxwell didn't look great against Notre Dame, but he certainly wasn't as bad as the numbers implied, his receivers dropped 10, yes 10, passes. Last checked, receivers were supposed to actually catch the ball. But apparently, Bennie Fowler, Tony Lippett and DeAnthony Arnett didn't get that memo.

In the game against Eastern Michigan, Spartan receivers dropped another five passes. Let's say that again. Against an 0-3 team from the M.A.C. Spartan receivers found it difficult to catch anything more than a cold. Maxwell had improved from Notre Dame, he didn't lock onto receivers and attempted to spread the ball around in the passing game. But when it became obvious that his receivers didn't feel the need to catch anything thrown near them, Maxwell went to his safety blanket in Dion Sims.

Sims racked up more than 100 yards receiving against Eastern, and due to the poor play, again, of the receivers Michigan State was forced to give the ball to LeVeon Bell 32 times, which to his credit he turned into more than 250 yards of offense.

Right now, this Spartans offense consists of Bell getting the ball and the occasional play-action pass to Sims. That's not good enough to beat any Big Ten team. Hell, it was barely enough to beat Eastern Michigan. When your offense goes into halftime against a team from the MAC, they damn well better have more than three points.

Something needs to be done about the receivers at Michigan State, whether it be submersing their gloves in super glue prior to the game or setting them in front of a pitching machine and having them catch passes for hours at a time. If the Spartans go into B1G play  with nothing more than Bell and Sims, there is no way they can win much of anything, regardless of how well their defense plays.

Three Positives and Negatives from Last Night's Opener

By: Connor Wilton
@ConnorJayWilton

From ESPN Sportsnation

The Spartans kicked off their season in winning fashion yesterday defeating Boise State 17-13 under the lights. The Spartan performance was far from impressive though. Despite doubling the Broncos in both total offense and time of possession, Michigan State needed a late 4th quarter drive to pull off the victory.

Despite the shaky performance from the Spartans, there were definitely some positives to take away from the game.  Unfortunately, there are certainly a lot of things the Spartans need to improve on if they want to become Big Ten Champs.

Three Positives:

Le'Veon Bell 

I think this one pretty much goes without saying.  Le'Veon Bell was by far the best player on the field Friday night totaling 210 yards rushing on 44 carries. He also had 6 receptions for 55 yards as well as the Spartan's only two TDs.  He also had a pair of highlight-reel runs, including a play where he leaped over Boise defender Jeremy Ioane en route to a 23 yard run. Bell was a monster from start to finish for the Spartans and leaped himself into the Heisman race this year, literally.

Dion Sims 

It was no secret that there were a lot of concerns about the Spartan passing offense coming into this season.  Unfortunately, those concerns turned into reality for MSU as the passing game was ineffective for the most part. Sims was the lone bright spot for the passing game last night, hauling in 7 receptions for 65 yards. The most impressive part was all 7 receptions resulted in Michigan State first downs, and 5 were 3rd down conversions. Sims appeared to be the only target Maxwell was comfortable throwing to and he already has appeared to emerge as the security valve that Maxwell needs.

MSU Defense 

There was a ton of hype heading into this season about the MSU Defense, and they definitely lived up to it last night. The Boise State offense really had no success the entire night, as they totaled only 205 yards of offense. The defense held Boise State to 6 points, with Boise State's only TD coming from their own defense. MSU shut out the Boise State offense in the second half which was ultimately the reason why the Spartans won the game. My only complaint about the D was that they failed to register a sack and failed to put consistent pressure on Boise, but I'm confident that will change in the future.

Three Negatives:

Andrew Maxwell 

Maxwell's much anticipated debut was one that most Spartans will want to forget about.  After a nice opening TD drive, Maxwell had a perfect pass go through the hands of WR Tony Lippett and into the hands of a Boise State defender. Maxwell never seemed to recover in the 1st half throwing two more poor balls, one resulting in a Boise State pick six. The encouraging part for Maxwell was his 2nd half performance. He was by no means spectacular, but he made much better decisions with the football going 11-16 for 152 yards. That second half for Maxwell could really benefit him down the road as they head into Big Ten play.

The Wide Receivers 

After losing their top 3 WRs last season, the WR position was another concern heading into the season for the Spartans.  The Spartan WRs only accounted for 8 of the 22 receptions for MSU. Tony Lippett especially struggled for MSU.  He dropped a perfect pass from Maxwell which led to an INT for Boise, and fumbled the ball away killing a potential scoring drive for MSU.  It was also interesting that DeAnthony Arnett was hardly on the field for the Spartans last night.  He was talked about as being the potential best WR for MSU but he only entered the game a few times last night. Bennie Fowler had a couple nice receptions for the Spartans, but overall, MSU WRs must improve dramatically.

William Gholston 

Now, this may seem harsh to put Gholston as a negative last night since the D played great as a unit. He came out very strong batting down two balls in the first 2 possessions.  However, from that point on, he really became a non-factor for MSU, and did not have a tackle last night. In his defense, Boise State used a lot of quick 3 step drops yesterday which didn't give the pass rush a whole lot of time to wreak havoc. Gholston has all the abilities in the world and has the talent to become one of the best players in college football, but he needs to be consistent for the Spartan D to have success in Big Ten play.

The Spartans certainly have a lot work and improving to do this upcoming week. But beating Boise State is something that not a lot of teams have been able to do in the past 5 years and is something the Spartans can build on as they fight for the Big Ten Championship.

Michigan State Receivers Preview

MSU receivers tweeted by Bennie Fowler, @b_fowler13

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

With the departure of so much of the Spartans receiving corps following last season many believe that the inexperience at wide out will hurt Michigan State this season; however, the amount of talent on the field begs to differ.

Coming into the 2012 season, the Spartan receiver with the most catches last year is Dion Sims, who caught 12 passes last year. There is no doubt that this is a young receiving corps, but that isn't to say that it will under perform or that it couldn't even surpass last years group.

Several receivers are not new faces on this team, they have just been biding their time behind stars like Keith Nichol and B.J. Cunningham. Bennie Fowler has battled injuries throughout his career in East Lansing and Tony Lippett and Keith Mumphery served their redshirt year under Coach Mark Dantonio and have been putting in work on the practice squad.

Currently, the Spartans depth chart has Fowler and Lippett tied for the "X receiver" position and Mumphery in control of the "Z receiver" position. Close behind Mumphery is Tennessee transfer DeAnthony Arnett. Arnett transferred to Michigan State at the last year when his father's health condition worsened.

Arnett, from Saginaw, Mich., was released from his scholarship by the Volunteers and transferred to the Spartans to be closer to his father. He had to submit a hardship waiver to the NCAA to be eligible to play this season; that waiver was granted and he will most likely see the field this season.

Recruited as a four-star receiver Arnett performed well at Tennessee and will most likely fight his way into a starting job this season. He has proven to be elusive in space after the catch and has explosive speed, but he needs to work on getting off jams.

Fowler, now fully healthy, will most likely be the starting receiver on the right side of the formation. He played in several games last season before his injury, catching two passes for a total of 20-yards. At 6'1" he is smaller, but he plays big and can get off the line quickly.

Fowler's main competition comes from Tony Lippett, who is currently tied with Fowler for the starting "X receiver" job on the preseason depth chart. Lippett stands 6'3" and weighs 190 lbs., a good sized receiver, he will certainly see the field in a rotation that Dantonio will use to keep his receivers rested.

Mumphery is just 6-feet tall, but weighs in at 208 lbs., meaning that while he is on the smaller side, he can get off the smaller defenders and get the inside track on the ball. He has good hands and speed, but no game experience. With Arnett, a veteran of the SEC, breathing down his neck he may not be able to hold onto the "Z receiver" job.

Sims is the only receiver who isn't battling for his job this preseason. Being the player with the most previous catches on the roster, with 12, Sims looks to continue to be solid at the tight end position. Sims is an imposing figure, standing 6'5" and weighing 285 lbs. he is able to hold his own on the line and when he gets up field his size makes him difficult to bring down.

This Michigan State receiving corps is young and lacks game experience, but while they weren't getting reps in games and in practice with Kirk Cousins, they were getting reps on the practice squad with then-backup Andrew Maxwell throwing the passes. Maxwell knows these receivers and they know him, that familiarity is something that quarterbacks always look for in their receivers and these guys have it.

With position battles across the receiving corps those who are rewarded with starting jobs will be the best of the best and help keep the Spartans from losing a beat in the air.

Spartans Ranked No. 8 In Sports Illustrated

Via ESPN.com

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

The preseason rankings have been out for a while now, and according the The USA Today the Spartans are the 13th best team in the land, trailing the rival Wolverines who sit in eighth place. But a new ranking is out, this one from Sports Illustrated and things look a little different. In that listing the Spartans are a top ten team, No. 8, and the Wolverines have taken over the 13th position.

