By Cardinal Insider Steve Grinczel
GRAND RAPIDS – Just when it seems like the transfer portal and NIL money are ruining college athletics, a player like Micah Cretsinger comes along.
The 6-foot-2, 240-pound All-America linebacker turned down several lucrative offers to trade his senior season at Division II Saginaw Valley State for a chance to play in the Big Ten, among other D-I conferences.
Contrary to the opinion of too many high-value athletes asking suitors, "How much are you gonna pay me," not all rewards come with a price tag, Cretsinger refreshingly indicated during Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Football Media Day, held last week at the Sheraton Grand Rapids Airport Hotel.
Leaving would have meant abandoning teammates he has spent the last five years working alongside to build SVSU into a contender. It would have required him to learn a new system under new coaches in a new city. It would have left incomplete the mark on the program he began to establish last season with one of the greatest single-season performances in conference history. And it would have lessened the Cardinals' chances of having that special season fifth-year head coach Ryan Brady and a veteran cast of returnees believe is possible.
It's not that Cretsinger, who tied an NCAA D-II record by returning half of his eight interceptions in 2023 for touchdowns, wasn't tempted.
"After the season, I was contemplating leaving," he said. "Just the way that college football is right now, guys do assess their situation and do want to leave."
After a postseason conversation with a trusted adviser, Cretsinger took to heart one of the mantras espoused by former Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio, who implored his players to "complete their circles."
"I thought that was super important, especially since I've already been here for five years at this point," Cretsinger said. "I just wanted to make sure that I gave myself the best opportunity to be the best D-II player in the country and have more eyes on me at that level."
The GLIAC's stellar reputation for sending players to the NFL means he won't be second-guessing his decision and qualities such as loyalty, commitment, and selflessness are sure to be noticed.
"If you can ball, teams will find you," Cretsinger said. "I know that I've set myself up in a situation to get picked whether I was in D-I or D-II. But with how many guys we have coming back, and the elite culture that we're building, and the camaraderie that we have, it was a no-brainer for me after thinking about it for a couple of weeks to be with my guys.
"The legacy I can leave behind and how I can leave my team better than when I got here meant more to me than changing schools and getting more money or changing uniforms."
After leading the Cardinals with 59 solo tackles and 100 total, Cretsinger is all but certain he'll get to showcase his abilities on every defensive down whereas he would have risked being a situational player, getting fewer repetitions at the next level. He will also get the satisfaction of wreaking havoc on opposing offenses with arguably the best linebacking unit in the nation that also features Alfred Dailey Jr. and Brandon Rawls.
"Linebackers and quarterbacks have to be the two most vocal positions on the field, so when you have three linebackers that were all-conference (Cretsinger was a first-teamer and Dailey and Rawls were second-team selections), play at an elite level and have elite communication skills, we just want to inspire the rest of the team to get up to that level," Cretsinger said. "When you are able to talk through everything pre-snap, then you can play the down even faster and with confidence.
"Alfred and I came in together, so we've been friends and in the same position group going on six years now, and when you're able to build that kind of trust with someone, it just makes our jobs easier. Brandon does a great job of being vocal and he helped inspire me to be more vocal because I was more of a quiet guy when I first started playing. Brandon's play is also very loud – he makes a lot of TFLs (tackles for loss) and is very impactful in every facet of the game. Every great defense has great linebackers. When you play fast and physical, and with great effort and intent, you'll win a lot of ballgames, especially when all 11 guys and all the guys come in as rotational pieces are able to do their job."
Cretsinger's status has grown beyond the linebacker room and even the offensive and defensive meeting rooms.
"With his size and his build, especially in our conference, I've never seen an athlete who can move like him," said senior offensive lineman Connor Cracchiolo, who has similar ambitions. "Obviously, it's my goal to move on and play at the next level, so to see an NFL-caliber player every day only betters me. I just hope I can return the favor by giving him the best look I can give him."
Aside from posting gaudy statistics, earning more accolades, and maybe even boosting Saginaw Valley to postseason competition, Cretsinger's return can be seen as an endorsement of the direction the program is heading, even if his NIL payment is an occasional gift card to the local wings restaurant.
"You know, he loves SVSU," Brady said. "Even his parents told me, 'I don't know what you did to him, but he loves the coaches, he loves his teammates and he loves the school.' Everything we do is about people, so when you spend five years in that kind of culture and environment, where all we do is focus on each other and building relationships, it makes really it hard to walk away, especially having the success he's had and with only one semester left.
"All he needs to do is have another good year, have a great Pro Day and he'll play for years to come at the next level. I truly believe that and I can't wait to watch that. Micah is very smart, has great perspective and he knows this is a great situation for him here. That's what we love about him."
This wasn't the first time Cretsinger put a lot of thought into transferring. Trusting his gut has paid big dividends so far, and he's confident it will again.
"Coach Brady competes at everything he does," Cretsinger said. "That guy's a fiery competitor and he's the same person every day. Nothing can take away his mojo. He calls himself a thermostat and he's going to set the tone, so we have to get up to his level or it might be a bad day for us. When he got here, I could have left, but there's something special about Coach Brady, and I'm super-appreciative of everything he's done for me as a man and as a football player, and I can't wait to play for him my last season."
