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Archive for February, 2008

2008 Signing Class

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

The press conference for the 2008 Grand Valley State Lakers Signing Class was held yesterday. Chuck Martin made remarks about the class followed by video highlights and questions.

Official Press Release

Name                Pos  Ht    Wt   Hometown/High SchoolMatt Armstrong      OG   6-3   290  Lansing, Mich./SextonAndrew Biedenbender OL   6-4   270  Mt. Pleasant, Mich.Sam Burchyett       WR   6-1   185  Ann Arbor, Mich./SalineJarrod Cox          SS   6-1   190  Port Clinton, OhioChris Crawford      QB   6-0   180  Muskegon, Mich.Dominic Cundari     OL   6-2   290  Traverse City, Mich./WestZac Dreffs          DB   5-10  175  Elk Rapids, Mich.Jarren Harrison	    RB   5-10  185  Ferndale, Mich.Jared Hensley       LS   5-10  210  Wyoming, Mich./GRCCJohn Kaminski       OL   6-2   295  Joliet, Ill./Joliet Catholic AcademyCharles Martin      DL   6-2   255  Macomb, Mich./DakotaJohn Orlando        WR   6-0   175  Shelby Twp., Mich./Utica EisenhowerChad O’Shell        RB   5-10  175  Sterling Heights, Mich./Warren DeLaSalleMac Parker          OL   6-1   270  Muskegon, Mich.Myron Puryear       RB   5-10  180  Canton, Mich./PlymouthMatt Sanders        DB   6-3   200  Farmington Hills, Mich./FarmingtonRicky Shorkey       LB   6-3   210  Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa ValleyErik Thompson       RB   6-1   180  Pontiac, Mich./L’Anse Creuse NorthLuther Ware         RB   5-10  194  Bay City, Mich./CentralIsrael Woolfork     WR   6-3   175  Livonia, Mich./Franklin

Enrolled in JanuaryJeff Alexander      DB   6-0   190  Battle Creek, Mich./CentralCam Bramer          Ath  6-1   220  Olivet, Mich./Central MichiganKeioshe Jones       DL   6-2   305  Venice, Calif./West L.A. CollegeNick Lawrence       LB   6-3   235  Brighton, Mich./Bowling Green State

Here are my rough notes from the press conference:

Excited. Worked hard. Started last spring. Excited about who we got. Always looking for lineman. Especially OLine. We think we hit the jackpot here. Always looking for diversity. 1-dimensional players don’t work. Multi talents players are what works out. Asst coaches did a great job at finding tremendous athletes that can plug in on both sides of the ball and they are also great students. They also did a great job finding our type of kid. Competitiveness is key.

List Breakdown:

Crawford - QB at Muskegon. Beat DeLaSalle in NC game twice. We are thinking defense (corner safety) but maybe offense as well. ran option at muskegon. dominant player. one of the best juniors in MI last year.

Thompson - RB/DB - very excited about him. We had an eye on him for a long time. Looked like D1 the whole time. Strong and agile. Good at making people miss. Could play S, CB, WR, RB. He could do great things quickly here.

Ware - RB/DB - Little different back being a bit bigger 200 6 foot. Big but physical yet can still run. Set school record for high jump in HS. Lots of track events in HS. Possible LB/TB here.

Puryear - RB/ATH - Slot WR in our O, RB in our O, or CB in our D. Undersized but can make guys miss so we aren’t afraid of that. Breaks lots of tackles

O’Shell - Took over Jimmy’s spot last year until injury halfway through SR year. We were watching him before. Very fast if he gets out in the open. Definitely suits our style of offense.

Harrison - RB - Tremendous SR season. Explosive. fast. Tennessee/Spearmon like. Finds the holes and gets through them. S/CB maybe but probably TB.

Cox - DB - Port Clinton (East of Toledo) - Birthplace of Tim Selgo. Very good feet. Played TB WR S. Will start on D side of the ball.

Sanders - WR - Has a place on O but can play D as well. S/LB. Bigger at 6′3″ Who knows where he will shake out but on the field someplace.

Woolfork WR - Taller explosive. Needs to get into the weigh room. Loves to run and catch. Fits in wth what we do. Should have a great career for us. Definitely O.

Cuddeback DB - Likes to hit. He should help a lot on special teams. Probably a safety. Hard to find kids that like contact like this kid so he will get special teams time early. Not the biggest but makes plays.

Burchyett - WR - Bigger with great hands. Good student. Looks like Antoine Trent 5 years ago. Stronger kid that will gain speed with time. O guy.

Orlando - WR - A bit undersized but definitely offense. Competitive kid that makes plays.

Dreffs - WR - Tremendous playmaker. Loves to compete.

Shorkey - LB - Very good football player. Committed early. Great LB. Does exactly what we do defensively. Played LB, DE, QB, RB, HB. Bigger kid with unbelievable feet. Start on D but could move. The offense would love him but I don’t think he will end up there.

Martin - DT - Great instincts. Good technique. Good feel for blocking.

Biedenbender - OL - 6′4″ 275 lbs. Tremendous athlete. Early commit. Sold on what we believe at GV. His ability to stay on his feet is really impressive.

Armstrong - OL/DL - 6′3″ 315 lbs. Impressive on his visit. BB comparison. If he can become close to player BB then we are really excited.

Kaminksi - OL - Illinois - Loves to run block.

Parker - OL - A little undersized so he wasn’t that recruited. We got him early and think he can be great at center. Needs a bit more weight at 215.

Cundari - OL - Love his passion and work ethic. Plays it to the end. Effort sets him apart.

A few transfers are still in the works. Not the largest but that’s fine b/c we can only bring 105 into camp. Lost 2 coaches around Christmas but remaining asst coaches did a great job and we didn’t skip a beat.

Q and A:

Lots of OL with no coach. Who did that? Early or what? Some early but all asst coaches have areas so you recruit from your area not position.

Was OL a point of emphasis - probably a key but we always recruit those positions. Skill guys are easier to find but lineman are harder so you take them when you get them.

Who will play soonest? Probably a guard b/c we lost the top 3. Not better player, just higher need. Hard to say at this point. Last years top of SR class were walk-ons so it is hard to say. We put pads on and let them practice.

Lots of early commits. Any kids that fell late? Thompson came late but it wasn’t that we just found him. Its been awhile looking but D1 were working him. The interest seemed to come and go. Lost a few late but that happens. Lost one to Air Force and one to S. Illinois. Those are good teams to lose them to.

Crawford. Lots of local exposure. No GR on list. We aren’t concerned with where or how many press clippers they got in high school. Crawford should be a great competitor for us here. We look at GR/West Michigan first but didn’t find anything that was better. We look for the best that fit into what we do. Money sometimes plays an issue when its not full scholarship. Other D2 schools always outbid us with money. Our asst coaches just have to keep on them.

Is the 85 scholarship limit at D1 limit. Making D2 more attractive? Ya everyone still has a D1 dream. Less kids are getting it so some more come to this level. Every level has moved up just a bit with the limit coming down. If we had more, we could do lots more damage.

Lots play multiple positions in HS. What do you look for? Try to project at other spots but some expertise comes in. Body type, tape, etc. Big on play makers even if we give up height/weight. Versatility is key.

Thompson BB Player. Any chance? Rick Wesley actually mentioned that to me this morning. I wouldn’t say no chance but very difficult double. I did it in D3 and it is hard because the sports are back to back. Football/baseball is an easier double.

Any in program moves? Not quite yet. That is next on the list of things to do. Some things in the back of my head but not tested till later.

April 12 Spring Game. Snow. Sleet. Rain. We’ll be there.

Sorry for the delay. I went to Lansing last night in the snow storm and didn’t get back soon enough to post before shut eye.

More to come…

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Signing Day is Coming…

Saturday, February 2nd, 2008

Greg Johnson (GR Press) made a blog post last night with a decent list of who has confirmd verbally to GVSU. The official signing day is Wednesday February 6th, 2007.

Check back on Wednesday for full details.

Posted in Player News, 2008 Signing Class | No Comments »

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2008 Signing Class

Signing Day is Coming…

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