Malik McDowell, the five-star defensive end who committed to Michigan State on National Signing Day but has yet to send in a National Letter of Intent, is going to reconsider other schools before making his final decision.
McDowell's father, Greg McDowell, told 247Sports that his son still "wants Michigan State," but the family will not sign the necessary paperwork until the family has reached a compromise on McDowell's future. Part of that compromise process will include unofficial visits to Florida State , Ohio State and Michigan .
The elder McDowell says all four schools remain in play and that they are in the process of scheduling unofficial visits back to the Buckeyes, Seminoles and Wolverines campuses. He added a return trip to Michigan State is not necessary for the family.
“He wants Michigan State, he wants that,” Greg McDowell said. “I know he wants that.”
Greg McDowell says he’s fine with his son attending Michigan State if that’s what he truly wants, while McDowell’s mother Joya Crowe has yet to come around on the Spartans.
“My visit wasn’t a bad visit at all,” Greg said of the Jan. 24 official visit to East Lansing. “I wouldn’t say I changed my mind but I look at my son and you want what’s best for him. I might have some preconceived notions about the Michigan State environment. If he has the opportunity to be somewhere he can become great, not that he can’t do it at Michigan state, but in my opinion the other schools, with the type of defensive line he’d be playing with, I don’t know. I’m not fully with him. I’m not fully against him. I’m all the way for my son. That’s where I’m stuck at.”
The U.S. Army All-American can join the Spartans against his parents' wishes through unconventional means -- such as signing an aid-agreement after his 18th birthday on June 20 -- but his father indicated to 247Sports that the entire family hopes an agreement can be reached in the coming weeks.
"He wants to go check out Florida State again and Ohio State again," Greg McDowell told 247Sports. "Michigan could be the first or second or the last. They're 30 minutes away. We have no issue getting up there and checking it out. I told him it’s going to be a compromise with him and his mom. I know you shouldn’t have to compromise with your mom about this decision, but you can’t want something that that bad to risk a relationship."
The 6-foot-7, 290-pound defensive end was considered a Michigan State lean for months leading up to National Signing Day. The Spartans finished with the No. 25 class in the 2014 team rankings without McDowell, but losing the five-star defensive end to another school -- particularly a Big Ten rival -- would be a frustrating setback after a banner year in 2013.
