Speedy DB out of Canada picks MSU

EAST LANSING - Get your passport ready Spartan fans - MSU's 2011 recruiting class has gone international.

Arjen Colquhoun, a defensive back out of W.F. Herman High in Windsor, Ontario, gave Spartan coach Mark Dantonio his verbal commitment while on an unofficial visit Monday.

"I've seen other schools in the United States, they don't really look over in Canada," Colquhoun said. "I (intend) to show that even though I don't play American football, I can still play football and excel."

Senior offensive lineman J'Michael Deane also came to MSU from Canada out of Toronto.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Colquhoun becomes the 10th member in MSU's 2011 class and the second defensive back, joining Trae Waynes of Bradford High in Konega, Wis. Waynes committed earlier this month.

Colquhoun had additional scholarship offers from Rice and Central Michigan, as well as interest from Notre Dame, Michigan and Ohio State.

He played cornerback and safety for coach Harry Lumley at Herman last season and said he isn't sure which spot he will play at MSU.

Lumley also coached St. Louis Rams safety Oshiomogho Atogwe at Herman and said he sees parallels between the two. Atogwe had 74 tackles and two interceptions during his fifth season with the Rams last year.

"He's a lot like (Atogwe) in that both of them in big games play big," Lumley said. "They always do and they hate losing to the point of they almost fall apart when they lose."

While gaining attention can be tougher for Canadian high school players, Colquhoun found a remedy when making the rounds at various college camps this summer.

"I'd always try to go up against the best," Colquhoun said. "Coaches are always watching the best prospect at the camp, so the only way you're really gonna stand out is if you go against the best.

"Coaches would come up and ask where I was from and I would say 'Canada' and they'd look at me and laugh ... It kind of caught them off guard."

The next challenge for Colquhoun is absorbing as much as possible about American football, considering the different set of rules. Games are played on a bigger field in Canada, with 12 players on each side and only three downs on offense. Defenses rarely, if ever, utilize man coverage and linemen must begin each play at least one yard apart.

While it will be an initial challenge to learn the different schemes and intricacies, Colquhoun is looking forward to some of the differences, including playing on a field that is 10 yards narrower and more conducive to contact.

"I'm always looking for a chance to hit a kid, but because the field is so wide it's hard to do," Colquhoun said. "Shortening up the field and being able to hit kids sounds better and more fun."

Speed, however, is what sets Colquhoun apart. He ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at MSU's camp two weeks ago.

And though he lives in a different country, he won't be far from home. The speedy 1 1/2-hour drive to MSU from his house is just one of the reasons Colquhoun chose the Spartans.

It was that closeness, along with his overall impression of the program, that lured Colquhoun.

"Just the program and the coaches and the way they run their team," he said. "I like the persona about them and how they're going about winning and creating a better football team."

TCU IS PRESEASON PICK: TCU is still on top in the Mountain West Conference.

The Horned Frogs received all 31 first-place votes in the league's preseason media poll, released Tuesday.

"Probably what that means is that we have good talent. Now we have to live up to it," TCU coach Gary Patterson said. "I think that's the whole thing. It doesn't matter what people say about them in August. Preseason goes off of what happened last year."

And last year was great for the Horned Frogs, who finished 12-1. The only loss was to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.

TCU has 16 returning starters, including preseason offensive player of the year Andy Dalton. The senior quarterback, who was the 2009 MWC offensive player of year, is one of nine starters coming back on offense.