SI's reasoning in why they have Michigan State ranked No. 8 is that while the Spartans have lost Kirk Cousins, the man that will be replacing him is actually better than he was. SI explains that even though Cousins had the game experience, that his replacement, Andrew Maxwell, has a better arm and is more athletic. With the full stable of receivers the Spartans have this season, Maxwell shouldn't have trouble finding someone to throw to.

Maxwell was named the "Breakout Player" on this Spartans team, as he will take over a club that has posted back-to-back 11-win seasons for the first time in school history. Michigan State's defense is just as good, if not better than it was last season, and will keep opponents from scoring regularly, giving Maxwell and his offense many opportunities to get and maintain the lead.

SI noted four-star safety recruit Demetrious Cox as the Spartans top recruit, but with as good as the secondary was last season (18 interceptions to lead the B1G) Coach Mark Dantonio will likely follow his blueprint and red-shirt Cox for the 2012 season.

William Gholston was spotlighted by the magazine, as one of the best players on the defensive side of the ball, and with the performance the former five-star recruit turned in during the win in the Outback Bowl over Georgia he is quite impressive.

Yes, Gholston has had his bad times, after twisting Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson's helmet and punching Michigan offensive lineman Taylor Lewan in the facemask, but he served his suspension and came back to his team playing a clean game, but playing with the same ferocity that he had before the ban.

Michigan State did lose a defensive force in Jerel Worthy to the Green Bay Packers, but another former five-star recruit Lawrence Thomas has transitioned from a linebacker to a defensive end. Meaning that this Spartans team will now have a five-star defensive end on each end of the line every down while the middle of the defensive line sports names like Anthony Rashad White and Marcus Rush.

With an impressive defense returning, and improving from last season, and a quarterback in Maxwell that is thought to be even better than Cousins, the Spartans simply need to get their receiving corps in order and they will be the favorites for the Legends Division crown for another season.

The Michigan State preseason depth chart has Bennie Fowler and Keith Mumphery listed as the starting receivers, but former four-star recruit to Tennessee DeAnthony Arnett is making a push for a job of his own. Redshirt-freshman recruit Juwan Caesar is also pushing for his own starting job. With the Spartan receiving corps bristling with this much talent, Dan Roushar's pass happy offense should continue to cruise.

Coach Dantonio has said that he wants to get back to running the ball and no one should be happier to hear that than Le'Veon Bell who is listed as the starting running back. Bell is a physical back who almost seeks out contact, a la Adrian Peterson, when he gets through the line and is in the secondary. He will be pushed however, as senior Larry Caper hopes to regain his starting job.

With the defense as solid as ever and the offense reloading, it appears as though the No. 8 seed placed on the Spartans by SI is well deserved.

  

Column: Which DeAnthony Arnett should Michigan State Spartans fans expect?

 Photo: Saginaw News -- Former Saginaw High star DeAnthony Arnett could bring the unexpected to Michigan State, depending on your opinion of him.

By Adam Biggers
@AdamBiggers81

Most Michigan State Spartans football fans are probably eagerly anticipating the official arrival of transfer DeAnthony Arnett, a former Saginaw High prep All-American.

However, they're also probably holding their breath, not sure what to expect.

As of now, the facts are the facts: There are bitter Tennessee Volunteers fans who claim that Arnett was immature and simply wanted out of the program. But that's speculation on their parts. Officially, his reason for transferring to Michigan State was to be closer to his ill father.

We can leave it at that, because only Arnett knows for sure. He caught 24 passes for 242 yards as a freshman, a decent showing for a first-year player.

There have been a lot of reports and columns published on Arnett, but my question is this: How many of the writers actually had a personal encounter with him? How many truly spent time with him before hitting the keyboard with their sideways analysis?

I'm not claiming to know Arnett by any means. However, I did interview him just over a year ago for about half an hour.

I approached him with the standard questions, which I expected standard answers in return. But he was polite, laughed a little, and seemed like a genuine kid looking to play college football. He loosened up a bit and mentioned something about getting out of Michigan, so I figured in-state schools weren't options.

(He had some of the best hands I had ever witnessed, too. He turned poorly thrown balls into acrobatic, one-handed catches during that practice. And they looked effortless). 

At that time, he hadn't committed to Tennessee, but weeks later, he followed with a less-than impressive outburst on Twitter that included multiple "I'm going here" statuses and video footage in which he wore a different team's hat -- including UM and MSU hats -- each time.

To me, that was just a kid being a kid, but it did change my opinion of him. I thought he could have handled the situation a little differently. But then again, I wasn't a highly-touted prep football player while in high school, so who was I to judge? I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing. How many kids get to choose from a laundry list of premier programs to play for?

Not many.

Other than that, I thought Arnett was a likable kid. I arranged the interview with his coach, Gary Lee, and it went smoothly. Arnett thanked me for my time. I thanked him for his and left the field. That was that.

I remember watching a Volunteers game one Saturday. I don't remember the opponent, but I do remember the announcer calling Arnett's name after he finished a nice kick return. At that time, I smiled and said to myself: "I hope he has a good college career," not knowing that he would soon make the decision to transfer to Michigan State.

My overall feeling is this: Spartans fans should hope for the best, but brace themselves for the worst. Will Arnett settle for anything less than being a go-to receiver? He should. Michigan State has Tony Lippett, Keith Mumphrey and Bennie Fowler returning, along with other recruits. Arnett -- who was a basketball and football standout at Saginaw -- isn't guaranteed to see action, but he's been cleared to play spring football. He's waiting to be cleared for fall, and if the NCAA fails to grant him the ability to play come August, all the thoughts on Arnett's potential this season will be for naught.

Will Arnett accept a role on special teams, perhaps as a kick returner? Nick Hill saw duties at that position last year, but will likely see more time at running back since Edwin Baker left early for the NFL. Could Arnett handle only a few touches per game, or would he revert to the immature kid so many Volunteers fans tabbed him as and become disgruntled?

Spartans coach Mark Dantonio recently interviewed with ESPN. He comes across a good judge of character and had nothing but positive things to say about Arnett, who had to make a difficult choice on whether or not to transfer.

"It was a hardship because his father is ill," Dantonio said. "DeAnthony had success at Tennessee. He was happy at Tennessee. He felt like he needed to come home to be near his family. Every Friday afternoon he goes home. He's a great young man, and he cares deeply about his family and wants to be close to them and wants them to have the opportunity to see him play as well."

Form your own opinion on Arnett. But consider reading this column by the Saginaw News' Hugh Bernreuter, who offers a solid analysis of the situation.

Michigan State Spring Practice Storylines

From MSU Football Facebook Page

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier

The post-Kirk Cousins era has begun in East Lansing, Mich and Junior Andrew Maxwell is at the helm. Cousins is coming off a very successful college career but he has said that the team is in good hands with Maxwell.

"He's (Maxwell) a lot farther along at this point in his career than I was," Cousins said at media availability earlier in the season.

While Maxwell has only attempted 51 passes in games during his Spartan tenure, Head coach Mark Dantonio has confidence in the junior. He is talented, no one is doubting that, the real thing is if he can get the team to coalesce around him.

MSU Football Facebook Page

Maxwell inherits a young receiving corps that includes Bennie Fowler, Juwan Caesar, Keith Mumphrey and Tennessee-transfer DeAnthony Arnett. While a group of inexperienced receivers may seem like a negative thing for most quarterbacks, Maxwell may be in luck. These are the guys that he has been working with for several years during practices while the big names were catching passes from Cousins.

That relationship and understanding of one another that was built during their time on the practice squad will end up helping both Maxwell and the receivers that are tapped as starters for this season.

The receiving corps is another point that is thought to be a weakness, but with Caesar being a touted recruit and Coach Dantonio's recent statements about the progression of Mumphrey, not to mention the experienced Fowler and Arnett - this team won't miss a beat, or a pass for that matter.

Michigan State enjoyed one of the best defense's in the Big Ten and country during the 2011 season and despite losing Jerel Worthy the Spartans "D" doesn't look to miss a beat.

The Spartans will have Marcus Rush, Tyler Hoover, Anthony Rashad White, William Gholston, Micajah Reynolds and Lawrence Thomas on the defensive line in 2012. And if opposing offensive lines can keep those behemoths back long enough their QB's will have to face linebackers Taiwan Jones, Max Bullough and Denicos Allen.

Michigan State looks to have only improved in the off-season despite losing many faces of their program, but that is a mark of a good program. Players come through and draw attention to the team as they succeed and are replaced by players who look to improve on what came before them.

