Blue Raider Review (05/09/2020 - 05/15/2020)
The Blue Raider Review is GoMiddle's weekly column summing up all the coverage we provided to subscribers and non-subscribers as well as rounding up MTSU sports news of the last week.
As always, please SUBSCRIBE for access to all our coverage.
Matt continued his Signee Spotlight series, catching up with Davon Martin and Vincent Dinkins:
This edition of the signee spotlight is centered around 2020 signee Davon Martin. Martin finished up his high school career at Edgewater High School. There is a reason why he is dubbed as a defensive back at the collegiate level. Martin proved he can be serviceable on the offensive side of the ball, but defensive back seems to be right in his wheelhouse.
https://middletennessee.rivals.com/news/signee-spotlight-davon-martin
There are two guys in MTSU's 2020 recruiting class that have the label of being a defensive end. There is the Knoxville, Tennessee native
Tyrece Edwards, and then there is Vincent Dinkinsout of Kell High School in Cobb, Georgia.
This version of the signee spotlight shines the light and focuses on Dinkins.
https://middletennessee.rivals.com/news/signee-spotlight-vincent-dinkins
Tyler spoke with MTSU Director of Player Personnel Eli Miller about how the football recruiting strategy has changed during COVID-19:
GoMiddle spoke with Eli Miller, Director of Player Personnel for the MTSU football program about how the Blue Raider coaches are adjusting to COVID-19 and how they plan to move forward now that social distancing is easing across the country. Miller has been on the MTSU staff for two seasons. Prior to that, he was on the recruiting staff for the University of Oregon, where he graduated.
Miller advised film is always the most important component to the evaluation of a prospect, but "meeting prospects in person, evaluating them in one-on-one workouts plays a big part."
https://middletennessee.rivals.com/news/blue-raider-recruiting-adjusting-to-covid-19
The MTSU football staff handed out several scholarships to 2021 prospects this week:
The football staff also sent an offer to one 2022 prospect:
On the basketball side, Matt wrote a column explaining his optimism for the 2020-2021 season and for the program going forward:
It was not all doom and gloom for the 2018-2019 season. They bowed up, winning three of their last four regular season conference games.
2019-2020 was tough sledding as well. The Blue Raiders were stuck in a rut, going 8-23 overall and 4-14 in league play.
The troops are on the way to Murfreesboro, though. With an influx of future talent, there does seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel.
https://middletennessee.rivals.com/news/mtsu-basketball-heading-into-the-future
And to round out the review, the NCAA has extended the recruiting dead period for football and basketball:
