Kaden Strayhorn’s dad, MSU legacy Jason Strayhorn, sets the record straight
Michigan landed an outstanding four-star center prospect in Kaden Strayhorn of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy. While his father, former Michigan State player and current MSU football color commentator Jason Strayhorn, wanted him to be a Spartan, he said he left the decision up to his son … and he fully supports him.
He won’t be wearing maize and blue anytime soon, he acknowledged. At the same time, he wants what’s best for his boy.
“I feel there’s a lot of pressure on a lot of people out there, some of it being my family, some of it my close friends … this is an emotional time for us all,” Strayhorn said on the This is Sparta podcast with Rico Beard. “It’s a time of joy and a time of confusion for some people.
“There’s a small [minority] of people trying to spin narratives. I’m not going to just shy away from it. I said through the whole process, I was going to sit back and cheer for him and let him make his own decisions. You’re a father first.”
Strayhorn had a dream, of course, that his son would follow in his footsteps and go to Michigan State. Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore and others, however, simply recruited him harder than new coach Jonathan Smith and others.
Not long ago, the elder Strayhorn said, his son was wide open. Moore never let up, giving him plenty to think about, and ultimately landed his pledge over other finalist Ohio State.
“Clearly not … they didn’t recruit him the same way,” Strayhorn said of Michigan State vs. Michigan. “[Smith and his staff] have relationships they had before when they were in Oregon. It didn’t make any sense for them to throw those relationships they had worked two, three years on away to come to the Midwest and try to start fresh.
“In my opinion, they felt they were too far behind on certain players in this class … [in the process], you have offers — they may offer 12 running backs knowing they are going to take 1 or 2. As we go through that process, just because a team may have called you, offered you — bring you in on official and unofficial visits — it comes down to the chemistry and who is keeping in contact with you the most. It comes to the best fit at the end of the day. Who does that particular player feel like they vibe with, who do they feel they can develop with … who do they feel like they can chase their dreams with?
“For my son, he loved the state of Michigan. He loved the Big Ten. Being in Florida, there were times he said, ‘maybe I’ll be an SEC guy, Dad.’ He loved Alabama with Nick Saban. When Nick Saban retired it sent him into an, ‘oh man … what’s next?’ Then things happen with Coach [Mel] Tucker (at MSU) … it’s just different than it was before.”
In the end, Strayhorn said, his son really wanted to be in the Big Ten.
“It came down to Ohio State and Michigan,” Strayhorn said. “Sherrone Moore was a guy who recruited him from day one as an offensive line coach. When he got that head job after this whole controversy, it was one of those times. My God … it’s rough, because I’m seeing it.
“I love my son, but I love my alma mater. Both things are true. But I’ll never love the University of Michigan. I respect what they do, how they’ve treated him and the family and all that stuff, but you aren’t going to see me in any block ‘M’s or maize and blue stuff.”
He also can’t deny what Michigan has to offer, he admitted.
“I don’t like everything they stand for, but it’s not a chicken**** place,” Strayhorn said. “It’s not. We vetted this deeply, what’s going on there.
“I’ve been on the record here talking about those SOBs. I know what it is for me and what it means for me. But right now, with the new head coach who was the guy that recruited him, at his position, had a relationship with him … he’s been very proactive in that. The resources they have outside the game of football … how can you deny that as a father?”
In the end, he couldn’t and wouldn’t, and his son will benefit in going to one of the elite schools in the country … one that also happens to boast the latest football national championship on its resume and has way more to offer.
