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Chicago becoming Michigan State's kind of town?
Michigan State Spartans coach Mark Dantonio closed his interview at the podium at Big Ten Media Days in a way that seemed a bit odd.
"Just want to give a shoutout to all our players coming and currently from the city of Chicago," Dantonio said. "Go Green!"
No, the "Go Green" part was not out of the ordinary as he's made a habit of ending his appearances that way, but what is the head coach from Ohio who coaches at a school based in East Lansing, Mich., doing shouting out Chicago?
To those who follow recruiting, it was not hard to decipher.
Dantonio's 2015 Michigan State roster has seven players from Illinois, including returning or potential starters Brian and Jack Allen of Hinsdale and Demetrius Cooper of Chicago.
The state of Illinois is also a big part of what is shaping up to be the bets recruiting class Dantonio has signed since becoming the head coach at Michigan State.
Of the 20 players currently committed to MSU for 2016, five are from Illinois, including the state's top two defensive tackles (Naquan Jones of Evanston Twp. and Mike Panasiuk of Lake Park), the No. 1 defensive end (Josh King of Hinsdale South), the No. 1 safety (Kenney Lyke of William Fremd High School) and the No. 1 center (Matt Allen of Hinsdale Central, whose older brothers are already Spartans).