  

DeAnthony Arnett chooses to play for Michigan State

By Sean Gagnier

It's official, Saginaw's own DeAnthony Arnett will be staying in Michigan and playing for Michigan State.

The University of Tennessee granted Arnett his release to either Michigan or Michigan State on Tuesday after having previously released him to any of the Mid-American Conference schools in the state of Michigan. Arnett had asked for a release from Tennessee to be able to be closer to his family and ailing father back in Saginaw, Mich.


As a true freshman with the Vols' Arnett caught 24 passes and was a major part of the Tennessee offense last season. Arnett will seek a hardship waiver to be able to play with the Spartans next season.

Classes at Michigan State begin on Jan. 9th and Spartan students will have a new classmate as Arnett will begin attending the school on Monday when students return from winter break.

"It was tough from an emotional standpoint, going through things with my father," Arnett said. "The choice of going to State wasn't hard at all."

Arnett said that he had to wait until Tennessee released him before he could talk to anyone from the University of Michigan or Michigan State University. Once he was released to choose a school Arnett said the choice was easy.

"State is home. They were one of the teams that recruited me the hardest. I didn't talk to anyone from (University of) Michigan. I wasn't able to talk to Coach (Mark) Dantonio. I had to wait until Tennessee released me. When that happened, everything else happened right away. It was an easy choice. State is only a 50-minute drive from my house."


The transfer had been on Arnett's mind since September, but he had only asked Vols' head coach Derek Dooley for the transfer just before winter break. When he was being recruited Arnett's father had been doing alright health wise but recently has had heart surgery and has had to undergo dialysis. Because of his declining health, Arnett's father was not able to travel to Tennessee to see any of Arnett's games, something Arnett says is important to him.


While Michigan State may have snagged an impressive receiver, things are not finished - Arnett has to apply for and be approved a hardship waiver by the NCAA. But regardless of if he is approved he will be donning the green and white next season. If his hardship waiver is approved he will maintain all three years of eligibility but if it is declined, according to Arnett he will use his redshirt year in 2012 and will still have three years of eligibility remaining.


Arnett is joining a Michigan State team with a wide open wide receiving corps situation - with B.J. Cunningham, Keith Nichol and Keshawn Martin all graduating this year. Should Arnett be eligible to play next year the Spartans would field a formidable receiving corps of four-star recruit Aaron Burbridge, Arnett, who was ranked as a four-star recruit when Tennessee recruited him, and Juwan Caesar.


With Arnett joining the Spartans he will be joining a team that will be lead by former Midland high school quarterback Andrew Maxwell. Arnett should be familiar with Maxwell as the two played each other when they were both in the Saginaw Valley League in high school.


"I'm walking into a beautiful situation," Arnett said. "I talked to Andrew. We talked about things. I'm ready to roll. We've played against each other. He beat us every time. But the Midland High game when I was a sophomore was one of my best games. It was the game that got my name out there."

Tennessee releases Arnett to either Michigan State or Michigan

By Sean Gagnier

Vols' head coach Derek Dooley has made and exception and WR DeAnthony Arnett is heading home to the state of Michigan. Arnett has been released by the Vols' to either Michigan State or Michigan, his release had previously only been to a Mid-American Conference school within the state.

Dooley stated that he made the exception for Arnett because of the failing health of his father in his hometown of Saginaw, Mich. Arnett's father has had surgery on his heart and another to impact a stent for dialysis over winter break and Arnett wants to be close to his family because of it.

That is what has been said publicly, behind closed doors some believe that Arnett is using his father's illness to get out of Tennessee after their receivers coach, Charlie Baggett, retired this off season. Baggett recruited Arnett out of Saginaw and was one of hs major reasons for choosing to head to Rocky Top, with his retirement it could be motivation for Arnett to head back north.

Michigan State had been a favorite of Arnett's all the way through the recruiting process and the receiving situation there could be appealing to the pass catcher. With the Spartans top three receivers in B.J. Cunningham, Keshawn Martin and Keith Nichol graduating it leaves wide openings in the receiving corps that Arnett could take advantage of.

If Arnett secures his hardship waiver from the NCAA he will be eligible to play next season and if he were to join the Spartans he would be competing for three starting WR positions against Bennie Fowler, Juwan Caesar, Aaron Burbridge and Keith Mumphery and he could easily come out on top of that battle.

