The new SpartanMag powered by On3!

Those of us who cover recruiting sometimes get recruited ourselves. I was publisher of the print version of SPARTAN Magazine back in the 1990s when Shannon Terry and Bobby Burton recruited me to handle Michigan State recruiting coverage and team coverage for what would eventually become Rivals.com. 

Bobby Burton quoted to me the number of subscribers he thought SpartanMag could attract. Twenty-plus years later, thanks to the support of amazing info-hungry Spartan fans like yourselves, his figures were astoundingly accurate.

And 20 years later, when Terry and Burton came after SpartanMag again last year to join their latest venture, On3 Sports, it felt like home – to borrow a phrase we hear so often from football prospects on signing day. 

Become a member of the new SpartanMag for just $1, now through Aug. 31

Shannon Terry is the Nick Saban of digital recruiting coverage and college team coverage, with all of the attention to detail and quality control of the goat, but without the snarl. Terry successfully launched and sold Rivals.com, and successfully launched and sold 247 Sports. When it was time to break the huddle and go for it again with On3, and he wanted SpartanMag to be a part of it, I was on board. But most importantly, I knew it had to work for you, the Maggers, in order for it to work for us. 

I felt Terry’s new team, which includes a long list of former Rivals publishers and a deep cast of brilliant innovators, was a perfect fit for our team, led in part by Associate Editor Paul Konyndyk, to cover your team, the Michigan State Spartans. 

Konyndyk is a tireless worker with a curiously high pain threshold, great news judgement and an array of skull caps and flannels. In his 17 years of helping cover the Spartans for our news organization, I’m sure he has earned your trust and occasionally caused you to crack a smile. If you’re new to this site, you’ll grow to appreciate his coverage. For me, he’s been a valued companion, one of the best friends I’ve ever had, a sounding board and sometimes a life coach. If I had to box Tyson tomorrow, I would want Konyndyk in my corner. And if I wanted to continue covering the Spartans for our Maggers here at On3, and produce the type of content that Spartan fans crave, I had to have Konyndyk by my side, on lead guitar. 

We have Jason Killop coming with us as our recruiting anchor. Maggers have seen him grow, from his teen-aged years, into a new, full-time role. I’m excited to see his continued development as we look to accelerate and amplify the coverage you have come to expect. 

We have sage senior writer Ricardo Cooney ready to continue with his side bars and feature stories. Dating back to my sophomore year at Michigan State, no one in the Greater Lansing area has known me longer than Rico. I still look up to him the way I did when he was my superior at The State News, long ago.

We have interns Jake Lyskawa and Noah Sprunger on our news team, as we look to expand our use of the Michigan State student body and provide opportunities for the Michigan State School of Journalism.

And you will see familiar names at the new home of The Underground Bunker message board. From Big Moobie, to Dorsicles the Wise, to atlanta12, you will find our SpartanMag community tight, caring, demanding and growing. We know what you expect from our news organization, and we intend to exceed those expectations.

Former Rivals national analysts Chad Simmons and Sam Spiegelman are part of the recruiting team at On3, led by ratings expert Charles Power, who is one of the best recruiting evaluators in the industry.

COVERING YOUR SPARTANS

The On3 platform, boosted by technological bells and whistles that only Terry can conceive and provide, will allow SpartanMag to grow to greater heights. With your help, growth in traffic will mean an opportunity to give my staff the compensation it deserves, and add staff members in the future, which ultimately will enhance your coverage.

I was 19-years-old when I went to my first George Perles press conference. When I feel the autumn chill on my face as I walk to the stadium on gamedays in the fall to cover your team, there is a part of me that still has the same enthusiasm and wonderment of that 19-year-old I used to be. 

This is my life’s work. I’m honored that many of you have made this journey possible for me and our SpartanMag news organization. We will serve you well in the weeks, months and years ahead. With momentum and unmatched innovation provided by the On3 platform, we intend to remain your trusted companion, season after season, in covering the Spartans, and growing our family of Maggers throughout the world. 

Thank you for this moment and this opportunity. We will work hard to provide and improve upon the level of credible, professional coverage that you have come to expect from SpartanMag.