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.