Michigan State should go hard after Arnett because with his addition to the team they will be able to reload the receiving corps in one season while returning all three running backs, most of the offensive line and all but two of their defensive players. If Andrew Maxwell could step up and perform like they believe he can and the Spartans are able to snag Arnett Michigan State could easily be back in Indianapolis competing for another chance to smell the roses in Pasadena.

Family says there's "no chance" Arnett returns to Tennessee

By Sean Gagnier

The highly coveted 2011 wide receiver recruit out of Saginaw, Mich. will not return to the University of Tennessee under any circumstances; this according to a family member of Arnett's. Arnett has said that he will not make any public statemtns until the situation has been resolved with the Volunteers.

After a stellar true freshman season at Tennessee that saw Arnett catch 24 passes he has requested a release from his letter of intent to the university. Arnett is seeking a "hardship waiver" to be able to attend either Michigan, Michigan State or Notre Dame in order to be closer to his ailing father.

 14.2.5 Hardship Waiver. A student-athlete may be granted an additional year of participation (per Bylaw 14.2.4) by the conference or the Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement for reasons of “hardship.”

According to family statements, Arnett fully enjoyed his time at Tennessee and his request to be released has no basis in any dissatisfaction with the school or his coaches. It was also stated that he was happy with his playing time and that there was nothing the Vols' did that motivated his request, it has everything to do with his ailing father in Saginaw.

Since the beginning of winter break Arnett's father has undergone two surgeries; heart surgery and another to impact a stent in his arm for dialysis, which may need to be redone should it be unsuccessful.

Arnett is attempting to transfer schools without losing any eligibility; following his season at Tennessee he has three years of eligibility remaining. Due to Tennessee policies they have denied Arnett's request to be released to Michigan or Michigan State because they do not allow releases to any schools that they compete against or recruit against.

Although his request has been denied to head to Ann Arbor or East Lansing, the Vols' have released Arnett to play with any of the Mid-American Conference schools in Michigan - Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan or Western Michigan.  

Regardless of whether Arnett receives his release to Michigan or Michigan State he will have to fulfill his National Letter of Intent, which requires that Arnett have at least one year of education at Tennessee. Arnett will attempt to satisfy his letter of intent by taking online classes through Tennessee while remaining close to his father in Saginaw.

Depending on the release that Tennessee grants Arnett, he may have to pay his own way should he choose either Michigan or Michigan State, sit out a season, lose a year of eligibility or some combination of those. But Arnett has made the Vols' know that he will not be returning to Knoxville and his family has stated that the university understands.

Vols' DeAnthony Arnett seeks transfer to Michigan State or Michigan

By Sean Gagnier

The Michigan native WR DeAnthony Arnett is seeking to secure his transfer off of Rocky Top and back home to Saginaw, Mich. in order to be closer to his family and his ailing father.

In a letter to the media, Arnett disclosed that his father has recently suffered two heart attacks and has been placed on dialysis and that his focus has reasonably not been on football or even in Tennessee but at home.

"I want to play football but I NEED to be here for my Dad and with my family," Arnett wrote in the email.

In the email, Arnett also disclosed that he is seeking a transfer to all schools in the state of Michigan. Although the University of Tennessee has said that they will only release Arnett to a Mid-American Conference school and not to Michigan or Michigan State. If Arnett decides he would like to attend either school he would have to finance his own education and athletic career.

In Arnett's email he states that his family has been enduring financial struggles and that he is unsure of his ability to finance a move to a Big Ten team. He went on to accuse Volunteers head coach Derek Dooley of hindering him by not allowing him to compete at the BCS level.

Tennessee has stated that they are not blocking Arnett from competing at the FBS level but following a policy of not transferring players to schools that they would play or recruit against. Although the Vols' won't be playing Michigan State or Michigan any time soon, but they do cross paths on the recruiting trail quite often.

The addition of Arnett to the Spartans receiving corps would be a huge gain as they are thin after Keith Nichol, B.J. Cunningham and Brian Linthicum graduated. Arnett would have to sit out a year after a transfer but would be able to jump in and help Bennie Fowler, Keith Mumphery, Juwan Caesar and four-star recruit Aaron Burbridge.

Tennessee can still change its mind and allow a transfer to Michigan or Michigan State rather than a MAC school. The situation is a difficult one but both sides have to understand the other and realize that not everyone can come out on the winning end.